“Students Speak”: Gunnar Eklund: “Civic Engagement Today Shapes Our Future”

“Students Speak” — a special “06880” feature — gives Westport students a voice on any issue important to their lives.

Gunnar Eklund is a senior at Staples High School. He is very involved in the debate team, and Service League of Boys. Outside of school he participates in the Pequot Runners Club. He has worked as a Camp Mahackeno counselor, and a legal intern for the North Carolina 4th Prosecutorial District Attorney’s Office. Gunnar writes:

President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “We cannot always build a future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.”

Roosevelt’s words feel especially relevant today, in a time when so much about our future, from climate policy to education, is shaped without enough youth voices at the table.

As students we’re often told by parents, teachers and mentors that the future belongs to us — or, better yet, that we are the future.

However, we’re rarely asked to help shape it. After all, the average member of Congress is 59 years old.

Despite this generational gap, young people are far from apathetic. We care about the issues that matter. We hope to be heard, trusted, and taken seriously.

We may be students, but we are also voters-in-training. What we learn about civic engagement now will shape how we participate for the rest of our lives.

Gunnar Eklund

For me, civic engagement has taken many forms. Over the past 4 years I’ve attended monthly Connecticut Debate Association tournaments.

Through these experiences I’ve developed skills every citizen should have: the ability to research and take an informed position, the capacity to understand multiple perspectives, and above all, the willingness to engage in respectful community dialogue.

Currently, as the Staples debate team president, I work to create an environment where every teammate feels confident expressing their ideas.

As a junior, I participated in the national “We The People” competition. My team and I analyzed the Constitution, and learned to apply its principles to current issues.

The process went beyond memorizing facts; it taught me to reconsider the way I viewed government.

After months of revising drafts and rehearsing questioning sessions, our class placed 8th in the national finals in Washington, the first Top 10 finish in school history.

Beyond the ranking, this experience taught me that civic engagement thrives when people come together.

Staples’ 2025 We the People team. Gunnar Eklund is 3rd from the right, in the back row. The flag hangs in Staples’ We the People teacher Suzanne Kammerman’s classroom. 

Civic engagement has also been a cornerstone of my life outside the classroom. Observing my younger brother prepare for and become the only freshman in the country to win the Sandra Day O’Connor Institute’s Annual Civics Challenge last year showed me the value of encouraging other young individuals to engage.

Although I am not old enough to vote yet, that doesn’t mean I’m powerless to contribute. Handing out “I Voted” stickers on Election Day proved that even small actions help strengthen our country.

I’ve also had the opportunity to help Addison Moore, a Staples 2023 graduate and possibly the youngest candidate to ever run for Westport RTM, with his campaign. 

Gunnar Eklund rocks his debate team logowear.

Civic engagement is far more than casting a ballot; it’s about learning, participating, and supporting others in the process. While I look forward to the day I can vote, I’m equally excited by the opportunities I have now to become an active, informed citizen.

Every student has the ability to make a difference. Whether it’s joining a debate team, volunteering, mentoring younger students or participating in local campaigns, each action prepares us to take on greater responsibilities in the future.

Engaging in these activities teaches more than just facts about government. Leadership, empathy, and the importance of working together toward common goals are all components of civic virtue that can be learned. 

If I were to give one piece of advice, it would be to say “yes” to opportunities. Saying “yes” opens the door to new experiences, allowing you to challenge yourself and to connect with others who are also contributing to our community.

One specific way students can say “yes” is by choosing to read. Reading can look like just about anything. Surfing the web for articles about current issues, opening up a history textbook, or just flipping through a book that explores a different point of view are all fantastic ways to partake in this habit. The point is to engage with ideas beyond your immediate experience, and to ask questions that inspire you to learn more.

As FDR recognized, preparing young people today is essential to building a stronger, more thoughtful future. Every action we take now, no matter how small it seems, contributes to the communities we live in and prepares us to shape the future we hope to inherit.

(To submit a “Student Speaks” — or for questions about this feature — email 06880blog@gmail.com. We will work with students to help craft their story. Anonymity, if requested, is assured.) 

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Gunnar Eklund (right), with his younger brother Tucker at the Liberty Bell.