By Brian Anderson
San Ramon Valley Times

Oct. 20, 1999

When Vaman Kamath organized Students Against Violence at California High School in the days following the massacre at Columbine High School, he was hoping to send a message to his classmates.

On Tuesday, Vaman took that message to Washington, D.C., where he and about 350 students from across the country have gathered to deliver their thoughts to Congress on ending youth violence.

"We're going to write a resolution," Vaman said, referring to a document that will be developed during the two-day Voices Against Violence conference and forwarded to the House of Representatives. "I hope Congress takes that seriously."

Students from Colorado and California to Illinois and Pennsylvania are talking with each other about preventing violent outbursts such as the Columbine High shooting in Littleton, Colo., that claimed 15 lives six months ago today.

The students are breaking into groups of 20, playing roles of various characters and discussing programs and possibilities that effectively control destructive youth behavior.

They met Tuesday with President Clinton as well as congressional and community leaders. They learned about new ideas that Vaman, a 17-year-old senior at Cal High, said will find their way back to local schools.

"One of the things I picked up on from a group from Tennessee was a pledge," Vaman said of a program in which students vow to follow a straight and narrow path. "We tried the pledge at our school, but I think we approached it in the wrong manner. Some of the ideas they had I think will work really well."

Robbie Steckland, a 15-year-old sophomore at Northgate High School in Walnut Creek who is also taking part in the conference, said communication was open and honest during the first day's activities.

This is one step in a continuing, contagious process, he said.

"It might start with just one or it might start with a district with schools that all of a sudden have no violence," Robbie said by phone. "But eventually people are going to catch on by communicating and they're going to say 'Hey, this is working. Let's try this too.' "

Vaman and Robbie were picked to take part in the conference because of their work in leadership classes and the community.

In addition to organizing Students Against Violence, Vaman helped put together a rally in May in San Ramon attended by three Columbine High students. Hundreds of students from the East Bay flooded Central Park for the event.

Robbie's and Vaman's trips to Washington, D.C., were sponsored by Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Tassajara Valley. Both teens expect to discuss issues with their peers and return home late tonight.

Getting students together to talk to other students is a productive way to tackle the problem, Tauscher said.

"Unfortunately in this country, young people have disproportionately been in the crosshairs of this violence," she said. "It's important that we are first and foremost respectful of the fact that they have borne the brunt of this and secondly to hear them."