An audience of about 50 draws clockwise circles in the air over their heads.

“Now keep it going, keep watching it,” moderator Barbara Kerr says. “Now bring it down, bring it down. Humor me.”

Hands lower to chest level, fingers still obediently circling, The circles, viewed from the new perspective, now move counter-clockwise.

The exercise in looking at one issue from different points of view illustrated the evening’s theme – learning about different views of a single subject, the war in Iraq – at Thursday’s “360 Degree Perspective” youth/adult forum on the war in Iraq.

The event was the first community service project hosted by Youth Lead and Serve, a new island group formed by islander Dianne Juhl to give teens a place to voice concerns and dispel “bad kid” stereotypes.

The event had roots dating back nine months, when YLS teens surveyed classmates to find out what subjects their peers wanted to learn more about.

They found that international issues and foreign affairs topped the list.

So the group – which includes Taylor Allen, Rokeda Brownell, Evan Mayfield, Annika Oechsli, Ben Packard, Joe Reynolds and Kodi Semon, plus 11 adult team members – planned a forum.

The evening opened with tips on listening to others’ viewpoints without disagreement, through methods pioneered by Leah Green’s Compassionate Listening Project. Strategies including avoiding “why” questions, and reflective listening intended to build empathy.

The advice on setting aside one’s opinions to hear the views of others proved useful throughout the evening, as pro-war and anti-war opinions were aired.

But overt disagreement was avoided as teens and adults talked war while modeling peace.

A panel of students and adults opened with short presentations on aspects of the Iraq conflict ranging from the projected costs to the potential toll in humanitarian aid.

Next, the audience broke into youth/adult pairs to answer a single question:

How has this time of international conflict and global crisis affected me?

“Except for TV stations being clogged up with news, I feel really sheltered here on Bainbridge,” senior Mackenzie Adams told partner Clarence Moriwaki, “but at the same time, I’ve gotten more politically active.”

Moriwaki, in turn, told Mackenzie that the conflict was a reminder of Vietnam, a war that claimed an uncle.

“I’m mildly embarrassed to be an American,” Moriwaki said, “because it seems more like an invasion than a war.”

When the pairs were combined into larger circles of six, diverse opinions about the war were aired.

But careful planning and the evening’s structure ensured a respectful forum for views across the political spectrum – from Peace Coalition member and BHS junior Meghan Gladstein, who opposes the war, Jenna Santelli, a junior who remains undecided, to Vietnam veteran Frederick Scheffler, who strongly favors of the war.

“War is an obscenity,” Scheffler said. “There’s only one thing more obscene – someone who will not fight for something they believe in.”

The evening closed with the reading aloud of participants “hopes and dreams.”

“I have a dream that Saddam says ‘OK, we will stop,’ and a hope that the Iraqis will not fight back,” said Ordway kindergartener Silas Gibbins.

Juhl says that the youth planners have already realized one of her hopes.

“I’m so proud of this team,” she said, “for fulfilling their promise of service to the community in a way that also felt rewarding to them.”