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2011 Youth Parliament

The 2011 Youth Parliament is held in South Australia from April to July.

This article outlines the experiences of participants from the MRCSA's Youth Parliament Team.

Date of Case Study: 01-Apr-2011
Themes: Youth, parliament, refugee, government, education
File Reference: Youth%20Parliament%20Article%20%202011.pdf
Author: Isaac Aluong and Bosco Opi
Authors Job Title: Chair , Multicultural Youth Link SA and Youth leadership Program Coordinator

Content Summary

MRCSA Youth Team participates in the Youth Parliament SA 2011
The Youth Parliament program provides a unique forum for young people aged 12-25 years to express their views, develop leadership skills and learn about the parliamentary system. The MRCSA through the respective community leaders, nominate and sponsor ten young people to participate in this annual program that hosts about 80 young people from across metropolitan and regional South Australia.

The 2011 Youth Parliament program runs from April to July. MRCSA participants, almost all of refugee background worked in teams with other young people to gain an understanding of how Parliament works inlcuding the development of bills and public speaking. This year’s program started with training in May 2011, followed by weekly meetings with an MRCSA mentor to develop a bill. A training weekend was held at the University of South Australia while the residential camp was held at Rostrevor College, Woodforde

Youth Parliament operates like State Parli

This annual program is a great opportunity for young people from new and emerging communities to network and engage with other young people participating in this initiative through the YMCA; and to advise South Australian politicians and decision makers on issues affecting young people within their community and the wider community. Participants also have opportunities to learn and gain experiences on the following:
• Teamwork, negotiation skills and self confidence
• Develop public speaking and debating skills
• Gain 2 SACE units
• Parliamentary procedures, public relations and leadership skills
• Meet other young people, form friendships and networks.

The official functions included an opening and closing ceremony, a visit to Parliament House, a mentorship dinner, a youth parliament sitting week during a residential camp in the first week of the July school holidays and the preparation of a Bill under the guidance of the team leader and training manager.

The bills passed in the Youth Parliament are transmitted to the SA Parliament through the relevant Minister, giving young people a real voice in the business of our government. The program also fosters skills in research, writing, advocacy and public speaking and gave participants a unique insight into how Australia’s democracy works. Participation in the Youth Parliament counts towards the achievement of the South Australian certificate of Education, with volunteer teachers overseeing the assessment. This year, for the first time all ten MRCSA youth participants completed two units of the Certificate II in Business, with teaching delivered by Adelaide TAFESA. This initiative was funded by the State Government.
Congratulations to our future leaders, Solange Mukum, Precoius Norman, Isaac Aluong, Christine Mawien, Stella Nandi, Angela Nyok, Ahmad Dostizada, Felistance Mwenda, Pauline Masika and Ahmad Mohammadi who took part in the 2011 Youth Parliament.

Some quotes from the Youth Parliament participants
“I used to be shy and couldn’t speak in public. However this has changed after I attended the youth parliament program. I had the opportunity to speak in the parliament for the first time in my life. I have learnt that it is important to stand up and speak my views and be heard.” Felistine Mwenda
“The Youth Parliament Program has been really stimulating. It is an environment where you have to work hard to understand other people’s views and let yours be heard. It has also improved my teamwork skill because we had to work as a unit to ensure we pass two bills in the two houses of parliament. It was also a good experience as I met other young people with similar thoughts and ideas for the future.” Ahmad Dostiizada
“The Youth Parliament program improved my communication skills, something that I have taken years to develop through other learning pathways. It also helped improve my leadership skills. As the result, I am now assisting in developing a youth

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