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Students step into ministers’ shoes at ‘Youth Parliament’

THE chambers of the NSW Parliament witnessed a remarkable transformation last week as almost 70 dynamic young people, including Auburn’s Isabella Chen and Granville’s Tamana Ahmadzy, stepped into the roles of parliamentarians for the 2024 Y NSW Youth Parliament Sitting Week.

The Y NSW Youth Parliament program, a premier youth empowerment initiative that has been shaping young leaders for over 20 years, offers high school students in Years 10 to 12, a unique platform to voice their concerns and propose solutions on issues critical to their communities.
Participants have been preparing Youth Bills across a variety of portfolios, including Aboriginal Affairs, Arts, Music and Culture, Education and Training, Housing and Homelessness, Justice, Rural and Regional Development and Women’s Affairs.
These bills were the focal point of debate during the sitting week, reflecting the participants’ commitment to advocating for meaningful change.
Isabella promoted her Justice Rights Bill to ensure all people were treated fairly in the Australian justice system, while the purpose of Tamana’s Bill was to prevent gender-based violence.
The senior students said they learnt so much from their involvement in the project.
“It’s been amazing how much we’ve learnt in such a short time,” Isabella said.
“We’ve made new friends, learnt how to write a Bill and how to debate it.”
Tamana said it was empowering learning about advocacy and how they could use their voices to bring about change.
“We also met ministers who taught us about how the parliament works; it’s been exciting,” she said.
“I was considering studying law at university but may include politics now too.”
Isabella said she would be keeping her options open.
“I would like a job in which I can make changes for the betterment of society,” she added.