Politics – Why Bother? Engaging Young People in Political Debate

Are you worried about the environment?

Concerned about the integrity of our government?

Not sure what the Voice to Parliament is all about?

Come along to a discussion panel that our St Leonard’s College Captains, Lola Ogunbambi and Aidan Velten, will be hosting: Politics – Why Bother? Engaging Young People in Political Debate.

The event will take place at 7.30pm in the Leonardian Centre on Tuesday 29 August.

Our panellists are:

• Mr Josh Burns MP, Member for Macnamara, Australian Labor Party, Chair of Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights
• Ms Zoe Daniel MP, Independent, Member for Goldstein
• Senator the Hon Sarah Henderson, Liberal Party of Australia, Shadow Minister for Education, Senator for Victoria
• Mr James Newbury MP, Victorian Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Shadow Minister for Equality, Member for Brighton
• Ms Meena Singh, Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People

Lola and Aidan share what inspired them to create this event for young people:

We are motivated by the conviction that politics isn’t just for the government. It isn’t constrained to Parliament. It’s always present in our everyday lives. Politics is whether you drive or ride your bike to school, where you cross the road, and where you shop. Politics is about power. So why bother with it? We believe young people should bother if they want to influence their world. It doesn’t just exist in the abstract legislation that we hear about in the news, but in our real lives. Young people do have power. We have the ability to speak to our representatives and create the world in which we want to live, but to do so we have to recognise that power and use it well.

Unfortunately, many young people are disengaged. In a time of increasing political polarisation and disinformation, it’s imperative that we question what is said in the media and speak directly to those who represent us. Very soon, we will have the right to vote. We will be confronted with a ballot asking what seems like a simple yes or no question. We have the privilege to voice our opinion in the 45th Australian referendum and we have a responsibility to do that in an informed way. Part of that process is ensuring that young people are equipped with the skills to become politically adept. More broadly, our suffrage in every election to come is something that we should cherish. Democracy unfortunately isn’t universal. So, since we have the opportunity to choose our representatives and to influence the world around us, we must embrace it.

Politics is something that we, as young people, must bother with. We should welcome the responsibility and acknowledge our power. We must engage in dialogue and the community. We can’t let our votes go to waste.

This is a free event but bookings are essential. Please click on the link below to book.

We look forward to seeing you on 29 August to engage in meaningful discourse together.