YMCA Youth Parliament

16^th April 2011 Red Chamber, Parliament, 6:30pm

Young Queenslanders to have their say in Parliament

Young Queenslanders will converge on Parliament House this weekend to take part in the 16th YMCA Queensland Youth Parliament.

Community Services Minister Karen Struthers welcomed the 93 young people from across the state as they prepared for their parliamentary education.

“The YMCA Queensland Youth Parliament is a great opportunity for young people to have their say on issues that matter to them and to get some understanding of our legislative process,” she said.

Ms Struthers said she was impressed with the enthusiasm and dedication of the young parliamentarians and young people generally across the state, which was clearly demonstrated recently by high numbers volunteering to help following the summer’s natural disasters.

“We saw during the recent natural disasters young people all over Queensland putting their hand up to help out their neighbours and communities,” Ms Struthers said.

“It’s great to see this enthusiasm among generation Y, and I commend the young people from across the state for their commitment to making a real difference by getting involved in Youth Parliament,” Ms Struthers said.

This year’s Youth Parliament includes young people representing the full spectrum of modern Queensland.

Beatrice Forna is a 16-year-old high school student from the Cairns African community.

“My role is mainly to represent and present the journeys of African refugees in our community in special celebrations such as International Women’s Day, Refugee Day and other cultural organisation events,” she said.

Jade Wirth from Mt Isa is passionate about education

“I'm very interested in where funds are being directed in relation to schools. I'm also interested in the how the government is controlling transition between leaving school and getting employment or going on to tertiary studies,” he said.

The 2011 Queensland Youth Parliament program runs from April to October, and includes a one-week parliamentary sitting in Brisbane during September where participants will debate Youth Bills they have developed during the program, as well as issues specific to their electorate.

For more information about Youth Parliament visit www.ymcaqyp.org or for Youth Week visit www.youth.qld.gov.au

Media Contact: Minister Struthers’ office 0412 550 153