The YMCA Queensland Youth Parliament (QYP) is a nonpartisan

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

run

model parliament The Model Parliament is the term, attributed to Frederic William Maitland, used for the 1295 Parliament of England of King Edward I. History This assembly included members of the clergy and the aristocracy, as well as representatives from the v ...

program and

youth organisation The following is a list of youth organizations. A youth organization is a type of organization with a focus upon providing activities and socialization for minors. In this list, most organizations are international unless noted otherwise. 0 ...

, based in

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Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. It is one of a number of Australian

YMCA Youth Parliament The YMCA Youth Parliament is a YMCA run youth model parliament program.Kate Matthews. "Teens get taste of political life ; Students get an inside view of Parliament." Daily Examiner Grafton, N.S.W.. 2010HighBeam Research. Retrieved 15 April 2013 ...

s. Its purpose is to facilitate and encourage

political Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

and

civic Civic is something related to a city or municipality. It also can refer to multiple other things: General *Civics, the science of comparative government *Civic engagement, the connection one feels with their larger community *Civic center, a comm ...

engagement in young Queenslanders as well as promote

leadership skills Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets view ...

Overview

QYP aims to provide a platform for young people to have their say on local, state and federal issues, build skills and parliamentary understanding, while simulating the Queensland Legislative Assembly in Queensland Parliament. The program selects one individual, aged 15 to 25 years old, to represent each electorate in the state, for a total of 93 participants (known as Youth Members). The main component of the program is Youth Members developing Youth Bills (referred to as Youth Acts once passed) on their portfolio areas. These bills are debated at the Youth Parliament's Sitting week in

Queensland Parliament House Parliament House in Brisbane is the meeting place of the Parliament of Queensland, housing its only chamber, the Legislative Assembly. It is located on the corner of George Street and Alice Street at Gardens Point in the CBD, and is next ...

. Youth Bills that have been passed are signed by the Youth Governor for assent and then referred to the relevant Ministers within the

Queensland Government The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority of the Australian state of Queensland. The Government of Queensland, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy was formed in 1859 as prescribed in its Constitution, as amended fr ...

for consideration.

Executive

Queensland Youth Parliament is run by a YMCA-employed Program Coordinator and a team of volunteers called the Executive. The Executive includes portfolio mentors, media officers, a

Parliamentary A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democracy, democratic government, governance of a sovereign state, state (or subordinate entity) where the Executive (government), executive derives its democratic legitimacy ...

team, a Recreations, Community Engagement and Sponsorship team, and the Youth Governor. The current Youth Governor is His Excellency, the Honourable Jamie Robbins and the current Program Coordinator is Martin Boga.

Other programs

Queensland Youth Parliament's Executive runs other programs alongside the Youth Parliament to promote political and civic engagement in young Queenslanders. This includes the "Your Voice Heard Blog" featuring blog posts and opinion pieces from Youth Members and other young Queenslanders, and various summits and forums. In 2021, the program ran its first ever Regional Tour, aimed at promoting youth engagement with politics in rural areas.

History

The first Australian Youth Parliament was held in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

in 1963 as a one time event, based on the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

" YMCA Youth and Government" concept, however Queensland's program didn't begin until much later. The first session of the YMCA Queensland Youth Parliament was held in 1996 and has been run annually since. Currently the program is in its 28th year, and thousands of young people have been involved in the program.

Former Youth Governors

Notable alumni

Alumni of the program include Kate Jones, former Queensland MP and Minister who was Youth Premier when she completed the program.

Format

The program consist of three main phases; Launch Weekend, an interim research and drafting period, and Residential Sitting Week. In early April, Youth Members attend a 3-day Launch Weekend where they meet other Youth Members, discuss ideas and are educated on the legislative processes of the Legislative Assembly. Parliamentary Portfolios are formed and begin to plan for Youth Bills. In between Launch Weekend and Residential Sitting Week, the research and drafting phase occurs. Youth Members consult with community, stakeholders and

Members of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

on their Youth Bills. They then draft the Bill and amendments to the Bill, as well as

policy Policy is a deliberate system of guidelines to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes. A policy is a statement of intent and is implemented as a procedure or protocol. Policies are generally adopted by a governance body within an organ ...

proposals on various topics. Drafting is facilitated by Portfolio Mentors, and assisted by the Queensland Office of Parliamentary Counsel. Youth Members are encouraged to engage with their community, which may include

volunteering Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group wikt:gratis, freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. O ...

or other

advocacy Advocacy is an Action (philosophy), activity by an individual or advocacy group, group that aims to influence decision making, decisions within political, economic, and social institutions. Advocacy includes activities and publications to infl ...

work. The program culminates in a seven-day Residential Sitting Week in September where Youth Members debate their Youth Bills and Matters of Public Importance in

. Youth Bills that have been passed are referred to Government and Opposition, with a view to providing politicians and their advisors with practical solutions to the concerns of young Queenslanders.

Portfolios

Youth Members are organised into portfolios based on their areas of interest. In 2023, the portfolios are: * Portfolio for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships (ATSIP); * Portfolio for Rural Communities, Transport and Main Roads, Communities and Housing (TORCH); * Portfolio for Justice, Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence, Police and Corrective Services (JPACS); * Portfolio for Science, Tourism, Innovation, Sport and Digital Economy (STDE); * Portfolio for Education, Employment and Small Business, Training and Skills Development, & the Arts (EETA); * Portfolio for the Environment and the Great Barrier Reef, Renewables and Hydrogen, & Energy (ERE); * Portfolio for Health Services, Emergency and Ambulance Services, & Seniors and Disability Services (HEADS); and * Portfolio for Regional Development and Manufacturing, Resources, Agriculture, & Trade and Investment (RARE).

References

External links

YMCA Queensland Youth ParliamentYMCA Australia Youth Parliament Programs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ymca Queensland Youth Parliament Australian youth parliaments YMCA Youth councils