Hello, impressionable young person.
ICYMI, the world as we inhabit it isn’t in great shape.
As a young person, it will eventually be yours, and all the crusty old buggers will eventually shuffle off this mortal coil.
They can’t live forever, as much as they try. So it will be over to you.
You can either get engaged with your future now, or ignore it and pretend that it won’t affect you.
An old crusty Greek man (Plato) once said, ‘One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors’.
Another old crusty Greek man (Pericles) also said, ‘Just because you are not interested in politics doesn’t mean it isn’t interested in you’.
What is it that you want?
What would you like to see change for the better around you?
Years ago, Mullum High Students fronted up to a Council meeting and put forward an idea for a skate park.
Councillors at the time gushed over the students, commending them for having an idea.
Politicians are very interested in you. It’s true! They all think you are wonderful. Every damn one of them. And you are.
It’s your secret superpower.
But that’s not the point.
The point is there are skate parks also in Byron, Bruns, South Golden Beach, Bangalow, Suffolk, and they are largely the result of young people lobbying for what they wanted.
It’s by lobbying those who make decisions and who hold power that things change.
And if you are really passionate about change, you can get involved in making the decisions and holding power.
Change can be good, like a skate park, or bad, like making policies up that make it near impossible for you to buy a home when you are older.
Fun fact: your grandparents, while living in the dark ages of no internet, could buy a home on an average wage. It was the Australian dream. That is near impossible now, because of bad government policy.
Anyway, there’s a thing called Youth Parliament, which is a place where young people can learn leadership and political skills.
Years 10, 11 and 12 (or equivalent age) can apply for this year’s Youth Parliament run by the Y NSW.
Applications are open until February 9, and to learn more visit www.ymcansw.org.au/community-services/youth/youth-parliament.
Remember – being young is your superpower. Use it!
Hans Lovejoy, editor
News tips are welcome: [email protected]
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