We are very proud to have two Year 11 QAHS students on the YMCA Queensland Youth Parliament this year. Genevieve Chakuthip and Lily Cronly are among the selected young people aged 15 – 25 from all across Queensland who are representing the issues of young people in their electorates of Theodore and Burleigh respectively.
Genevieve and Lily attended a 3-day forum during the Easter break at Queensland Parliament House where they met the other youth members to form committees and discuss ideas. From here, committees write a Bill and design and implement community action plans. The Bills will be debated at Queensland Parliament House when all youth members around Queensland will spend a week in Brisbane during the September holidays. Lily reflects on this wonderful opportunity below:
“This year I have the privilege of being the Youth Member for Burleigh in the YMCA Queensland Youth Parliament, which aims to allow students to connect with and represent their community, as well as to work on their public speaking skills, Parliamentary knowledge, and to address issues important to them. Over the holidays, Genevieve and myself attended the Launch Weekend in Brisbane, where we got to meet the rest of the Youth Members, have a mock debate in the Queensland Parliament House and start working on our Youth Bills for this year. As a member of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships Portfolio, I have had the chance, so far, to connect with my other portfolio members and work on bill ideas for issues that are important to me within this community. It has been an amazing start to my Youth Parliament journey and Genevieve and I cannot wait to continue in our roles".
Lily Cronly - Year 11 Student
Marnie Chetter
Teacher of English & Student Leadership Coordinator