By Mrs Jane Smith, Assistant Principal Student Engagement

A total of nine students from Years 10-12 represented the College at the ACT Youth Legislative Assembly last week. The Youth Legislative Assembly is a gathering of young people aged 15 to 25 from across the ACT, providing a platform to discuss issues that are important to them.

This year’s Assembly focused on key topics such as education, housing and health. Mr Michael Pettersson MLA, Minister for Children, Youth and Families, officially opened the event. He highlighted the vital role young people play in the community and emphasised the importance of their voices in shaping decisions that directly affect their lives and futures.

The students’ discussions and proposals are compiled and reported back to the ACT Legislative Assembly in a formal Youth Assembly Report. One significant initiative that emerged from a previous Youth Assembly was the Mindmap Portal, a valuable online resource designed to help young people in the ACT navigate mental health services in Canberra.

Throughout the day, our students demonstrated a high level of engagement, thoughtfully contributing to debates and collaborating on policy ideas. Their presentations at the conclusion of the event were insightful, well-researched and delivered with conviction, reflecting their strong commitment to civic participation and their desire to make a meaningful impact on issues facing their generation.

"Attending the ACT Youth Assembly was a great opportunity to broaden my knowledge of issues affecting young people in Canberra and to voice my opinions. I was in the housing focus group. We learnt some background information before beginning the forum to voice opinions and create solutions. As a group, we made suggestions to the Government on our topics and presented them to the other groups." – Toby

"The Youth Assembly was an amazing experience where I learnt different perspectives on important issues facing young people. Through discussing these issues, not only did I learn about initiatives for young people and ideas for Radford, but how to communicate my own ideas eloquently and powerfully to help my opinion be heard. It was so uplifting to be part of a group of like-minded individuals where change and impact felt tangible." – Isobel