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Students are sending in their best ideas for a brighter future of South Australia as Teen Parliament 2023 nears.
Among the student applicants is Glenunga International High School student Madison Mitchell-Smith, 15, from Parkside, who advocates for more support for people with special needs.
The issue hits close to home for Madison, who supports her younger brother, Harrison, 8, who has autism and intellectual disability.
Her idea is to create more schools which specialise in catering for people who need extra support like Harrison.
“My brother has special needs and he goes to one (special school) but it’s hard to get them since there are very limited places.”
The idea came to Madison after she saw the positive impact of support from East Torrens Primary on Harrison’s life.
“His special unit has definitely helped him a lot, we’ve seen a lot more progress and he’s beginning to read and write a little bit,” she said.
Supporting people like Harrison is going to be a lifetime pursuit for Madison.
“Since year 5 I wanted to be an occupational therapist because I wanted to help children like my brother.”
Students are encouraged to enter, to become one of 25 teens selected for the February 16 event at Parliament House in which they will meet some of the state’s top decision-makers.
Five participants will be selected to receive a $10,000 scholarship to put towards their future studies and address to Teen Parliament.
The sitting, guided by Speaker Dan Cregan, will see young people stand up to speak about issues such as the launch of an indigenous cultural festival, investment in world class education and introducing mental health education and practice into school curriculum.
“It would be cool to hear other ideas and what areas other people want to make a change in the world,” Madison said.
She said the prospect of speaking in front of her peers at Parliament House is daunting but necessary to raise awareness.
“I want to make a change for Teen Parliament even if it’s scary.”
Students interested in Teen Parliament from years 10 to 12 should submit a 250-word summary of their ideas for a brighter future of the state before applications close on February 9.
Sponsors of this year’s scholarships, presented in partnership with the Advertiser Foundation, are Elders, UniSA, Walker Corp and the Adelaide Economic Development Agency.
The 2023 Teen Parliament session can be viewed via livestream at advertiser.com.au.
Originally published as Teen Parliament 2023: Calling on students eager to make a difference
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