Tomorrow's leaders take over parliament

Meet the Member for Rose – the Honourable Kaitlyn Clancy.

Kaitlyn was one of 93 potential young leaders on the 2011 YMCA Queensland Youth Parliament, a nine-month program that teaches young people about influencing government and community decision making.

Kaitlyn is actually a year 11 student from St Peter Claver College in Ipswich. In 2011, much of her out-of-school time was spent working as a youth parliamentarian.

The culmination was a week-long sitting in Parliament House, debating and voting on issues that matter to youths (see story below).

It’s a step up for anyone wanting to become one of tomorrow’s political leaders.

Kaitlyn learned about the youth parliament through her school. “My teacher came up to me and said I was very strongly opinionated in my English class,” she said. “She’s like: ‘I have a good program for you, can you please look at this and apply for it’.”

Applicants from around Queensland went into a pool from which 89 were chosen to represent the state’s 89 parliamentary seats. Another four seats were created and assigned to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, producing a youth parliament larger than the regular Queensland Legislative Assembly.

It’s not aimed only at school captains and high achievers. It tries to get a mixture of people from different cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, to get a representative body of Queensland youth.

Kaitlyn was one of the four youth members who won Indigenous seats, which they were allowed to name. Phillip Wenban from Stanthorpe called his seat Bundjalung after his people, Johnny Magro from Nanango called his Central Queensland, Jemika Richardson chose Palm Island and Kaitlyn called hers Rose.

“I chose the name (of the electorate) in the name of Lionel Rose,” she said. “It was around the time of his passing. Lionel Rose, to me, was a great advocate and leader in the Indigenous and wider community. One of my idols is my father (Troy). He was a boxer himself and Lionel Rose was his idol as well. In the name of my father and Lionel Rose, I named it Rose.”

The Honourable Youth Member for Rose admits to “occasionally” putting on the gloves herself at gym – not quite a prerequisite for the robust debates of parliament’s Green Chamber, but close.

The youth parliamentarians were divided into government and opposition and took to each other like seasoned politicians.

“It’s a bit nerve-racking,” Kaitlyn said. “When it’s your time to speak, you’re out of that seat and your heart starts booming. It is so nerve-racking. I think public speaking in general’s fine, but it’s a different type of public speaking.”

Kaitlyn admits to having no idea what to do at the start of the program. “They taught me everything,” she said. “It was very difficult, and then I gained all this knowledge about how to act in parliament and how to debate; pretty much be a parliamentarian and represent your people.”

But what happens in the chamber stays in the chamber. “You may take offence in the chamber but outside the chamber you’re perfectly fine,” she said.

“I’ve made heaps of friends. It was a great opportunity to make friends from all over the state, every little corner of the state from the far north down to the south-west. It was a great opportunity. I’d recommend it for all kids in this state. It’s a great knowledge program, too.”

Kaitlyn says becoming a politician fits in with her general post-school game plan but she’s not committed to it just yet.

“I would like to go on to university,” she said. “I want to work on the social side of things – possibly psychology or politics or law, journalism – something social, not mathematical.

“I have no idea. I’ve not experienced every profession there is. I’m not entirely sure what I’ll do yet.”

The Queensland Government funds the Queensland Youth Parliament, which is run by the YMCA organisation. For more information, visit: www.ymcaqyp.org

The Bills

The 2011 YMCA Queensland Youth Parliament formed committees to examine seven issues:

• Indigenous affairs – an education-focused examination, particularly looking at partnerships between cultural awareness, cultural education and making Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people more aware about their futures
• community services – what needs to change in the aftermath of Cyclone Yasi and this year’s floods
• education, training and employment – including access, integration between schools and training centres, and minimum English and maths standards for apprentices
• infrastructure and planning – including coal seam gas development and urban sprawl
• law, justice and corrective services – the value of a tough stance on crime
• science, sustainability and innovation
• sport, recreation and tourism – getting young people involved.

Each committee developed a Bill, which was debated by the full youth parliament during its 27–30 September sitting at Parliament House. The Bills and debate transcripts were sent to Queensland Government ministers and other key decision makers for consideration.