Six inspiring young local leaders have been selected to represent the Mildura region in this year's YMCA Victoria Youth Parliament program.
Ella Beard, Tuyen Ngoc Dinh, Conor Pall, Aimee Ablett, Emma Pyper and Manosh Roy Singh are this year's YMCA Youth Parliament Mildura team, selected from an impressive field of applicants.
The Youth Parliament program involves representatives from each region working together to decide on and create a Bill which they debate in the Victorian Parliament over three days in September.
It's designed to give young Victorians a chance to be heard at the highest level of state government on a wide range of issues relevant to young peoples' lives.
As part of the program team members receive training in public speaking and leadership at residential camps as they research issues that they're passionate about as the basis for their Bill.
Councillor for Community Health and Wellbeing Cyndi Power said the Mildura team, all of whom are Mildura Secondary College students, are already well advanced, deciding on the Bill they'll research and debate, which is creating an offence for 'engaging in conduct that constitutes coercive control in a domestic relationship'.
Cr Power said this year's local field of Youth Parliament team applicants was particularly impressive.
"There was a very strong response from our region's young people when we put out the call for expressions of interest earlier this year," she said.
"The quality as well as the number of applicants was outstanding, making the decision by our Youth Engagement Services team particularly difficult this year.
"This is such an encouraging and positive reflection on the young people in our community.
"It shows they feel strongly about important issues and are willing to stand up and do something to bring about change. We should be very proud of our representative team, and those who sent in expressions of interest."
In addition to the residential camps, team members will spend at least five hours a week working on their Bill and speech-writing ahead of debating their Bill in Parliament.
