9 students from 8 Catholic schools have represented Catholic Education SA and their schools at Teen Parliament 2022, held in the House of Assembly at state parliament.
An initiative of The Advertiser, Teen Parliament was created to ensure the views of young South Australians are heard ahead of the upcoming state election.
24 young leaders from across the state were given the opportunity to share their bold ideas for enhancing the future of South Australia.
The students as young as 14 tabled new ideas to supercharge the economy, lift education, empower women and create a more inclusive society.
For their impressive contributions, two inspirational Catholic school students have each been awarded a $10,000 education scholarship.
India Ciura and Adrian Niculescu will each take a step ahead in their careers thanks to generous support of state business leaders and the Advertiser Foundation.
India, a Year 12 student at St Joseph’s School Port Lincoln spoke passionately about the need for better mental health services for young people and was forceful in “parliamentary” debate.
She aims to study psychology at Adelaide University and return to practice in Port Lincoln.
“This scholarship is huge because I had thought I’d have to spent a gap year working to save money for Uni but now I’ll be able to start next year,” she said.
Year 11 student Adrian Niculescu from Sacred Heart College called for the abolition of payroll tax as a means to attract businesses to SA and encourage start-ups.
Adrian hopes to study law and political science.
“I’m fascinated by law and how society works and want to understand political systems,” he said.
Sahib Kaur, a Year 10 student from Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College chose to speak about gender inequality and sexual harassment.
“This issue has always been significant to me, but the older I get, I start to experience and see increasingly more of the injustice women must deal with each day. I am very fortunate to have a supportive family and school community, however not all women receive the same equality. After I delivered my speech, other members were encouraged to contribute their views on the topic, and I was so glad that I had inspired many of the teen parliamentarians to speak up about their experiences.”
In the future, Sahib plans to pursue a career in politics/law or oncology.
The Teen Parliament was supported by Speaker Dan Cregan who said the students’ ideas “are vital to the future of our state”.
“I know many existing MPs will be listening closely,” he said.
Advertiser Foundation executive director Alex Dimos said the enthusiasm of the teens was wonderful.
“They really care about SA,” she said.
“Hearing from them affirmed that we’re doing the right thing investing in SA’s future.”
Daniela Bagnato, St Aloysius College
Daniela is on a mission to improve literacy, starting with primary school. She recommends a statewide creative writing program, an idea which flows from her own experiences and from her leadership in a project at her school.
The project, under the auspices of Commissioner for Children and Young People Helen Connolly, involved primary students creating their own narratives and illustrations.
“Building on your writing skills, especially creative skills, allows you to be more precise in your other subjects,” she said.
“Writing is a skill that you can put in any context and be useful.”
Callum Barrott-Walsh, Cardijn College
Callum wants Adelaide to be known as the City of Inclusiveness, and to live by the line in the anthem “we are one but we are many”.
“There are plenty of people with disabilities who yearn to be accepted,” he said.
“As a young carer for my brother with Down syndrome, I have gained the courage to speak out and represent the disabled community.”
India Ciura, St Joseph’s School Port Lincoln
An idea close to home has brought India to Adelaide for the Teen Parliament. Her sister suffered with anxiety and there were few services to help in her home town of Port Lincoln.
“This lack of support has fueled my goal to study psychology,” India said.
Stella Crisa, Nazareth Catholic Community
Making South Australia “sexy” again is Stella’s big idea.
“My big ideas to make the south sexy again is improving industries and focusing on building South Australia as a place to invest, expand an existing business or create a new one.”
Rodan Jaworski, Nazareth Catholic Community
Waiting in traffic would be left in the past if the big idea of Rodan is adopted.
“With the advancement of Artificial intelligence technology, intelligent traffic lights should be developed to save more people time.”
Sahibjot (Sahib) Kaur, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Enfield
Gender equality is Sahib's agenda.
“I believe that SA can empower women and open the eyes of society,” she said. “Gender equality is not about being above men or hating them, it’s about women being treated socially and economically equal to them.”
Klara Lenkiewicz, St Mary’s College, Adelaide
Klara is passionate about women being able equally participate in political life.
“Strong policies, accountability practices and blanket protection that safeguards women from humiliation and intimidation, must be implemented to ensure the female future of politics,” she said after being moved by the plight of outgoing federal Liberal MP Nicolle Flint.
“What better way to build a bigger and better SA than by making history again in starting a national movement and standing with and for our women in Parliament.”
Adrian Niculescu, Sacred Heart College
According to Adrian, payroll tax is stifling employment in South Australia.
“I propose that this tax be eliminated entirely. Since South Australia would be the only state to do so, our state would immediately experience an increase in start-ups and an inflow of established businesses expanding or relocating from the eastern and western seaboards."
Milla Swain, Loreto College
Giving youth a voice would drive the big ideas SA needs to thrive into the future, according to Milla.
“There needs to be a permanent way for young South Australians to have a voice in a world that constantly makes us feel unimportant. Many students, like myself, would love to be given the opportunity to surround ourselves with similar-minded, passionate, young change-makers."
You can watch the full recording of the Teen Parliament here: https://fb.watch/bBhrgTg4-a/.
Four regional Catholic schools in South Australia have enjoyed their first weeks as expanded Reception to Year 8 schools.
The schools welcomed their first cohort of secondary students in Years 7 and 8 at the start of this term.
The growth will see each school becoming Reception to Year 9 schools, with Year 9 added from 2023.
