We are coming towards the end of Youth Parliament. I managed to hear a bit of it this afternoon, and there were some incredibly talented young New Zealanders on show. From my point of view the Youth Parliamentarians are both typical and atypical of their generation. They are confident, articulate and questioning as I see from most people aged under 20. But they are for the most part atypical as the vast majority seem well aware of the way Parliament operates and how the system of government works.
Overall I think many New Zealanders have limited knowledge of how our system of government works, how decisions are made, who are the key players, what are the roles of different people, branches and levels, and perhaps most importantly how they can influence decisions. This is not the fault of everyday Kiwis, we simply have not focused on it as a country. I have been thinking for a long time now that we need to see more civic education in our schools.
The notion of civics is seen by some to be laced with a reactionary flavour- as if it will be some modern day version of cadets, with everyone saluting the flag each morning. What I am thinking of is very different. It is about giving people some tools to be active citizens. For me being an active citizen is participating in your community be it through volunteering, being on a school board, sports club committee or simply making your views known about issues that affect you and your family.
With self-governing schools there are limitations as to how this could be done. There is some acknowledgement of these issues in the excellent New Zealand Curriculum that has come into force this year. It includes community engagement and the Treaty of Waitangi among its underlying principles. Also within the Social Sciences learning area there are broad references to the issues. However I would have liked to see a more direct reference to civic education, and certainly hope that happens in any review. For now a possible way forward is the development of specific teaching resources in this area, so that schools are supported to highlight cvics within the social sciences
As politicians we need to do better to open up the system of government, hence #OpenLabourNZ, and show that we really want include the public in how decisions are made. The other half of the story is ensuring that the public have the tools to be active citizens.
Posted in Schools, New Zealand Curriculum, Civics Education and Youth. |
Following on from their gifts of Easter Eggs to cleaners around the city, the team from Labour’s Te Tai Tonga Poneke branch completed their second random act of labourness by giving away a load of second hand, re-conditioned bikes to the kids at the Arlington Apartments in central Wellington. I was there doing an electorate clinic, and it was just great seeing the delight of the kids at receiving what for many of them was their first bike. Just an awesome gesture. Well done team.
Posted in Te Tai Tonga, Youth and Wellington. |
Just home from attending a performance of The Battalion. It is being performed in the hall at St Bernards School in Brooklyn, Wellington by the Te Rakau Hua o te Wao Tapu Trust. It is on until Friday this week, and if you are in Wellington you should try to get along. It is stunning. Tickets can be ordered from bookings@stbernards.school.nz.
This is the trust set up by, among others, Jim Moriarty to work with “at risk” youth. It is a residential facility taking boys 12-17 with some very difficult backgrounds. They use theatre, music, dance and tikanga Maori to improve their life chances.
The performance put on by those young men is something quite brilliant to behold. It is professional, passionate, touching and enormously athletic. It is also a chance to see Moriarty perform again, and he is the force around which his young charges orbit. The play, written by Helen Pearse-Otene, for the trust has been around since 2006 and focuses on pair of brothers from a ‘one cow’ town who head off to war, and all that that brings.
Not only is this a great piece of theatre, it is a chance to see how much difference a programme of direct early intervention can make when it is backed by people with the passion and the vision behind Te Rakau.
Posted in Social Development, Music, Youth and Arts. |
I certainly go along with the general consensus that the announcement John Key made yesterday on youth unemployment was good, as far as it went. But then I would, because I supported Labour’s Schools Plus policy announced last year that went along the same lines. The problem is of course much worse now than it was then, so I would equally echo Maryan and Jacinda’s views that this package lacks the ambition required to really deal with the problem. Also it does seem that when you look at National’s overall approach there are some big inconsistencies. Take away the Training Incentive Allowance for beneficaries, but bring in other incentive payments for a different group. Offering free training in Polytechnics, but not doing the same for others who have lost their jobs in the recession.
One other difference between Labour and National’s ideas here is that we recognised that simply giving young people an entitlement is not enough. Schools Plus built in support for young people to get into, and stay in, the right kind of training or work opportunities by beefing up the role of schools in helping manage the scheme. When I read National’s announcement yesterday they seemed very keen to talk about the $, and the punitive measures, but there was nothing about how these young people who struggled to find their place in the education system will magically find their feet in a different part of the system. For this policy to be more than a feel-good attempt it needs to be backed up by strong support systems to ensure these young people can grasp the opportunities that are provided.
Posted in Employment, Youth and Education. |
