25 May 2016

For immediate release

200 high-school students present views on policy to Parliament

A document containing the opinions of over two hundred young people across New Zealand on issues of national importance has been released this week.

The 2016 Youth Declaration (Te Whakaputanga o te Rangatahi) is the outcome of a youth conference held in Auckland this April that brought young people together from all around the country to create policy statements representing their views on topics such as economic development, social development, and culture and heritage.

The statements created by the participants tackle issues from methods for addressing the poverty cycle, to public transport and government surveillance. Coordinator Joshua Ramsay said the Declaration was proof that stereotype of disengaged youth was false.

“Through workshops, community outreach and engaging with industry experts at the conference, we really wanted to give participants the depth of knowledge required to make informed proposals to decision-makers.”

The Declaration also addressed pressing concerns of the Syrian refugee crisis, and acknowledged the need for New Zealand to establish itself as a republic.

Aotearoa Youth Declaration was established to give young leaders the platform to learn and be heard at a national level. The conference is organised by volunteers from UN Youth, a youth run charity dedicated to promoting the principles of democracy internationally and locally. The conference received the backing of the Ministry of Youth Development and the University of Auckland.

“Aotearoa Youth Declaration demonstrates the best way to get youth engaged is to show them someone who is willing to listen. The reception of the Declaration of nearly 100 policy statements by Members of Parliament and the community this week, underscores this exact point.”, Ramsay said.

The full Declaration can be read at: https://unyouth.org.nz/events/youth-declaration.

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