Students call for a more social education

The Herald Sun, Annalise Walliker, 5 October 2007

 

Eight schools participated in this years’ 21st annual Youth Parliament program run by YMCA Victoria. The
program brings together young people aged 16 to 25 to formally debate bills in the chamber of parliament
house. This years school teams were:

• Eltham College – Promoting an increase in the use and safety of bicycles
• Ivanhoe Girls Grammar – The amendment of the Double Jeopardy Bill
• Keilor Downs Secondary College – Immediate improvements to Melbourne’s suburban train system
• Mackillop College – Prohibition of logging in Victorian water catchments
• Mowbray College – Mandatory education within secondary schools on common adolescent issues
• Pascoe Vale Girls College – Qualifications, criteria and better pay for integration aides
• Timboon School – Mandatory wills for individuals over 18
• Westbourne Grammar School – Compulsory counselling for convicted child sex offenders

According to their formal debate, Mowbray College students believe that youth issues are important and have
relevance in the classroom. The Mowbray College Youth Parliament team said they would like to see issues such
as self harming, suicide, depression and youth subcultures such as goth and emo discussed in all secondary
schools.

Instead of a ‘one off’ sexual and drug education session every year, Mowbray College students proposed that a
Youth Issues subject be implemented into the secondary school curriculum. The subject should aim to provide
students with information about issues they are likely to face as teenagers, such as coping with bullying and eating disorders.

Mowbray college team leader, Ms Jessica Cochran said that ‘current subjects don’t go far enough, we can’t pretend
these issues don’t exist or affect teens anymore. We need to be taught how to cope with these issues before it
seriously affects us or our friends.’

Parents Victoria president, Ms Elaine Crowle, has welcomed the idea. However, she is unsure who would teach such
a subject and if there is enough content to create a curriculum to teach the subject weekly.

A spokesperson for the Department of Education said that sexual, drug and mental health education were already adequately taught in secondary schools.

For more information on this year’s Youth Parliament participants and their proposed legislations, click here.

 

 

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