Hume Youth YMCA Parliament Program

2025 applications are now closed.

All applications will be put through an assessment process and will be scored by three Assessment Panel members. Six preferred candidates and a waitlist will be selected. You will be notified of the outcome via an email and phone call.

If a candidate can no longer commit to the YMCA Youth Parliament program, the position will be offered to the next person on the waitlist.

Completing a YMCA Youth Parliament application does not guarantee a placement; however, Hume Youth Services will endeavour to support you on your leadership journey with other potential opportunities.

Confirmation of team members:

• Applications must be received by Thursday 5 December 2024
• Confirmation of team members will be informed by Monday 12 December 2024

Off – Camp:

• Term 1 & 2 2025
• Attend a minimum of six 2-hour meetings with a Taskforce mentor to assign a Bill topic, support in drafting and finalising your Bill and be introduced to the parliamentary debate structure and etiquette. 

Training Weekend:

• Friday 23 May - Sunday 25 May 2025
• The Training Weekend is a 3-day residential camp at Lake Dewar Discovery Camp.
• Participants will finish writing original Bill, learn more about parliamentary debate and etiquette, practice debates, receive media training and more!

The Week of Youth Parliament:

• Sunday 6 July - Friday 11 July 2025
• The Week of Youth Parliament will be a 6-day residential camp at Lake Dewar Discovery Camp and travelling via bus on the Monday, Tuesday and Thursday to Parliament House to participate in Youth Parliament sitting week.
• You will debate your bill and participate in sponsor (argue for) or refute (argue against) on other Youth Parliament Bills.

In the lead up to the residential camps, teams will meet attend six 2-hour meetings with a mentor from the Taskforce. In these meetings, participants will:

• be assigned a Bill topic from their submitted preferences;
• be supported in the drafting and finalising of their Bill; and
• be introduced to the parliamentary debate structure and etiquette.

Teams may also be given the opportunity to meet with a stakeholder in the area of their Bill topic to discuss their Bill and advocate for change directly. It is also recommended that teams meet frequently outside of their supported mentor meetings to keep on top of the Bill writing workload.

The Training Weekend is a 3-day residential camp at Lake Dewar Discovery Camp from Friday 23 May – Sunday 25 May 2025.

Please note this 3-day residential camp is a compulsory part of joining YMCA Youth Parliament.

Across the weekend, participants will:

• Finish writing their original Bills with support from the taskforce.
• Finalise understanding in key training areas such as parliamentary etiquette and debate.
• Engage in practice parliamentary debates.
• Engage in media training and be interviewed on their Bill by the Youth Press Gallery.
• Establish the Chambers for Sitting Week including appointment of leadership roles (Chamber Leaders and Youth Premier).
• Engage in skill development sessions covering topics such as confidence and leadership.

The Week of Youth Parliament is a 6 day residential camp, also at Lake Dewar Discovery Camp Sunday 6 July to Friday 11 July 2025. This is when Youth Parliamentarians will debate their Bills at Parliament House in front of ministers and the public.

This week will combine professional learning and recreation for participants to apply the training they have received across the YMCA Youth Parliament program. Participants will be given the opportunity to engage with their peers through recreational and social activities.  

Across the week, participants will:

• Connect with and build a community of change makers.
• Continue to build leadership and advocacy skills while at campsite through tailor-made experiential learning sessions.
• Travel by bus on the Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday of camp to Parliament House to participate in the Youth Parliament sitting week.
• Gain practical experience in the parliamentary debating process – participating in both the sponsor (arguing for) and refuter (arguing against) roles for debate on Youth Parliament Bills.
• Be given the opportunity to conduct a short speech Member’s Statement directed to a state OR federal MP on an issue they are passionate about.

All team members should commit to participating in all aspects of the YMCA Victorian Youth Parliament program.

By applying to be a Parliamentarian you are committing to the following:

• Attending in person meetings with the Taskforce mentor - six 2-hour meetings.
• Spend at least five 5-hours working on the Bill and speech writing outside of the meetings.
• Attend and participate in a training weekend from Friday 23 May – Sunday 25 May 2025.
• Attend and participate in The Week of Youth Parliament (including 6-day residential camp) from Sunday 6 July - Friday 11 July 2025 

This should be agreed to prior to submitting your application to join the team.

Expansion of AUSLAN education bill 2024

The YMCA Youth Parliament program has concluded for 2024; the Hume City Council team consisted of Natalie Ryan, Rumaysa Salman, Rehan Ali and Hafsa Moallim.

The Hume City Council team debated their Bill on ‘Expansion of AUSLAN education bill 2024’ as part of the Assembly Council on Tuesday 2 July 2024 at Parliament House in the Legislative Assembly. Hume City Council’s Bill passed with parliamentary majority. 

The Hume City Council team refuted Whitehorse City Council’s Bill on ‘Increasing of education and support on intergenerational trauma, intersectionality and cultural competency Bill 2024’ on Thursday 4 July 2024. Whitehorse City Council’s Bill passed with parliamentary Majority. 

All participants demonstrated enthusiasm and passion when addressing their Bill. Well done to the 2024 Hume YMCA Youth Parliament team!

Meet the 2024 Hume YMCA Youth Parliament Team

Natalie Ryan

What was your overall experience of the YMCA Youth Parliament program?

"My experience of the YMCA Youth Parliament program was incredible and life-changing, and both the experiences of the program itself and the people I met throughout the program’s run will stay with me for a long time."

What did you learn throughout this experience?

"I learnt a lot about debate skills and collaboration within a competitive debating context, as well as the value and power of empathy and kindness in all contexts— being handing a note complimenting your speech from the other side gives me so much confidence, and I learnt that working to give that empowerment to others was so worthwhile."

What was your favourite part about this program?

"My favourite part of the program were the people involved; there were people who were school leaders, university students, high schoolers, advocates, aspiring politicians, and everyone in-between, and I learnt so much about the wide range of youth experiences in Victoria and the experiences and opportunities they were involved in."

Rumaysa Salman

What was your overall experience of the YMCA Youth Parliament program?

"It was truly rewarding. I learnt many life skills, gained meaningful connections and had the avenue to network with people who may be beneficial in the advancement of my career and life goals. It gave me a sense of purpose, and all the volunteers and parliamentarians formed a tight knit community I will always remember."

What did you learn throughout this experience?

"I learnt how to debate professionally and stand up for what I believe. I gained the courage to speak out and voice my opinion regardless of who was watching, even though it was daunting at first."

What was your favourite part about this program?

"The parliament sitting days provided me with a feeling I am unable to express. I was filled with so much pride, and fear alike, when presenting the bill my team and I have worked for months on. To freely be able to debate with the intention of real change made me feel like I was a part of something greater than myself, and I will always be truly thankful for it. The camps helped me step out of my comfort zone and explore new ideas I would have been too afraid to encounter on my own."

Rehan Ali

What was your overall experience of the YMCA Youth Parliament program?

"It was an invaluable experience that allowed me to develop my public speaking skills and making new lifelong friends."

What did you learn throughout this experience?

"I learned about the role of government and how parliament actually works. I also gained the opportunity to speak about topics I was Passionate about working together with my team to address them."

What was your favourite part about this program?

"The opportunity to collaborate with other young people who are passionate about making a difference. We shared our ideas and perspectives, and I came away inspired by the collective power of our voices."

Hafsa Moallim

What was your overall experience of the YMCA Youth Parliament program?

"I absolutely loved every aspect of the Youth Parliament program. I got the chance to really push myself to limits I didn’t know I had."

What did you learn throughout this experience?

"Throughout the program I learnt all about navigating parliament, how to speech write and also how to present myself as professional. I learned so many skills that I definitely will be using in my daily life, moving forward."

What was your favourite part about this program?

It definitely was a bit challenging when being confronted with situations I haven’t been in before such as meeting such a big group of people all at once, however I am so grateful that I did. By meeting people from different places all across Victoria, I now have a more comprehensive understanding of a variety of circumstances."

Urban Area Heat Temperature Bill 2023

A Bill for an Act to improve the urban ambient air temperature in Victoria. Average air temperatures in Victoria are rapidly rising and are creating a phenomenon known as urban heat islands. This occurs in areas where structures are highly concentrated and there is less green infrastructure. Heat is absorbed, stored and trapped in these urban areas, instead of being reflected and dispersed by green infrastructure. The effects of Urban Heat Islands can cause and worsen a range of health problems, especially in vulnerable populations. These include, but are not limited to heat stroke, heat exhaustion, and heart attacks. There are also other significant negative climate change effects caused by the increase in ambient air temperature.

This Bill will mitigate these effects by implementing more green and environmentally friendly infrastructure by ensuring new developments are constructed with lighter coloured roofs, implementing ‘green roofs’ for high-rise buildings, and increasing canopy coverage across Victoria. Additionally, a scheme will be established to encourage local communities to plant trees. Furthermore, this Bill will provide a public education campaign to raise awareness of the issue. Once implemented, this Bill will increase living standards for individuals who live and work in densely constructed areas, and will increase the resilience of communities to the heat-related effects of climate change. It will also provide several benefits for those living in urban areas. These include improved living standards and more resilience to the heat related effects of climate change.

Meet the 2023 Hume YMCA Youth Parliament Team

Matthew Lillywhite, Riya Sharma, Sarah Hanoona, and Lorjel Sia