Here at Missing Perspectives, we're all about ensuring that the voices, needs and perspectives of young women are platformed, heard and listened to.
That's why we are huge fans of the work that the team over at Raise Our Voice Australia (ROVA) are doing over in Australian Parliament - at a time where listening to the voices of young people is arguably more important than ever.
ROVA's Raise Our Voice in Parliament campaign is a national, non-partisan initiative that aims to increase the political literacy of all young Australian voters and voters-to-be by inviting them to take part in civic discussions and connecting them with their local Member of Parliament or Senator.
Initially launched by the ROVA team in 2021, the annual campaign is now in its fourth year. The speeches, written by young people across the country, will be read in parliament during the Youth Voice in Parliament week, 7-10 October 2024 - and honestly, we can't wait to hear them and see the impact they'll have.
Why launch the campaign? "Saying that young people are the leaders of tomorrow is a misconception. They're leading now, today," the team says. "They're raising their voices on social media, taking to the streets to campaign for climate action, and are lobbying their MPs on consent education - amongst many other actions. It is critical that young voices are heard at all levels of Australian politics."
From Chanel Contos' work on promoting pleasurable, intimate sexual encounters and consent education in schools, to the youth climate activists and School Strike 4 Climate, ROVA's observations are apt - young leaders are playing a major role in shaping the conversations of the future.
ROVA and the upcoming campaign are led by the formidable Ashleigh Streeter-Jones, who is the organisation's Founder and CEO. Ash's aspiration is to boost the civic engagement of young people across the country - a space she's been interested in from a young age, and making a real difference in.
ROVA Founder Ash Streeter-Jones.
"Young people aren’t just the future of tomorrow, they’re here leading today. Despite this, they remain critically under-represented in our decision making bodies," she says. "It’s critical that we continue to elevate the voices of young Australians in our political landscape, and the Raise Our Voice in Parliament campaign is a perfect opportunity to amplify the voices of our present and future leaders.”
Participants in the program have found it to be an invaluable experience - and one that makes them feel their voice is heard. Maahi Varma, who is just six years old (yes, you read that right), says "I think it is important for young people to be heard. I found the experience to be valuable because it made me feel that my opinions are important and that my voice has power.” Similarly, 11-year-old participant Méabh Hennessy says the program "made me feel that I could get my voice out there and that my voice could be heard about the topics that I’m passionate about.”
Politicians from across the political spectrum who have participated in the trailblazing initiative have also acknowledged that it's time young people are heard in a domain that they have traditionally been excluded from. Greens leader Adam Bandt says: “Too often young people are shut out from politics because they aren’t given a seat at the table. They see the tired, old parties wax lyrical about issues affecting young people without actually letting young people speak for themselves.”
Dai Le MP agrees, noting "The Raise Our Voice in Parliament campaign is a unique opportunity for a myriad of young Australians' voices to be raised in the halls of Parliament - to ensure they are represented and heard. I look forward to participating in the 2024 campaign and representing another young person's voice.”
ROVA has locked in 96 MPs and Senators from across the country participating in the Raise Our Voice in Parliament campaign, the highest ever for Youth Week in Parliament in Australia. The campaign is gaining momentum, and we can't wait to see the unique perspectives of young people take the stage in Parliament in October.