Expanding awards a primary concern

THE City of Casey has a big winner with its annual Australia Day study tour award that has sent more than 200 young people into the heart of all three levels of government.
This, besides the undisputed value to the awardees, provides a highly positive communication between the young people, their families and friends and the council. They met, when possible, the prime minister and the premier during their visits to the Federal and State Parliaments and this is significant in young lives.
It is community at work.
River Gum Ward councillor Wayne Smith wants the council to expand the number of young people who receive the award and in the process perhaps take it to primary school level.
Cr Smith said the council had for 21 years granted the awards to young people in year 11 or of equivalent age who lived, worked, studied or had a strong link to the municipality.
He said population in the area had more than doubled in the 21 years of the award’s history and that there was opportunity to expand the award into the primary school level.
This is so, but I wonder if his idea needs to be an expansion of the existing award, which is fairly unique, or should it be something entirely different, even a fun holiday to a theme park.
Winning in a much larger field also increases its significance for the senior award.
Cr Smith said in his presentation that expanding the award to younger children would not mean that they would necessarily be sent to Canberra.
The current award is granted to teenagers who show an interest in the structure and function of government in Australia and intend to further their studies or pursue a career in politics, law or a related field.
The tour is not awarded on the basis of academic ability, but to youth interested in their community and who can benefit most from such an opportunity.
Officers have been asked to prepare a report on what would possibly be deemed as a junior program, but My view is that it may be more advantageous to steer away from politics because of the more formative years involved if it goes into primary schools.
Perhaps the primary schools would be best placed to put forward ideas for what would be of the most value to their students.
Stages of the existing award are a half day and evening at the City of Casey, including a bus tour of the municipality, an overview of council and its service, dinner with councillors and senior staff and attendance at a council meeting.
They spend a day in Melbourne at Parliament House, meeting with politicians, tour Parliament House, attend a sitting of the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly.
They are then taken to Canberra for three nights and four days, where they tour places of interest, spend a day in Parliament House, meet politicians and attend a sitting of the Senate and the House of Representatives.