A seat in Canberra awaits for Geelong’s Charlie Sandich

YEAR 12 student Charlie Sandich is about the swap the classroom for Parliament House, after being selected to represent the Geelong region at this year’s National Youth Parliament.

The Geelong Lutheran College (GLC) student will head to Canberra in August as one of 150 students chosen from more than 2,200 applications nationwide.

For five days, Charlie and his fellow participants will step into the roles of lawmakers, taking part in simulated debates, workshops with political leaders and policy discussions designed to mirror the real workings of parliament.

“This opportunity will allow me as a young leader to engage in workshops with parliamentary leadership and collaborate with the other 149 participants to influence and produce legislation,” Charlie said.

The program, run by the Department of the House of Representatives in partnership with Y Australia, aims to give students a practical understanding of how laws are shaped and the confidence to have a say in that process.

GLC executive principal Sue Ellis said the college was proud to see Charlie selected.

“This is such exciting news to have a GLC student selected for this national program,” she said.

“Charlie is a passionate young person, and we were excited to learn of his successful application for National Youth Parliament. It will be a great learning opportunity for him in his final year at GLC.”

Y Australia chief executive Alexandra Ash said the program gave young people a genuine platform to test their ideas.

“We can’t wait to join our 150 young Australians in Canberra as they debate ideas, help shape policy thinking and bring their perspectives into broader conversations about social issues,” she said.

National Youth Parliament will run from 16-20 August.