August was another busy and rewarding month with opportunities to engage students across South Australia through both excursions and classroom-based programs.
From Parliament House visits and mock elections to democratic participation workshops and enrolment presentations, we connected with students from primary school through to Year 12, helping them build their understanding of elections, voting and active citizenship. We are delighted to share some of the highlights from another month of democratic learning in action.
Our collaboration with Parliament SA saw students and staff from Mypolonga, Mt Barker South, Callington, and Virginia Primary Schools and Balaclava High School visit parliament house for the Civics in the City program. During their visit, participants learn about the election process and voting, as well as how their local member came to work at parliament, plus to explore how they do their job by debating a bill in the chambers, like elected members.
Incursions
It was fantastic to see the work of the Year 8 students at Seaview High School. We supported student learning by establishing a polling booth for their Year 8 election where students had created their own political parties. Students staff the polling booth and then Year 7’s took on the role of electoral official to count the votes to determine the winner of the Election.
Students from Pulteney Grammar School (Yr 8), Springbank Secondary College (Yr 7) and Paringa Park Primary School (Yr 6) all experienced our Democracy in Action incursion program which explains key features of Australin democracy and explores how you can be an active democratic participant. Burgers and Chicken & Chips continue to be the popular takeaway dinner choices across the year levels.
Year 12’s at Cabra Dominican College engaged with our Introduction to Enrolment and Voting presentation. The first opportunity for democratic participation is coming for these citizens next year with local government elections are held in April.
Our month rounded out at the Year 10 Active Citizenship Convention held at Adelaide Oval. Over the three days of the convention we engaged with over 600 students, enabling them to participate in a mock election (we processed 653 votes over the 3 days), explaining preferential voting and discussing provisional electoral enrolment. It was amazing to be involved and meet so many inspiring individuals.
Acting Electoral Commissioner, Leah McLay said of experiencing her first Get Voting session for the Active Citizenship Convention, “Thank you to everyone who contributed their time, energy and expertise to help hundreds of students gain a practical understanding of voting and democracy, creating a memorable and engaging learning experience for our future voters. “
Thank you to the schools, teachers and students who welcomed us throughout August.