22 June 2003 12–3.30 PM
Summary Report of the Day
The seventeen youth jurors selected to take part
in the Parra Youth Matters Youth Jury met for the second
time on June 22nd 2003
primarily to learn more about the process they are
involved with, but also to come
up with one single topic that they can carry through
with them for the duration of the youth jury. Three girls came
along for the first time
(other commitments not permitting them to be at the
first introductory session) and offered some fresh ideas. It was
really nice to see how
well they became part of the group - the dynamics
were just great!
It was a pretty solid day in that the jurors were expected to go
through a lot of deliberation that would ultimately be pivotal
for their future discussion areas and the theme of their Recommendations.
It was
very noticeable just how passionate these young people are;
their
focus remained drilled on possibilities of creating a better
community for all
cultures to share despite how tiresome the debates were at
times.
The
jurors were eased into the day with lunch and a short welcome.
It became apparent that Pizza Hut is a better choice than Pizza Haven
- but irrespective, tummies were filled and greetings were
said.
The key
process elements of the youth jury were discussed in some
detail. After the first introductory session there were some
concerns that the process was not understood; some believed it to be a
metaphor
for a
standard around-the-circle forum and others believing that
there was a party being prosecuted, as in a mock trial. Indeed, the structure
of a
typical youth jury is very formulaic and difficult to understand
if you have never encountered the concept before. So it was
essential
that the
jurors gain more insight into exactly what is involved.
It was explained
to them how each of the three days would be structured. The
jurors were told about how their use of strategic questioning
would ultimately allow them to extract as much information
as possible from individual
presenters. Their role as jurors was highlighted by giving
them an example of a citizens jury run by Lewisham Council in the United
Kingdom (the basis
being Drugs and Community Safety). It was impressive that
the Parra
Youth Matters jurors were keen to know what sort of changes
resulted; an obvious
cry that they too would like to make improvements in their
own community.
The
largest component of the day was allotted to the selection
of the topic for the Youth Jury. The jurors recapped on those issues
that were raised in the first introductory session and raised
a few more that
they have been thinking about since the last session. Each
idea was posted on the wall for all to see. The three girls who were involved
for the first
time made some new contributions as well.
The information received
by businesses and individuals of the Parramatta community in survey
form was shared with the jurors. There was a
resurgence in new ideas that were then added to the already existent ‘wall
of issues.’
The young people formed categories of these issues as
some related to media, some had commonalities such as stereotyping
and lifestyle,
whereas others were specific to either school or family.
From here, the young people
were able to talk about which category would be the best
topic for the Youth Jury, based on its degree of interest and its potential
in creating realistic Recommendations. The team worked hard
to produce
a list
of pros
and cons for each category, coming across a few difficulties
when it was realised how complex some of the issues were. They found it
difficult to
not relate the issues across categories, as it all seems
so interdependent.
Their thoughts were buzzing during these discussions and
the outcome was of obvious interest to each of them.
The outcome of these discussions
pointed to a specific category as
soon as they began deliberating on it. The group successfully
selected their topic area: Media as related to Cultural Diversity. Being
such
a broad topic, it will be very important for them to decide
in the third introductory session which facet they would most like to mingle
with.
The
hard yards were done! All that was left was for the young
people to let us know who they thought would be the better presenters for
their topic area. They will be told during the last introductory
session what
the general pattern was and who some of the presenters are.
After
a gruelling three and a half hours, the young people were
congratulated. They had achieved so much during this session! It was really
powerful
to see that there was excitement about the web discussion
site; that even after all these talks they could keep on going. These young
people,
as
reflections of our society, suggest that people do want to
improve our current situation. But most importantly, it shows that we are
not afraid
of voicing our opinions. In doing this, surely somebody will
listen.
Agenda
12:00 – 12:30 Lunch
12:30 – 1:00 Welcome, Explanation of Youth Jury Process, Review
Group Expectations
1:00 – 2:00 Selection of the Topic for the Youth Jury (Part 1)
2:00 – 2:15 Break
2:15 – 3:00 Selection of the Topic for the Youth Jury (Part 2)
3:00 – 3:20 Selection of Types of Presenters for the Youth Jury
3:20 – 3:30 Debrief and Thank you
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