Youth Responsibility Toward Society

Speech notes for Ruth Dyson Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector address to Australia New Zealand Buddhist Youth Conference - Theme - Transform and Contribute - venue:  12 Williams Street, Kaiapoi

Asia-Pacific Regional Interfaith Dialogue

New Zealand is a co-sponsor of the Asia-Pacific Regional Interfaith Dialogue, which brings together representatives of the major faith and community groups of 15 countries in our region to promote trust and understanding among religious communities.

Since hosting the dialogue in Waitangi in 2007 New Zealand, amongst other initiatives; has set up an interfaith network through the Human Rights Commission, produced a Statement on Religious Diversity, provided education about religions for the school curriculum and promoted media awareness of issues about religious diversity.

At the Fourth Regional Interfaith Dialogue in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, this year, New Zealand led a discussion paper on conflict resolution and peace making.

The New Zealand delegation to the 2008 Dialogue in Cambodia was accompanied by Ethnic Affairs Minister Chris Carter and Venerable Amala Wrightson, a well known Buddhist teacher and leader in New Zealand.

Youth Responsibilities

I understand that the path you follow involves - giving people faith, joy, hope, and making sure your actions benefit as many beings as possible.

What would New Zealand be like if everyone followed these principles?

• It would be a more caring community where people naturally looked out for each other
• There would be less violence and less crime – it would be a more peaceful society

Given the nature of the teachings you follow, your first responsibility is to yourself – to embody this path in all that you say and do

Your second responsibility lies to those you come in contact with – you transform their experience. Not through preaching, or insistence, but simply by being who you are

Your third responsibility is to grab the opportunities that come your way to be involved in your communities, locally or internationally

• As a leader
• As a volunteer

This takes care of one and  two. I’m going to focus on your third responsibility – getting involved in society as a leader and as a volunteer

What are New Zealand youth responsibilities to society?

There are a number of different kinds of responsibilities:

Legal:

• At what age to drive, drink, smoke, get married and obey the laws of New Zealand –

Adults need to ensure that young people can take on these responsibilities. Adults need to help young people build resilience to cope with the responsibilities of adulthood

There are a wider group of social obligations that young people can participate in.

These include:

• Taking part in activities that enhance social wellbeing –
• Participating in family life  and
• Valuing your education.

The evidence strongly suggests that a good education contributes to a young person’s future participation in society.  You can achieve economic and social independence. 

Leadership – What is a Leader?

Leadership is learned - leaders are not born, they are made.

• To be a leader it’s important that you are staunch within yourself. 
• Leadership skills include listening, empathizing, evaluating, decision making, respectfulness and persuasiveness.
• The Ministry’s Services for Young People Fund supports a range of activities that help young New Zealanders grow and develop their personal leadership skills, and take on leadership roles and challenges. 
• Some services are focused on building confidence; some on setting goals for your future.
• Others seek to help young people avoid offending and getting involved with other high-risk activities that we know will hinder them in moving into further training and work. 
• Young people attending the Ministry’s funded programmes and services, get to take on leadership roles within these activities and in their communities, giving them the opportunity to learn skills that they will carry for the rest of their lives such as communication, team work and problem solving – all ‘must have’ skills for leaders.

Leadership is shared - leadership is about influence and helping others achieve their dreams.

• Being a leader often requires you to not just step up but to also speak up.
• Being a leader is about showing the way, not ‘telling the way’.
• It’s about supporting and encouraging those around you. This can be as simple as cheering on your friends at sport, or encouraging them in their schoolwork
• Leadership is about helping and encouraging others in their dreams
• Great leaders inspire and motivate people
• Leaders get the best out of each person, so all contribute to the whole
• Ensuring the voices of young people are heard is a challenge that the Ministry is helping to address through the Activate Youth Advisory Group. 
• The Group is made up of volunteers aged between 12 and 24, all from a range of backgrounds. 
• Through their involvement with the group these young people are providing information that influences government decision on youth issues.  They provide their input and advice to the Ministry.

Leadership is symbolic - leaders stand for something far greater than themselves; peace, justice, equality, positive change, values and much more.

• Representing the views of others is both a privilege and a responsibility.  As a Member of Parliament I know this very well.  It’s important that you don’t forget what matters to you – things like the Four Noble Truths including the Noble Eightfold Path.
• Betraying your principles in order to retain your position is false as it puts you above those symbols you stand for.
• As a member of a group, when you become a leader, your actions and words reflect not just who you are, but what your group stands for.

Leadership is adaptive - leadership can change with the times and be specific to the needs of the people for whom they are advocates.

• Leadership is not something that needs to come with a title or a role – it’s something that happens in the moment depending on the circumstances
• Leadership is that moment when the group of teens you are with decides to buy some spray paint and go tagging – what do you do?
• Leadership happens anytime when your understanding of life asks you to stand against the group consensus
• Leadership doesn’t require anyone else to agree or follow you. When you stand strong against the crowd due because of what matters to you, you may stand alone, but still you lead.

Getting involved in Society: Volunteering

Government view on Youth Volunteering

• Government Policy on Volunteering recognises that volunteering has a vital role in building strong communities and civil society.
• The vision of the Policy is: a society with a high level of volunteering, where the many contributions people make to the common good through volunteering and fulfilment of cultural obligations are actively supported and valued
• To ensure that volunteering is supported in the future, the government volunteering work programme includes work to enhance youth volunteering. With a new focus being put on active youth citizenship within government, it is timely to explore how government may support and encourage youth volunteering.

What are the benefits of Volunteering for young people and the organisations they volunteer with?

• The reciprocal nature of volunteering means that volunteers can get back as much as they put in to the volunteering experience.
• The personal benefits of volunteering are vast, volunteers in community based services are: healthier, less likely to be delinquent, perform better in school and have a stronger sense of civic identity than those who do not.
• Volunteering can assist with developing valuable communication, career building and social skills.
• These skills include things such as team-work, an increased work ethic and experience in managing time and competing priorities.
• Volunteering can be a catalyst for re-engagement of education, encourage future formal education or training and it can increase self confidence, self esteem and self worth

Volunteering can also benefit other young people, those who volunteer can be seen as role models. The volunteering process may open opportunity for young volunteers to work with other young individuals they might not otherwise associate with, particularly when considering any volunteer work with at risk youth.

Some parts of government also rely on volunteers to achieve many of their goals (eg the Department of Conservation and Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management).  Young people bring specific benefits to these organisations through providing new perspectives and different skills, particularly around technology.

Having young people involved also provides opportunities for existing staff to take on new roles such as managing others or mentoring, and to pass on their own skills and experience.  The involvement of youth also ensures that services provided through non-profit organisations remain relevant to youth.

Ways to Volunteer

• Family
• Sports
• School/University
• Community
• Friends
• Religious communities.

Government also has a responsibility to Youth

We want to support and encourage young people like you to get involved in communities, generating positive youth leadership.

To help make that happen, we need to provide opportunities for young people to participate, and feel excited and engaged.

We also need to encourage more young people to speak up and make their voices heard, and to get involved in issues they are passionate about.

Once we’ve got you involved, it’s then our responsibility to make sure that we value what you do, genuinely listen to you, and make the most of your energy, enthusiasm and ideas

Some of you may not know that the government has an agency specifically set up to listen to young people – the Ministry of Youth Development

It helps ensure that youth views are represented when the government considers policies and laws which are going to impact upon young people.

The Ministry of Youth Development is the government's link to the young people of New Zealand.

The strategy sets out this government’s vision for young New Zealanders ‘a country where young people are vibrant and optimistic through being supported and encouraged to take up challenges’

It takes a strengths-based approach, meaning that it focuses on building young people’s strengths and skills.

It is about ensuring that young people are part of, and connected to their families, peers, schools, and communities and are listened to.

The Ministry has a range of channels to achieve this

• Activate Youth Advisory Group - a Wellington-based group of young people aged between 15 and 21, from a range of backgrounds and walks of life
• Links and networks to all schools in New Zealand, youth councils and young people with an interest in health
• Youth Parliament, which is held once every three years

The aim is to keep government informed about young peoples’ perspectives and keep young people informed about what’s happening in Government. It gives  opportunities to comment on policy development and make submissions to select committees.

These are all ways in which the government exercises its responsibilities to youth – providing opportunities to participate in and be leaders in society, and to volunteer.

Conclusion

Your first responsibility is to your beliefs, to understand and follow them in your own life

Your second responsibility is to those you come in contact with, that you expand their experience and leave them with a sense of joy and lightness

Your third responsibility is to get involved in society any way that feels right to you, as a leader, or as a volunteer

The Government has a responsibility to listen to you, and to provide opportunities to get involved.

May our actions benefit as many beings as possible.

Thank you