Be The Change

Getting vocal
Your voice is essential for the direction of New Zealand in the future. There are several pathways through which you have the power to talk about issues that are important to you, bring about change for the better and have a say in how the country is run and the government’s decision-making.

Some of the pathways to get yourself heard include:

Aotearoa Youth Voices Network
This network gives you a chance to connect with other young people who have an interest in influencing government and community decision-makers, including the chance to have your voice heard. For more info or to join, click here.

Local Youth Councils
If you want to make your city, town or community better for young people, get involved with your local youth council. For a list of youth councils and more info on this, click here.

Youth Advisory Groups
YAGs are groups of young people who provide input or undertake tasks for organisations, services, or projects related to young people. You can participate meaningfully in things that affect you and helping organisations and services to get it right when working with youth. 

Youth Health Councils 
A Youth Health Council is a group of young people who identify, discuss and take action on key youth health needs for young people. They work together to identify, discuss and take action on health needs affecting young people.

Youth Health Councils address a wide range of issues; mental wellbeing, bullying, fitness and exercise, healthy eating and nutrition, peer pressure, stress, relationships, service gaps, youth rights and much more.

Social Networking
Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, email, online petitions and blogs are a great way to rally together others who agree with your cause, publish your point of view, raise awareness of an unrecognised issue, get support or donations for a cause or organise large protests. For more info on how to start an online petition, click here .

Voting
Did you know?!
New Zealand was the first country in the world to grant women the right to vote in 1893 after two decades of campaigning by Kate Sheppard and other women.

Why should I vote?

• New Zealanders are lucky to live in a democracy where it is up to the people to vote into parliament those whom we’d like to represent us
• Voting allows New Zealanders to have a say on who you the people and political parties you think should have a say on the direction of New Zealand and which should have less of a say
• Every vote counts because the political party or parties with the most votes become the Government and they make decisions that can affect you, including changes to the education system, student loans and allowance, financial assistance and support, childcare, the drinking age, and the driving age. Before you vote, you can read up on what each political party’s values are and what changes they plan on making if they are in power.

When can I vote?
Generally, to vote you need to:

• Be 18 years old or older
• Have been in NZ for more than 1 year continuously
• Be an NZ citizen or permanent resident of NZ

But there are some exceptions, so click here for more details.
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I think I’m eligible to vote… what do I do next?

• You have to get on the electoral roll in order to vote. This is basically a giant list of people who have enrolled to vote and are allowed to vote.
• It’s really easy to get on the electoral roll. You can do this online. Click here for more details.
• When the next election comes around, you will be able to go to your local voting place on Election Day and cast your vote!

 

​Volunteering

Benefits of volunteering

• Connect with other young people
  
• Have fun
  
• Challenge yourself
  
• Learn new skills
  
• Build your C.V.
  
• Make a difference to someone’s life
  
• Contribute to your community
  
• Often flexible hours
  
• Stepping stone to paid employment
  
• Networking within an industry or sector 
  
• Work experience
  
• Often non-pressured and supportive
  
• Doing something meaningful

I’m keen… but what should I get into?

• Think about why you want to volunteer. What are your passions and interests? Where do you see yourself in the future? Do you like working with people? Or with animals? As part of a team or on your own?
  
• It’s okay to try out a few things out to get a feel for what you’re into
  
• Talk to others about their volunteer experiences to find out more about what to expect

How do I know what opportunities are out there?

• To search for volunteer opportunities in your area, click here
  
  
• To find a volunteer info centre near you, click here
  

What about volunteering overseas?
Volunteering overseas can make travelling a really meaningful and significant experience, where you build connections with the locals and other volunteers overseas

Check out Volunteer Service Abroad for more info. 

 

Discrimination

Racism stems from the unknown. 

It’s easy to criticize what is foreign to us (because we can let our imagination run wild without knowing that what we are being told or what we hear is wrong) and at the same time, this element of the unknown can be used to create fear amongst whole groups of people, and cause them to see other ethnic groups as a threat to what they see as ‘normal’ and ‘stable’.
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The Human Rights Act 1993 also says it is against the law to discriminate or treat someone unfairly based on their…

• sex
• marital status (whether they are single, married, divorced or in a de facto relationship)
• religious beliefs
• skin colour and race
• their ethnicity or nationality
• disabilities, physical illnesses, and mental health problems
• age
• political opinions
• employment status (like being unemployed or on a benefit)
• family (like who their family members are including having kids)
• sexual orientation (being straight, gay, lesbian or bisexual) 
• This act considers the rights of people to be free of discrimination in many different areas of life including your work, training institutes, and that provide goods and services – plus many more.

Why does being on the receiving end of racism suck?

• It can make you feel insecure about your identity and who you are.
• It doesn’t make much sense to be picked on for something that you should be proud of- if we all looked and acted the same, how boring would the world be?!
• It’s confusing! Especially if it comes out of nowhere.
• It’s personal- no one likes to be taken at face value and stereotyped.
• It implies that the person making fun of you thinks they are superior because of their appearance, which is something they had nothing to do with!

How do you know if you’re being discriminated against?•If you are feeling really judged, if there are comments, jokes or they assume certain things about you because of any of the above characteristics or if there are offensive, repeated and unwanted behaviours of a sexual or racist nature, then chances are, you are being discriminated against. 

How can we combat racism?
What to do or someone you know think you might be discriminated against

• Don’t just let it be. The best thing to do is to contact the Human Rights Commission and just talk about it to get clear about what your options are. They will let you know what the best thing is to do. You can do this by calling 0800 496 877 or emailing them at infoline@hrc.co.nz.
  
  
• Get support for yourself. Talk to someone you trust about what is going on. Even if you are unsure it’s considered discrimination, if it is making you feel bad, it’s best to talk it over.