Bethlehem College student Matt Smalberger's ideas about how to improve youth participation in politics could see him learning about government in Wellington.

He is the regional winner of the Association of Former Members of Parliament essay writing competition, in which entrants were asked to write 1500 words about young people and democracy.

Tauranga MP Simon Bridges presented Matt Smalberger with a parliamentary tie as reward for winning the regional level of the essay competition.

Matt's essay is now in the national final and while excited to be in the running for the prize to win a trip to Wellington, on which he would visit the Prime Minister's office, watch Parliamentary debate and meet with MPs, he is realistic about his chances.

His essay is printed in full here:

Activating youth in democracy

By Matt Smalberger

The understanding and participation of New Zealand's youth in democracy across our nation must be increased. To do this, steps have to be taken immediately. To increase understanding of what democracy is, MPs can talk to schools in their area and also have public debates about current issues. To increase participation requires giving the youth opportunities to do such things, as having student councils that deal with real issues and nation wide debate competitions. These steps have to be taken to avoid having an ignorant adult population, who will be the leaders of the country in the very near future.

To increase the understanding of democracy for youth in New Zealand, each MP must carry out a tour of all the high schools in their regions. At each school, a presentation should be given to the students by the MP, in which they will discuss three things. Their own life story and how they came to be the local MP, what democracy is and how it is implemented in New Zealand and a few of their own personal political beliefs. How will this increase understanding of democracy? Why these points? In the first instance, each MP is simply giving the students a quick overview of their lives. This may result in some of the students being inspired, wanting to also achieve what they have. It may even inspire a few of the students to consider going into politics themselves. In the second instance, the MP might discuss how democracy is implemented in New Zealand. This discussion might answer questions such as, how are people elected into power, how often are elections, how are laws passed and who is in power now? Currently students can only learn this type of vital information if they make a conscious effort to study it themselves. There is no democracy, or politics class at school. The third point is a discussion about the MPs personal political beliefs about current issues facing New Zealand. An MP, could for example, state that they believe the drinking age should be raised and then give their reasons for this belief. This would inevitably cause the students to consider their own opinion on the matter, thereby taking part in democracy and thinking about the political issues facing the country. A simple, easy-to-do presentation like this would have all these long lasting results and more. This step must be taken to avoid having a new generation of adults that do not know how their nation is run.

A further way to increase the youths' understanding of democracy is for the local politicians in each district across New Zealand to have public debates. The debates would be on current, controversial political issues. They would be entertaining and fun, and they would be held as a family event. It is important that it is current issues which are discussed and that they are controversial. For example, the foreshore and seabed act could be debated. This is a debate that the audience can form their own opinion of. Having this conflict of opinion will result in the debate being intense and captivating, attracting the youth to form their own opinions on the issue at hand. It is also vital that the debates are entertaining.The debates must not be the pretentious, long-winded, jargon-packed and otherwise dull speech marathons that most youth see political discussions as being. For youth to be interested, they must be sharp, quick, and witty and showcase the passion that the politicians have for their beliefs. There could even be other forms of entertainment inbetween discussions, such as a performance by a local musician or comedian. Finally, it is paramount that the debate be held in a family-friendly environment. It should be held in a large theatre, or even in a large outdoor space on a summer's afternoon. Families and young people will not attend an event held in an out of the way, glorified basement. For it to be a real entertainment event, it needs to be run in the same way. If these criteria are met, it will result in a fun, family-friendly, interesting and inevitably, a youth-attracting event. It may even have added benefits such as being a fantastic opportunity for raising money for an appeal or charity. Having public political debates is a prime example of democracy at work and will increase the youths understanding of what democracy is.

To increase the participation of youth in democracy, student councils need to be set up across the nation. These councils would be formed through democratic means, be useful for the MP and would be a prestigious council to be elected to. It is important that the council is formed democratically. This will be done by each high school in the MP's district, voting in two of their senior students for the council. This will be a perfect opportunity for all students to vote in an election for a candidate who they believe to be most suitable for the position, and therefore participate in democracy.The council will not just be for show – the MP will use it. The council will meet on a regular basis and discuss issues that affect the youth of their district. After discussing an issue, such as, car license age limits. They will then vote on it, advise their MP on the student's opinion of the matter and the MP can present it to parliament as a legitimate proposal. This will produce hundreds of young adults that have a real interest in the issues of New Zealand and have the mentality that they can now make a difference. It is very important that the council be seen as a prestigious group to be elected to. This will result in the message being portrayed that democracy and the implementation of it is an important process to be a part of. It is important because the students will only take it seriously if it is seen as an achievement to be in it. This can be achieved by publishing the members of the council in the local paper and also by giving the members a badge that they can wear on their school uniform. NapoleonBonaparte once said, 'Men are ruled by toys”. It's as true today as it was then. Students will treasure a badge that signifies that they have achieved something to others. All of these aspects of the council will mean that democracy is something that students can now be a part of. They will react to having this responsibility by becoming passionate about democracy and the running of New Zealand.

A great way of increasing youth's participation in democracy is by having a nation-wide political debate competition. The competition will hold high class debates that discusscurrent issues facing New Zealand, the finals will be televised and there will be an incentive for the winning school. Firstly, the structure of the competition must be explained. Each school across the country submits a three-person debating team. They all compete regionally, until there is only one team left. These teams then travel to Wellington for the final competition, with the finals being judged by prominent politicians. The competition needs to be of high class and cover current political issues. It may even produce new and fresh ideas on how the government should handle the issues at hand. With the finals being televised, because it will be students competing, students will also watch. For example, if Bethlehem College's team of three debaters made it to the semi-final, and the debate was televised during prime time, the entire school would want to watch it. This would then expose thousands of students to what democracy is all about, while also raising awareness amongst the youth of the issues our nation has to deal with. There will then be an incentive for the winning team. For example, the Prime Minister could possibly present a trophy to the school during one of their assemblies. Having an incentive will raise the competition level and result in the competition being of high class. This competition would clearly show the youth of New Zealand that their voices can be heard, and that the government wants to hear their voices. It will give our youth the opportunity to get actively involved in democracy.

If these four proposals are made a reality, New Zealand will be in good hands, with future leaders that have grown up with an understanding of democracy and have participated in it in many different ways. The proposals are cost effective. In fact, ideas such as the politician's public debate event even have the potential to make money. The proposals are also focused on high school students. It is at this age that minds are open to learning and participating in democracy. Those who have left school are too busy and are difficult to educate because they cannot be brought together like students can be in an assembly. By focusing on young students, we are ensuring the young adults of tomorrow have this knowledge. In most nations around the world children become adults at a very early age. Here in New Zealand we have a huge numbers of teenagers that have the potential to have a huge positive impact on the country but are just not given the opportunity and responsibility to do so. Therefore these proposals must be put into action. They will increase understanding and participation of youth in democracy across New Zealand.

Bethlehem College student Matt Smalberger's ideas about how to improve youth participation in politics could see him learning about government in Wellington.

He is the regional winner of the Association of Former Members of Parliament essay writing competition, in which entrants were asked to write 1500 words about young people and democracy.

Matt's essay is now in the national final and while excited to be in the running for the prize to win a trip to Wellington, on which he would visit the Prime Minister's office, watch Parliamentary debate and meet with MPs, he is realistic about his chances.

'I'm so stoked, but I am aware that Tauranga is only small compared to other centres,” says Matt.

His essay is a good one, however, says Tauranga MP Simon Bridges.

'I was impressed by the standard and Matt did well with a very strong essay,” says Simon.

Among the ideas suggested by Matt to increase youth participation in politics was the establishment of electorate based student councils.

Membership on these councils would be through schools and they would have regular meetings with constituent MPs to discuss issues of the day.

'I think that student opinions get missed so that gives an output for them,” says Matt.

Matt's essay also discussed how a nationwide political debate competition, public debates and a secondary school tour by MPs would improve youth participation in politics.

This essay is available to read in full on SunLive.co.nz in the ‘Politics' news category.

The winner of the national competition is expected to be known by the end of May.