Youth Model Parliament: Enhancing Youth Participation in Decision-Making

By Lorraine Mangena

As active global citizens, YIT was part of the Youth Model Parliament event held at the Parliament of Zimbabwe. The event was designed to enhance youth participation in decision-making processes and familiarize young people with parliamentary. functions. This initiative provided an opportunity for youths to engage in legislative processes, debates, and policy discussions, fostering a culture of civic engagement.

The Youth Model Parliament event demonstrated a strong commitment from key stakeholders, including, Zimbabwe Youth Parliament Caucus(ZYPC), Zimbabwe Youth Council (ZYC) and Zimbabwe Institute (ZI), in promoting youth participation in governance. Their dedication to creating platforms for young people to engage in decision-making processes highlights the growing recognition of youth as active contributors to national development. This initiative reflects a broader effort to make governance more inclusive and to equip the next generation with the necessary skills to participate meaningfully in civic affairs.

A crucial aspect of the program was the capacity-building session on parliamentary debates and the Question-and-Answer segment. Through structured debates and interactive discussions, youth gained a deeper understanding of legislative procedures and governance accountability mechanisms. The debates focused on real issues affecting young people, provided an even greater sense of empowerment. By simulating actual parliamentary proceedings, participants built confidence in advocacy and sharpened their ability to analyze and propose solutions to societal challenges. This experience reinforced the importance of youth involvement in governance and their potential to drive meaningful change.

In this process, we as YIT were particularly interested in learning more about the principle of separation of powers among the Executive, Legislature, and Judiciary. This principle ensures checks and balances in governance though this is currently blurry in Zimbabwe. Youth need to understand how each arm of government functions independently while maintaining interdependence for effective governance and hold them accountable accordingly. This will also entail understanding parliamentary procedures that are crucial for meaningful engagement in governance.
We are happy that the event included an orientation on how bills are introduced, debated, and passed in Parliament and were taken through various procedures, including the role of committees in scrutinizing policies and the process of public participation in legislation. We hope that such engagements will continue shaping a new generation of leaders who are well-versed in governance and decision-making processes. The participation of young people in national affairs is essential for a more inclusive and representative democracy.

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