Year 11 St Joseph’s Catholic College student Gabrielle Veludo-Tragaris has big dreams of one day becoming a politician and representing the Central Coast region.
And she’s not wasting time in realising her dream.
To help grow her leadership skills, Gabby, of Narara, is participating in the Max Potential program at Gosford RSL Club and as part of the program she has created a community service project called Almost Electable.
She said the project was aimed at educating and engaging young people on voting and politics by providing unbiased, engaging and reliable resources and support.
On July 9, she held a s stall at the Central Coast Youth Day out at Lake Haven where she delivered a range of activities aimed at doing just that.
“It was evident from conversations on the day that many young people had very limited understanding in voting and politics and this was a direct result of no proper political education at school,” Gabby said.
“Almost Electable will help make a difference within the community by producing unbiased and reliable political and voting information created by young people for young people.
“Being a democratic country is one of the most overlooked privileges by young people, as politics is hardly spoken about in school and considered taboo in public events.
“As a result, young people are left confused, uneducated and vulnerable in relation to voting.
“Almost Electable is here to change that and create an atmosphere where politics, global issues and voting are at the forefront of our conversations.
“Our initiative is unique as we don’t just provide information, but we carefully curate a range of engaging activities that incorporate key life advice and skills related to voting.”
Gabby, who is also a member of the Youth for Youth action team for the Central Coast Council, said Almost Electable was a unique program created by young people for young people, using interactive and engaging activities rather than traditional lectures or campaigns.
“I have always been really interested in politics from a young age,” she said.
“I think I have always wanted to make a big and positive impact on the world and for me politics was the way I could achieve that.
“I think the world is becoming an increasingly scary and hateful place because of politics and young people in particular are in a very vulnerable circumstance without fully realising.
“Issues such as climate change, AI, pollution, war and inequality are so overlooked in everyday life.
“I want to educate young people on politics so they can see they hold the power to change the narrative; young people have the power to create positive change by simply voting.
“After volunteering on election day this year, I found so many young people had a negative attitude while walking into the booth.
“It’s so easy to forgot that democracy is such a fundamental privilege, a lot of young people view voting as a chore rather than a privilege.”
A great initiative. Fantastic to see more young people getting involved in the political process and having their say. We have a growing population of young people on the Coast so our voice matters now more than ever! Keep persevering!