In pictures: Commonwealth Youth Parliament takes over the House

By Louis Collins

Each week, the flagpoles on Parliament's forecourt bear a rainbow of triclours, cantons and stripes. Countries' flags are hoisted in the event of foreign visits and engagements at Parliament.

Even the amateur vexillologists among RNZ's readers may struggle to recognise this one, though. The flag of the Commonwealth, probably only dusted off for the Games that nobody wants to host, was up all week at Parliament to mark the 12th Commonwealth Youth Parliament.

Commonwealth Youth Parliament began like any good (or Westminster) parliament does, with someone banging a big stick on the door.

That someone was Sandra Mckie, the Usher of the Black Rod. Once in the chamber, she instructed delegates to make their way to the Legislative Council Chamber where the CYP would be officially opened.

In a welcome reprieve from carrying the usual 8kg mace, Serjeant-at-Arms Steve Streefkerk adopted the CYP mace as his accessory for the week.

The mace is a First Nations canoe paddle from a previous iteration of CYP in British Columbia, Canada.

Delegates Sean Prenter (New Zealand), Shonelle Eugene (St Lucia), and Siddhartha Jayachandran (Tamil Nadu, India) came out of the gate strong during the first reading debate, setting a tone for the week.

You're probably thinking, these delegates look pretty old for high schoolers.

Commonwealth Youth Parliament is slightly different to local Youth Parliaments in that it extends from 18- to 29-year-olds.

While 29 might sound like a bit of a reach in associating with the word youth, it makes sense when you consider the average age of lawmakers around the world is 53, and in New Zealand it's just under 50.

A Queenslander, a Falkland Islander, a Gibraltarian, and a Tasmanian walk into a debating chamber. It might sound like the setup for a bad taste joke, but this was no punchline - just the reality at Parliament this week. Resembling a synergetic caucus, delegates huddled up before the debates to talk tactics.

Other than debating in the House, delegates were able to experience the merits of Parliament's workhorse: select committees. Given the varied emphasis Commonwealth jurisdictions put on the committee process, this was more of a learning curve for some.

New Zealand Parliament's very own Katie Nimmon, herself on the sprightly side of the House's age demographics, offered mentorship and expertise throughout the week.

Also there to give advice was Member for Victoria Parliament's Upper House, Michael Galea.

Galea is only a year older than the cut-off age for the event, and says he often grapples with the reality of being a young lawmaker in a real jurisdiction.

Commonwealth Youth Parliament is a valuable platform to get a headstart on learning the infinitely long ropes of parliamentary procedure.

If you're an aspiring 'leader of tomorrow' it makes for a pretty flash addition to your CV. Beyond that though, it's just as valuable in the pursuit of cultural exchange.

Many delegates noted their highlight was simply sharing a debating chamber, and a hotel for that matter, with fellow young people from around the Commonwealth.

One could argue that hearing accents from across the globe, and gaining an understanding of the cultural traditions and protocols of your counterparts, teaches you more about diplomacy than most international relations textbooks perhaps could.

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