Making politics meaningful
Vote Like is creating an interactive civics education workshop to be delivered to secondary school students in Western Australia.
The aim of the workshop is to make politics meaningful - turning it from something that can feel distant or irrelevant to young people, to something they feel confident and motivated to engage with.
The objectives of the workshop are to:
Increase student’s knowledge of civics systems and processes
Enhance student’s confidence and capability to discuss political and social issues
Positively shift student’s attitudes towards participating in and belonging to Australia’s democracy
The workshop content will include some or all of the following. Various workshop offerings will be provided, allowing the school to select the workshop that best supports their students and their scheduling requirements.
Learning modules on the Australian government, electoral system, civic rights and responsibilities, using topical youth-related case studies to connect classroom learning to real-world impact.
Activities for students to reflect on issues that are important to them and develop their understanding of how these issues are both shaped by and can shape government decision making.
Dispelling misconceptions about politics, such as needing to study Politics & Law to become a politician.
Resources and materials to empower students to be informed citizens in and beyond the voting booth.
A mock election, including completing a ballot paper and preferential counting.
Hear from individuals with lived experience of being an elected representative, being a candidate, and working on election campaigns.
The workshop will be:
Co-designed with young people to ensure it is relevant and meaningful.
Delivered in person at school. A virtual offering may be developed in the future.
Presented by a facilitator skilled in youth engagement and civic education.
Non-partisan. It will not endorse any political party, candidate or position.
Why is this important?
The greatest threat to our democracy is disengagement.
Feeling uncertain and unprepared is a common feeling for first time voters. It isn’t our fault. We haven’t been taught civics in a way that is meaningful.
Among year 10 students, the proficient standard of civics knowledge dropped from 38% in 2019 to 28% in 2024 (Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority, 2025). Whilst this data is concerning on its own, it fails to capture the scale of the risk this poses - civics is not simply something to be learnt for a test, it is a skill for life and it has the power to shape the future of our country.
Vote Like is equipping the next generation of voters to be empowered and informed. The impact doesn’t stop with young people though. As more Australians become more engaged, knowledge and motivation will be shared, creating change across generations and for years to come.
Vote Like is currently collaborating with young people and educators to design the workshop content.
The workshop will then be piloted in secondary schools.
Following a successful pilot, the workshop will be promoted to secondary schools across Western Australia.
Where to next?
How can I help?
Are you a young person or secondary school educator? Vote Like would love to gain your insights into the workshop design and potentially pilot the workshop (free of charge) at your school.
Do you have ideas, feedback or support to provide? Vote Like would love to hear from you too.