TAYLORS Lakes resident Ryan Lim has always aspired to be a voice for young people of the west.
The 18-year-old Monash University student is well on the way, having been appointed state director for the Left Right Think-Tank, the first independent policy institute for young people in Australia.
“I have always wanted to advocate for young people on political matters that will affect them in the future,” he said.
“A lot of young people don’t recognise how much power they have to influence the government or even realise that their voice can be heard.”
The initiative will have Mr Lim and other volunteers from the not-for-profit organisation visiting schools in the west to host workshops on state government policies for education, infrastructure, governance, economics and environmental sustainability.
The former Taylors Lakes Secondary College student says he became involved in politics at the school.
“They were very supportive and allowed political students like me to meet with the Education Department and meet former minister for education Bronwyn Pike,” he said.
Mr Lim, who has lived in Brimbank since birth, lists former prime minister John Howard and his own cousin Zhi, who works for the Foreign Affairs Department, as his idols.
He says one of his favourite aspects of Brimbank is its cultural diversity.
“There are so many young migrants in the area who come to Australia from a different country with no prior knowledge of how the political system works,” he said.
“Through my role at Left Right Think-Tank I want to reach those young migrants so they can be educated on having their say in their new homeland.”
Mr Lim, who is completing a bachelor of arts and business degree, is managing director of Transcend, a consulting firm that specialises in leadership and community engagement.
More details: leftright.org.au
