Student Buzz

If it ain't broke, don't fix it

by Luca, Year 8

The Centre for Youth Literature (CYL) did something truly special – it created a community; a community of readers, of writers, of thinkers and of innovators, brought together by a love of books. It created a place for young people to meet, to read and to share, providing opportunities and pathways for these minds to learn and expand. Yet as of 5 March 2019 the CYL – and, I fear, the wonderful community of people centred around it – ceased to exist.

The State Library of Victoria (SLV) is a really, really great institution, and I never want people to forget that. I have stood by them - and still stand by them - in almost everything they do. I wonder, however, if the shutting down or ‘rebranding’ of the CYL was a rare mistake. According to SLV sources, programs such as the INKYS - YA book awards judged by teens, for teens - will continue to be run, even without the CYL in existence. They also state that the resources once put towards the CYL will go towards the Teen and YA book sector inside of the SLV. But it is not about the programs that will and will not continue, as important as these may be. In my opinion, stopping the CYL is sending entirely the wrong message to young people in Melbourne, Australia and even the entire planet!

The world of books is largely dominated by adults, and greater society also seems to rigidly stick to this ‘older, wiser’ philosophy. Children’s voices are too often quashed and forgotten, their ideas silenced and their hopes dismantled as being, well, childish. By creating a place for young readers to have their say, the CYL also sent a message to all young people – your voices matter; and, as demonstrated by the growing number of strikes, rallies and movements, this statement has never been more true. By integrating the youth literature sector under the wider SLV banner, it is unintentionally sending the message that the world of youth books can only exist as part of adult books – by denying the young people of Victoria a separate organisation, they are sending the message that youth literature is not important enough to have it’s own entity and, in turn, saying that children and teens don’t matter enough in and outside of the world of books. 

In these tumultuous times for the political landscape, the young people of Australia and the world have stood strong. Led by a brave stand from Greta Thunberg, 40,000 children stood against climate change in Melbourne alone. At rallies all over the country, all over the planet, the crowds of young people are growing, not just against climate change but against deprivation of rights, for first nations’ justice, in England against Brexit and in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for independence. Recently, two teenagers stood outside the SLV in protest of the closure of the CYL. One of them was me. Because by bringing  the youth literature back into the main library, it feels a lot like the SLV is telling us that adults know best and that the young people of Australia should take a step back and let the grown-ups do the work.

In a time when we need to encourage the reading and exploring of youth literature as much as possible, I can’t seem to find any reason for the SLV to ‘rebrand’ such a wonderful thing as the CYL. “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it”, they say. I just hope that the community and message that was so strong with the CYL continues to live on through this new era of it’s existence.  

Educating and empowering young Australians on global issues

by Estella & Acorn (Year 9), Zohar (Year 8) and Esther & Stella (Year 7) 

We have just attended the inaugural UN delegates Junior Leadership weekend in Parkville; a fantastic two days jam-packed with workshops, activities and opportunities to get to know students in Years 7-9 from schools all over Melbourne.

The main issue we discussed was the education divide. We had activities and discussions about the rural/urban divide, socio-economic impact, gender differences, global concerns and indigenous issues. Our speakers and facilitators were inspiring and we’re looking forward to attending again next year!