Civics in the City Grant Program
The Commissioner for Children and Young People is partnering with SA Parliament to offer South Australian schools financial assistance toward a student excursion to Adelaide’s CBD that includes a visit to Parliament House.
In 2024, Civics and Citizenship education will be brought to life once more via this opportunity for South Australian regional school students to visit Parliament House and be taken on a tailored tour designed to meet the age, needs and interests of the student group attending.
The tour includes an opportunity for students to spend time in the upper and lower houses of Parliament where the 47 elected representatives of South Australia’s House of Assembly and 22 elected representatives of its Legislative Assembly gather to propose, debate, and pass legislation relevant to all South Australians.
The excursion to Parliament House empowers students through a deeper understanding of how they as individual citizens can play an active role in shaping their own communities. It provides information on how state, local, and federal tiers of government intersect, as well as how South Australia’s parliamentary traditions and processes work.
Tours include the opportunity for students to conduct a parliamentary style debate (on non-sitting days) with students encouraged to present on issues that matter to them most. Short talks by SA Parliament staff who have expert knowledge of parliamentary processes also feature.
While in Adelaide school groups can also arrange complementary excursions to institutions relevant to civics and citizenship and educational topics such as Government House, The Centre of Democracy, Migration Museum and State Library. For more information see:
The aim of the Civics in the City Grant Program is to improve the understanding of government and citizenship amongst South Australia’s children and young people in an engaging way. The program aims to achieve this by encouraging schools in regional South Australia to take part in out-of-school activities and excursions that will bring them into the State capital and demystify the venue and processes associated with Parliament as part of their civics and citizenship education.
Which schools can apply?
- Any school situated outside direct public transport access to South Australia’s Parliament House.
- Applicant schools must not have visited Parliament House, either in Canberra or Adelaide, in the last 12 months.
- Applications will be assessed on the basis of need and the value of their students visiting Parliament House as part of their civics learning.
What does the grant provide?
The grant will provide schools with funding to help with their transport and other costs to enable their students to visit Parliament House. The level of subsidy provided will depend on the costs involved.
When can schools apply?
Check out the gallery of images below featuring students from Leigh Creek who undertook the Civics in the City excursion in 2022.
Image: House of Assembly, SA Parliament House
Image: Legislative Council, SA Parliament House
“All South Australian school students should have an opportunity to visit SA Parliament House no matter where they live. Visiting Parliament and other civic institutions helps young people find out about South Australia’s history and the uniquely Australian democratic system of which they are a part. Nothing could more effective in helping young people understand what it means to be an active citizen in their own community.”
Commissioner Helen Connolly