The activities will run from October to early November.
It aims to promote the Parliament Office’s vision of an inclusive and participatory society, by educating women and youth on the roles, powers, and functions of the legislature, and how their voices can be heard at national decision-making platforms.
Discussions at these events will focus on topics that are critical to the youth and women of Tonga, including illicit drugs-related social issues, climate change, education, health, and good governance.
The first event is She Leads Fale Alea (SLFA), a female-led initiative aimed at empowering young women who are passionate about politics and aspires to take on leadership roles. Participants are young women of the age group 15 to 25 years.
SLFA begins with orientation programmes for the participants over one week, to be followed by mock parliament sittings. It is delivered in partnership with the youth-led NGO Take The Lead Tonga.
The second and third events are practice parliaments to be held respectively for youth and for women. Youth aged 25-34 and women aged 25 and above are invited to apply for the Tonga Youth Parliament (TYP) that is to be held virtually on October 28 and 29, and the Tonga Women Parliament (TWP) that is to be held virtually on November 1 and 2.
A public awareness programme commences this week to promote interest and participation in the practice parliaments. It also aims to gather the views on topics of national interest from target audiences, particularly individuals between the ages of 14 to 18, to be tabled for discussion at the practice parliaments.
The objectives of the Women and Youth Practice Parliaments are to encourage and support women and youth participation in political processes. It also aims to encourage women and young people to take an interest in citizenship activities especially parliament.
Application forms for TYP and TWP can be obtained from the Legislative Assembly’s Office, or downloaded from the Parliament’s website www.parliament.gov.to. Applications open today, and close on 15 October 2021 at 4pm.
TYP and TWP are delivered in partnership with UNICEF, UNFPA, and the UNDP Pacific Office.
More information on these events can be obtained by sending inquiries to the email