Teenagers take up position on the political front line

Local high school student Tess O'Brien has strongly opposed the claim that left wing groups are trying to indoctrinate local high schoolers.

STUDENTS as young as 12 are joining the ranks of extreme left wing political organizations, with some local teenagers planning to walk out of their classrooms for a day of anti-Bush protest on September 5.

And some critics are calling it indoctrination.

President of the University of Wollongong Liberal Club Warren Hudson has accused local left wing socialist groups of engaging high school age students to 'do their work for them' by organising the protest - which will see students walk out of class to show their displeasure with the upcoming APEC forum.

Mr Hudson said he believed it was good for students to be politically aware, but felt that left wing groups in Wollongong were pushing their agendas too hard onto a younger age bracket.

“I think it's good for students to become politically aware and involved,” Mr Hudson said.

“But they should make informed decisions about who they will align themselves with.

“These student activists are definitely pushing an agenda and its not a balanced agenda and they're not encouraging people to do their own research.”

Fourteen-year-old local high school student Tess O'Brien is a member of local left wing group Resistance.

She is one of a number of young people who will be speaking at the upcoming protest rally.

Ms O'Brien, who claims to have initially put forward the idea of a walk out, refuted Mr Hudson's claim that children were being indoctrinated by the groups involved in the protest.

“This strike is organised by students for students,” she said.

“Far from being the work of radicals, these topics, values and happenings are the responsibility of all people, young, old, student, teenagers or adults.

“We have opinions of our own.”

Mr Hudson however said that many school-aged students would not be aware of the details of APEC .

He said her encouraged politically aware youth to have an informed opinion on the matter, adding that, in his opinion, the solution to world poverty could be found in trade rather than aid.

“The solution to global poverty is through economic development,” Mr Hudson said.

“We must encourage trade rather than policies of aid.”

Ms O'Brien however had a very different view of the benefits of trade and economy as it relates to world politics.

“Consumer-fuelled capitalism, while appealing to human greed has a proven track record of putting profits far and beyond the welfare of the people involved in the lower classes of the economic machine,” she said.

“The environment is being destroyed by big companies and ordinary people alike as they fight to consume unchecked.

“We in the Western world are all guilty of this, and both (U.S President George) Bush and APEC are promoting it.”

Students have been asked to congregate at 12pm on Wednesday September 5 at the amphitheatre at Wollongong's Crown Central for the Walkout protest.