Bond student Sam Lara is taking some serious jumps towards her political goals. She was recently named one of five finalists for the Millennial Leader of Movement, a campaign run by MTV aimed at empowering young Australians to engage with politics.
The Film and TV student was selected from over a hundred entrants, whose role will be to connect youth with their leaders and to promote a participatory culture through MTV exposure and social media.
The over-achieving political activist and accomplished filmmaker, Sam, 21, gained more than 1,300 YouTube hits on her campaign video and enough social media hype to capture the attention of the Movement panellists, which includes Change.org founder Nick Allard and musician Missy Higgins.
“Since I was 10, I’ve been crazy about politics. I ended up on the Today Show when I wrote to John Howard. Since then, I’ve believed that anyone can change the world and that everyone should try,” she said. ”Young people need to recognise the power they have.”
Sam’s talent for film and ability to leverage social media make her a very strong candidate for the position. “I’ve always known I would make a difference through media and filmmaking. After being so vocal and fighting so hard this past election, the main frustration I encountered amongst young people was that they felt powerless and ineffective.”
If selected, Sam will have one-on-one meetings with national and global leaders, two weeks at the House of Representatives and the opportunity to shadow an MP for a day, as well as the management of Movement social media outlets.
Internet users can vote for their favourite finalist based on their campaign video and online profile, with voting closing 13 November.