Jared Misaele: A Fijian Youth for Integrity (International Youth Day - Feature 1)

 Jared Misaele: A Fijian Youth for Integrity (International Youth Day - Feature 1)

Jared and youth leaders conceptualise new social media ideas on anti-corruption at their July 12^th workshop

Jared,15, attends Jai Narayan College located in Suva City, Fiji and is in Year 11. When he is not helping his dad in their landscaping business, he is in the gym keeping fit. Jared is part of a group of dynamic high schoolers responsible for conceptualising integrity and anti-corruption tiktoks, films, contemporary dances, posters and other expressive arts on integrity and anti-corruption themes. (Integrity Fiji is National Contact for Transparency International and all its Board Members and Staff, with the exception of the Executive Director, are millennials in their twenties!)

Apart from coming up with new ideas, Jared has been very actively involved in participating in contemporary dances, acting in youtube videos, posing for posters and supporting Youths4IntegrityFiji in its integrity and anti-corruption advocacy.

 Jared’s mum is Australian and his dad is Fijian. He is loath to cutting his hair which has nice curly locks. “Can I tell my teacher that it’s multicultural for me that I’m Australian-Fijian and that I can keep my hair style?” he asked Grace Konrote the Coordinator of Youth Programs.

“That’s going to be a hard sell because the school rules says that everyone has to cut their hair very short and it applied to all students,” Grace said as gently as possible. “It’ll grow back again,” Grace added dumbly. They both laughed.

Recently Jared and his team put together a youtube video on resisting peer pressure. Do the Right Thing! Have Integrity!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aT7n6KRkr3g&t=39s

One of the highlights for Jared was during the Workshop organised with the Fijian Elections Office to explain Fiji’s electoral process and to encourage more young people over 18 to vote. The 18 to 25 demographic group recorded the lowest percentage of voters in the 2014 and 2018 National Elections. The Supervisor of Election Mohammed Saneem appointed Jared to be the Supervisor of Elections to conduct mock elections amongst the workshop participants.

As Supervisor, Jared had to tally votes and follow all the calculation methods used in the Fijian Electoral System. That gave him important insights into elections and what it entails.

This year’s International Youth Day celebration for Youths4IntegrityFiji is a special one given that the Chief Guest is the European Union Ambassador to the Pacific Mr Sujiro Seam. All Pacific multilateral and UN agencies are based in Suva City.

Jared and youth leaders will be responsible for organising the event. There will be special anti-corruption songs sung to choreographed dances. 

There is a tiktok competition on the theme of Anti-Corruption and everyone, like Jared, are planning their productions. The winners will be announced on International Youth Day.