2003 - Members by State
Tegan Cohen
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17-year-old Tegan attends Corowa High School, where she is a prefect involved in the Peer Support Mediation program and chairs the charity committee. Actively involved in her local community, Tegan was a founding member of the Corowa Youth Council. She was one of 48 young Australians selected to participate in the Rotary Adventure in Citizenship program, held in Canberra. Particularly interested in issues affecting rural young people, Tegan is keen to address health and culture issues in secondary schools, which targets students in the junior years of high school, starting from Year 7. She has chosen to focus on school culture, and hopes to demonstrate how negative aspects of school culture can contribute to the ineffectiveness of a secondary school’s health network. View Report- PDF (370KB) |
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Zhi Soon
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17-year-old Zhi is a student at Hurlstone Agricultural School where he has been a Peer Support Program Instructor, a member of the SRC and the president of the Interact Club. He is the current president of the Liverpool District SRC and has been involved in a number of fundraising activities. Zhi is interested in opening communication lines between youth organisations and various forms of governance; promoting racial harmony among young people; and examining the availability of youth development opportunities. View Report (50KB) |
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Adam Marshall
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18-year-old Adam completed his HSC at the Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School in 2002. He is interested in health issues for rural young people, with
National runner up in the Lions Australian Youth of the Year, Adam has been very active within both his local community and throughout NSW. He has been involved in a number of fundraising activities, has been a member of the Gunnedah Shire Council Youth Council and the Gunnedah PCYC Youth Committee for the past two years. He was also a member of the NSW Premier’s Youth Advisory Council in 2001. View Report- PDF (49KB) |
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Jayde Kelly
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Jayde, 20, is a young Indigenous woman interested in Aboriginal Mentorship programs and improving services to the Aboriginal community and young people. Active in her community, Jayde is involved with a number of sporting organisations and has been associated with a juvenile justice committee. In 2000, Jayde received an Aboriginal Achievement Award from the Kempsey NAIDOC week committee. View Report (27KB) |
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Kellie Hodges
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23-year-old Kellie works as a Case Manager for Hunter Support Services, is the coordinator of RUSH, a charity organisation, and is studying psychology at the University of Newcastle. Kellie is also doing a Masters in Community Management through the University of Technology Sydney. She has volunteered at Camp Quality, Lifeline and with abused children. Kellie is on the Board of the Central Hunter Health Council. She is interested in finding better ways for youth service providers
to engage young people, particularly those who are marginalised
*Report unavailable |
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Shasheen Jayaweera
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Shasheen is a 17-year-old student at the University of NSW under its prestigious co-operative scholarship program in Commerce. He was leader of the NSW Australian Business Week team in 2002 and has also started his own Internet services business, Logicworks. He is passionate about youth enterprise and leadership development and seeks to increase the awareness of opportunities for young people to develop these vital skills. View Report (99KB) |
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Mimi Zou
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Mimi, 17, has been involved with a number of community organisations, is the current chairperson of Canterbury Youth Council and was elected the Student Welfare Captain for her school. It is through her work with the Youth Council that Mimi has recognised the importance of expanding leadership opportunities for young people from a range of backgrounds. In appreciation of her extensive involvement in the community, Mimi received an International Year of the Volunteer Award of Recognition from the Prime Minister. View Report (92KB) |
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Josh Moyes
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Josh, 18, completed his HSC at Mullumbimby High in 2002. Josh has personal experience of homelessness in a regional area. Despite the considerable hardship of living independently, Josh has volunteered a large part of his time to a number of community events - working voluntarily at a retirement village, at the local radio station and assisting with drama workshops. He has been involved in focus groups and community forums regarding youth homelessness and believes he would be able to bring a ‘grass roots’ perspective to the Roundtable. View report in Word format (36KB) View Report (36KB) |
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Jonathan Wang
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Jonathan, 20, is studying commerce and science at the University of NSW. Jonathan is keen to look at supporting transitions to independence, having lived independently for some years while his parents are working overseas. Actively involved at university and within his community, Jonathan is a member of the Blacktown City Council Sister City Committee and the Peer Assistance Support Scheme at his university. Jonathan was selected to represent his university at the China Synergy Programme for Outstanding Youth in 2002. View Report (48KB) |
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William Scully-Power
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William, 22, is the founder of MarketingFX™ Pty Limited, a boutique agency specialising in marketing and public relations for high technology companies. William was awarded a Semi-Finalist in the National Career Achievement Category in the 2001 Young Australian of the Year Awards, and was also a Nominee in the 2002 Young Australian of the Year Awards. William was the inaugural winner of the New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory’s Micro Business Young Entrepreneur Award for 2001 and was also the winner of the 2001 Commonwealth Bank “Young Hero Award”, presented at the opening of the e-Business World Expo. William is interested in youth enterprise development opportunities and young people in the business community. View Report (322KB) |
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Simon Khalil
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Simon, 17, has been an active participant in a number of youth forums convened by the Marrickville Council. He also acted in the short film I Miss Marrickville, which won the state-wide Silent Cells Award during National Youth Week 2002. Simon has seen religious discrimination first-hand and would
like to raise awareness about its negative presence in the world. *Report unavailable |
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Kat Clay
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Studying Media Arts and Production and International Studies at the University of Technology Sydney, 18-year-old Kat is interested in youth development activities and would like to see media programs developed for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Kat has also identified a need for greater educational opportunities for young people in outer-suburban and rural areas. She has been involved in a range of activities in the community, including volunteer work, debating and Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and is a champion fencer. View Report (150KB) |
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Rachel Hillman
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19-year-old Rachel, who is employed full-time as an administration assistant, is interested in drug abuse prevention and treatment and supporting transitions to independence. Having participated in Youth Off the Streets long-term residential programs, Rachel would like to see more programs helping young people make the transition to independence from residential care. Rachel has assisted in drug awareness programs, has been involved with a number of youth leadership programs and represented Youth Off the Streets at a Youth Conference in the USA. View Report (56KB) |
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Ainsley Gilkes
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Ainsley, 21, is running her second business, Fresh Communique. She is active in the youth enterprise development sector, consulting to both community organisations and corporations about the needs of young business and social entrepreneurs. Last year, Ainsley was selected as a delegate to the APEC Young Leaders and Entrepreneurs Forum in Mexico. She is now a Director of the Enterprise Network for Young Australians. Ainsley is aware of the many challenges faced by young leaders and young entrepreneurs and is passionate about addressing their needs. View Report (322KB) |
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Anthony Ormond
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Anthony, 16, is an Indigenous student at Alice Springs High School, where he has been a member of its Student Council for four years, and the school facilitator for the Kids Help Line. In 2002, he was invited to become a member of the Chief Minister’s Roundtable for Young Territorians. View Report (77KB) |
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Jessica Mouthaan
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At 24, Jessica is a full-time youth and education services co-ordinator for the Australian Red Cross in Darwin. Assisting in the co-ordination of a range of youth services, including the SHAK youth drop-in centre, has given her an insight into the challenges faced by young people in the Northern Territory and as the carer for her older sister, Jessica is committed to living in the Territory and further building local networks. During her time on the Roundtable, Jessica is interested in looking at how young people with mental health issues access independent living in Darwin. View Report (258KB) |
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Vicki Schultz
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Vicki is a 23-year-old from Darwin, who currently works as a human resource officer with the NT Department of Corporate and Information Services. She is the Secretary of the NT Foundation for Young Australians Youth Grant Makers Committee and was the Chair of the Chief Minister’s Roundtable of Young Territorians in 2001. Vicki has been actively involved in National Youth Week (NYW) events for several years and was on the NYW Steering Committee for 2002. She has been on the judging panel for several awards, including the Chief Minister’s Tribute to Territory Women Awards in 2003 and the Young Australian of the Year Awards (NT) 2002. View Report (69KB) |
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Peter Darch
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17-year-old Peter was a keen sportsman, umpire and coach until he suffered an accident in January 2002 that left him quadriplegic. With help from his local community he is working towards new goals, such as starting a combined disabled and able-bodied football team. Peter has found that many disabled people find it difficult to have their views heard and is keen to pursue this during his time on the Roundtable. View Report (43KB) |
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Daniel Hunt
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Daniel is a 19-year-old from a remote community. He has seen the effects of diabetes and renal failure on his family and community; and this has led to him studying at the University of Western Australia with a view to a career in medicine. He is also a volunteer for Djooraminda, a respite program for young Indigenous children in foster care, and is an organiser with the Western Australia Student Aboriginal Corporation. View Report- PDF (417KB) |
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An Vo
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An, 24, is a prominent young leader in the Vietnamese community in WA, and has degrees in economics and law. Through his ongoing volunteer work as a tutor and committee member, he has identified cultural identity as a significant issue for Australian-born children of the migrant generation of Vietnamese. An is interested in exploring this issue on the Roundtable. View Report (86KB) |
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Naomi Godden
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Naomi, 18, completed Year 12 last year and was awarded the inaugural Augusta-Margaret River Shire Student Bursary and is now working to review and develop the Shire’s community programs for young people. Having been a member of the Shire’s Youth Advisory Committee for three years and a participant in many community activities and forums, Naomi is concerned about the difficulties and lack of opportunities faced by rural youth. View Report (25KB) View Project 1 (93KB) View Project 2 (132KB) |
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Ben Whitehouse
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21-year-old Ben is studying for a degree in social work at Curtin University. He has been involved in charity work for many years, including for the Sisters of Mercy Soup Kitchen. He journeyed to India to work in poor houses and missions in Calcutta and Mumbai and found that this experience changed his outlook on life. Having overcome a subsequent period of serious depression, Ben found that problems among disadvantaged young people in his local community are also severe and he is determined to work to improve the situation. View Report (289KB) |
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Rebecca Flood
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Rebecca is a young single mother and at 23, she has overcome many personal difficulties to establish a career in youth work. Now that her daughter is in school, she is working for a youth crisis accommodation centre and completing her degree part-time at Edith Cowan University. Rebecca is keen to share her first-hand experience of working with homeless youth. View Report (373KB) |
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Jordina Rust
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15-year-old Jordina attends Methodist Ladies College where she has been an active member of the SRC. A volunteer for a number of charities, she has also been involved with youth programs such as Reach Youth Victoria and the Boroodara Young Leader Program. Jordina wants to examine the rights of children in relation to
the Family Court during her time as a member View Report (617KB) |
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Keyur Kelkar
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Keyur, 17, is a Year 12 student at Melbourne High School. He is the editor in his local 2 Neighbourhood Watch areas, for which he won the Box Hill sector Best Newsletter award. He was on the inaugural Whitehorse Youth Representative Committee in 2001/2002 as deputy chairperson. He was a patrol leader in Scouts for 2 years, and is involved in the Duke of Edinburgh's award. Keyur is passionate about youth leadership, involvement and empowerment. Recently, he was named the City of Whitehorse 2003 Young Citizen of the Year. View Report (104KB) |
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Andrew Higgs
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Andrew, 20, was a recent envoy by appointment of the Australian Government, to the 15th Ship for World Youth Program. Devoted to the youth movement since his Rotary Exchange abroad, Andrew seeks to gain an appreciation of the concerns underpinning youth in the areas of health and education as an executive on his local youth council. As Prime Minister of the Australian Centenary of Federation National Youth Parliament and a community ambassador for Victoria Youth Week, he has engaged in many areas of youth representation, receiving recognition for his volunteer work with the YMCA and the United Nations. As a naturopathic scholar, Andrew is alarmed at Australia’s emerging generation O (‘O’ for Obesity). He believes that it’s ‘crunch time’. In a fresh bid to curb an expanding nation, he has called for Victorian schools to take the ‘Vitality Crunch Challenge’, pulling the plug on the canteen deep fryer in exchange for healthier alternatives, with a focus on the needs of multicultural pupils. By educating students about the principles of good nutrition and physical education, he hopes to reduce the burden of diet-related illness, disease, disability, and early death in an equitable way across communities. He anticipates to service schools with a breakfast program through the Australian Red Cross as an adjunct to the challenge. View Report- PDF (586KB) |
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Caroline Riseley
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Caroline, 17, attends Bendigo Senior Secondary College. She is an active fundraiser and is involved with a number of organizations. Caroline also writes articles for the youth supplement of the Bendigo Advertiser, ‘Loop’. She has experienced accommodation issues and now lives with her foster family. Caroline is interested in social equality and humanitarian issues with a focus on the homelessness. View Report (59KB) |
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Alice Barnes
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Alice, 19, finished Year 12 at Ballarat Secondary College last year. A member of both the Ballarat City Youth Council and the Ballarat FREEZA Group, Alice has also been a co-ordinator at the STUFFEST Youth Forum and the Youth Week Express Yourself Forum and a participant in the Reversing the Drift Youth Summit. Alice believes that having a positive youth voice is particularly
important in regional areas and is interested in expanding youth
leadership View Report (96KB) |
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Michael Apout
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A refugee from Sudan, Michael had to seek accommodation through youth housing organizations, which has made him keen to look at this issue on the Roundtable. Since settling in Melbourne, Michael has contributed significantly
to the needs of Sudanese youth in the western suburbs as a founding
member of the New Sudan Youth Association of Australia and was View Report (72KB) |
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Meredith Ellis
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17-year-old Meredith attends Westbourne Grammar School. Both Meredith and her twin sister have cerebral palsy and Meredith is interested in the challenges which face a family with dependents. Meredith also wants to look at transitions to independence and how these can be more adequately handled for young people in her situation. She is active in the Cerebral Palsy Support Network and has spoken at a number of functions to raise awareness.Advisory Team member. View Report (215KB) |
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Mary Nasser
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Removed from home at the age of 16, and having spent two years in foster care, Mary, now 19, is interested in how young people can mature and develop independence skills from their carers. She has been accepted into the Lead Tenant Program with the Regional Youth Accommodation Programs in Vicotria and volunteers her time with homeless young women. She looks forward to being a carer herself and wants to pass on her qualities and skills to other young people in need. Mary plans to develop a Code of Practice for foster carers and lead tenant carers. She hopes this will remove the confusion and other factors that may hinder them from becoming carers, and lead to an increased number of placements for young people in need of accommodation. View Report (212KB) |
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Janine Borg
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Janine, 23, works full-time in the Youth Suicide Prevention area of Kilmany Family Care and is a member of the High Risk Adolescent Reference Group, FreeZA, and the South Gippsland/Bass Coast Youth Network. She is interested in young Australians and their health needs with a particular focus on mental health promotion, and suicide prevention and intervention. Janine would also like to see more support for young mothers to ensure greater access to professional health advice and support networks. Janine is a Project Officer for Youth Suicide Prevention and has seen first hand the poor co-ordination and fragmentation of services available to at-risk adolescents. Through her community project, Janine seeks to improve the level of early identification of rural, high-risk adolescents; actively involve youth workers in the provision of health promotion in schools; and provide pathways to connect young people to support services. View Report- PDF (2,139KB) |
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James Stanley
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James is a 16-year-old Indigenous student at Caritas College. James has a strong interest in the arts, and was a founding member of ‘Witchetty Bubs’, a local children’s performance group that performed throughout Port Augusta. In 2002, James was awarded the NAIDOC ‘Indigenous Youth of the Year’ Award for his contributions to his community. More recently, James was selected to participate in the National Aboriginal Summer School for excellence in technology and science. James is interested in promoting awareness about Indigenous issues among the non-Indigenous community. View Report (30KB) |
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Nick Palousis
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Nick is a 22-year-old student at the University of Adelaide, where he is undertaking a Mechatronic Engineering/Mathematical and Computer Science degree. Last year, Nick was one of twelve young Australians selected to participate in the 15th Ship for World Youth Program. Also in 2002, Nick was selected as a member of the Youth Challenge Australia volunteer team to Costa Rica. Nick’s key interests include youth leadership and social and environmental sustainability. View Report (1,460KB) |
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Shay Nichols
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Shay, 20, sits on a student network board in her community and participates in a range of community activities and programs. Shay grew up in rural Australia (the Barossa Valley) and became a mother at the age of 18. From these experiences, Shay has developed an interest in the availability of support services for young parents. It was this interest that prompted her to become involved with Shine SA (Sexual Health, Information, Networking and Education) as a Youth Advisory Team member. View Report (80KB) |
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Annette Wheare
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Annette Wheare, 22, is a full-time Development Officer with the Port Pirie Regional Development Board. Annette holds a Bachelor of Agricultural Business Degree, a Certificate 3 in applied languages (Japanese), a South Australian Certificate of Education and is completing a Certificate 4 in Business Facilitation. In 2002, Annette received the Rotary International ‘Rotary Youth Leadership Award’, after completing, the Rotary Youth Leadership program. Annette is interested in expanding youth leadership and youth enterprise development opportunities for young people. View Report (624KB) |
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Emma Barritt
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Emma is a 21-year-old student at Flinder's University where she is studying for a PhD in History. In 2002, she acted as a Respite Volunteer with Red Cross and in 2001, worked as a Community Support Worker for Elizabeth Family and Youth Services, both in a volunteer and professional capacity. Having grown up on a large sheep grazing property in the Barossa Valley Ranges, Emma is primarily concerned with understanding the barriers facing rural youth in accessing opportunities and resources that are more readily availably to non-rural Australians. View Report (34KB) |
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Corey Pearson
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Corey, 24, is a member of the Sturt Community Programs Unit of the South Australian Police. During his two years with the unit, Corey has been a board member
of the Hallet Youth Project, acted as a Blue Light Camp supervisor,
As a youth officer with the SA Police, he has participated in a number of school programs designed to enhance police/youth relationships. Corey was recently a finalist in the ‘SA Great’ South Australian Youth Ambassador Program and was awarded a Rotary Youth Leadership Award. Corey is interested in comparing the SA Juvenile Justice System against other state and territory systems. View Report (31KB) |
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Jenelle is a 15-year-old Palawa student at Elizabeth College. Jenelle contributes greatly to the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre by participating in activities and events run by the organisation. Jenelle is also very active in her broader community. She has participated in events such as the Putalina (Oyster Cove) Festival, cultural camps, youth activity programs, NAIDOC events and occupation of land events. Jenelle is interested in youth health and youth justice. *Report unavailable |
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John Maynard
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John, 16, is a Palawa student at Claremont College. In 2002, John worked with Elders and Indigenous students at Aboriginal Community Connections and undertook work experience with the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre. John, through experience, has developed views on Aboriginal and foster care issues, which he hopes to expand upon through his experiences with the Roundtable. View Report (33KB) |
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Anamika Sharma
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Anamika is a final year medical student who has a strong commitment to helping out in her local community. She is currently training to be a Lifeline volunteer and participates in Red Cross fundraising activities. She is an active member of the Multicultural Council of Tasmania’s Youth Group and is also a presenter on the local Community and Multicultural Broadcaster’s Inc. radio program. In the near future, she plans to participate in programs that volunteer services of medical personnel in disadvantaged areas of Australia or internationally. She is very interested in primary preventative health issues, specifically tobacco smoking. Although the harmful health effects of tobacco smoking are primarily seen in later life, the habit can be more effectively discouraged or prevented in the youth population. Anamika, in collaboration with representatives of the state Public and Environmental Health Service, plans to investigate the views of local state politicians about current smoking legislation in Tasmania. The results and conclusions based on this study can then be used to help tailor anti-smoking groups’ actions to the needs of policy-makers, with the ultimate aim of producing a smoke-free Tasmania. *Report unavailable |
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James Austin
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James, 17, is studying at James Cook University. He has won awards for his work in business and technology and has started his own Internet development business. James’ work for the Cairns City Council on a city Internet guide and a suicide prevention website have convinced him that the business community can play a greater role in youth development and services, both in and out of educational institutions. View Report (123KB) |
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Rebecca Pole
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19 year-old Rebecca was awarded the Vice Chancellor’s Scholarship to Bond University to study business and communications. She has since been appointed as student co-ordinator for the scholarship scheme and as a mentor for new students in that faculty. Having overcome an eating disorder during her transition to independence, Rebecca is keen to share her experience in the area of young people’s health, and of the benefits of involvement in youth leadership programs. Rebecca is passionate about decreasing the apprehension and stigma surrounding eating disorders and depression. Her project will focus on equipping parents and teachers with skills for dealing effectively with teenagers who suffer from these disorders. Particularly, Rebecca hopes to increase the early detection and professional treatment of these illnesses. View Report- PDF (38KB) |
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Cassie Skelly
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Cassie, 24 has completed her Bachelor of Social Science, specialising in services for young people. On a field placement in New Zealand she developed a youth protocol for a shopping centre to assist with local youth issues, which she has been invited back to evaluate. She is keen to explore working on community development frameworks for young people. View Report (173KB) |
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Lachie Cameron
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Lachie, at 17, has for the last three years been a Young Ambassador for Warwick Shire Council. He is captain of the Scots PGC College and is extensively involved in debating, public speaking and youth forums. Living on a farm, he has a keen interest in the problems facing young people in rural areas. Lachie believes strongly in the value of opportunities such as the National Youth Roundtable for enabling young people to give something back to their communities and sees the active involvement of all young people as crucial for the success of youth based projects. View Report (322KB) |
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Tonya Booth
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Tonya is a 20 year-old Indigenous student of Horticulture from Burketown on the Gulf of Carpentaria. She also works for Pasminco’s Century Mine and has first-hand knowledge of this successful partnership between the mine and Native Title claimants. She has been extremely active in developing and promoting youth activities in the region and their value in assisting young people in remote communities. View Report (33KB) |
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Matthew Eckford
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Matthew, 23, runs his own business, called Rural Industry Connect, which is a market exchange network enabling rural and regional businesses to share information and to source sale stock items. He was awarded the Commonwealth Regional Initiative Award 2002 and the 2002 Telstra Countrywide Rural Young Achiever of the Year. Matthew has a strong interest in the development of future rural leaders. View Report (40KB) |
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Birra Riethmuller
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18-year-old Birra was Darling Downs Young Achiever of the Year in 2001, was a Centenary of Federation Youth Envoy and Toowoomba City Council Youth Councillor. After a busy six months in 2003, including a move to Adelaide, Birra is now settled back in Toowoomba, mainly focussing on her work with the drug and alcohol free Eidecan Youth Music Festival. Birra is a true believer in 'youth for youth' projects, and is especially concerned with youth mental health issues. Birra would like to research the effectiveness of peer counsellor training held in Queensland secondary schools. In consultation with Kid's Help Line, and their research results regarding peer counselling, Birra plans to create a written model of Secondary School Peer Counselling Groups that schools can use as a tool to set up their own group after peer counsellor training. View Report- PDF (361KB) |
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Alice Chang
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Alice, at 22, is studying medicine in Townsville, Queensland. She won the 2001 John Flynn Rural Health Scholarship and her long interest in health issues for young people has seen her working as a volunteer for the Townsville Aboriginal Health Service, the Queensland Drug Summit, for the Red Cross at Princess Alexander Hospital and as a Community Sexual Health Educator for Queensland Health. Alice is the 2003 Young Queenslander of the Year. Alice's project is to examine the current and re-occurring health needs of young people in Townsville, with the goal of starting up a youth clinic. She has successfully co-ordinated various youth services and Government agencies to provide support and information, in the form of a health services flyer, to households in her community. As a first step towards her holistic youth health service, Alice has started a popular Alcohol Overdose First Aid workshop at her university, where she is looking towards targeting senior high school students for schoolies next. View Report- PDF (54KB) |
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Kathleen McCoy
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Kathleen McCoy is a 19-year-old student at the Australian National University, where she is undertaking a combined Arts/law degree. Kathleen is originally from Walcha, a regional town located in the Northern Tablelands of NSW. Kathleen was awarded the Walcha Young Citizen of the Year Award in 2001 for her contribution to the life of the Walcha community. In 2001, Kathleen was a Rotary Youth Exchange student in France and is now interested in looking at education in rural and regional areas. View Report (46KB) |
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*For health and other reasons, some members have not produced a community project report.