Mental Health Youth Advisory Group

Alexander is a proud Wiradjuri man who grew up on, and continues to live on, the Central Coast of New South Wales. He is currently in his penultimate year of a Bachelor of Laws.

Alex has a strong interest in the relationship between social media and mental health, with a particular focus on how online spaces shape the wellbeing, identity and body image of young men.  
He brings lived and volunteer experience working closely with young people, including mentoring and coaching. In the past he has developed and supported school-based body image initiatives. In his spare time, Alex enjoys reading, strength training, and spending time with his cat, Herbert.

Amelia is a 17-year-old from the Northern Territory, an alumni of the NT Youth Round Table, school captain, and a Youth Ambassador for headspace.

Her lived experience as a young person, particularly in remote communities, has shaped her understanding of the challenges youth face and inspired her commitment to advocacy. She fights across multiple spaces—community, education, and health services—recognising how these interconnected areas directly impact mental health and wellbeing.

Bringing over three years of youth advocacy experience, Amelia continuously works to ensure young people’s voices are heard and respected in decision-making spaces.

Her passions include teaching and exploring self-love, volunteering, crafts, and video gaming.

Atticus hopes to use his experience as a young, queer man from North-West Tasmania to advocate for those who are underrepresented and go without proper support.

He believes that every young person deserves to grow up in a safe, inclusive and supportive community, and hopes to apply his own lived experience in tandem with those of his peers to work towards this goal. He is particularly passionate about the space of men’s mental health and how education may be used to break cultural stigmas and improve health literacy.

Atticus is eager to work alongside other driven young people to provide dynamic insight on an area he is deeply passionate about; mental health.

Aysha is a law and international relations student at Monash University with experience across community and not-for-profit spaces, including projects at the Australian Multicultural Foundation.

Through leadership roles and public speaking, Aysha is interested in how young people can meaningfully contribute to policy conversations, particularly in areas like mental health where youth voices are often underrepresented. She values approaches that bring lived experience and evidence together in shaping effective systems.

As a Pakistani-Australian, Aysha is aware of how cultural context can influence conversations around mental health, while remaining focused on solutions that support all young people. She hopes the Mental Health Youth Advisory Group will be a space for thoughtful collaboration and honest perspectives on issues affecting young people nationally.

Outside of her studies, she enjoys cooking, reading, and creative design projects.

Catherine lives on Whadjuk Noongar land in Perth, Western Australia. She is a recent school graduate preparing for further study in health, neuroscience, and philosophy.

Catherine has been involved with Zero2Hero, a WA-based charity that educates and empowers young people to improve mental wellbeing, prevent suicide, and reduce stigma surrounding mental health. She was selected for Zero2Hero’s Camp Hero Leadership program, where she undertook youth leadership training and suicide prevention education through safeTALK.

She has also participated in programs such as Mock Trials, Curtin University’s Rising Scholars Program, and Tournament of Minds, where she represented WA alongside her five incredible teammates, developing creative solutions to complex, open-ended problems which further nurtured her passion for teamwork and problem-solving.

Catherine is passionate about supporting the mental health and wellbeing of young Australians and empowering youth to build resilience, collaborate and create positive change in their communities.

Grace is a South African–born Kenyan who moved to Australia in 2008. She recently completed a Bachelor of Business (International Business) at RMIT and lives in Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs.

She serves as a Committee Member of the Western Young People’s Independent Network (WYPIN) and a Community Capacity Building Practitioner with Shooters Shoot. In these roles, she champions youth mental health by designing safe, stigma-free spaces, facilitating journalling and wellbeing activities, and linking young people to appropriate supports.

Grace co-organised the Harmony Youth Summit, creating youth-led spaces for more than 300 students, and helped deliver a two-day community basketball tournament that welcomed over 1,000 attendees, coordinating vendors, volunteers, and program schedules.

Within this advisory group, Grace aims to amplify multicultural youth voices and co-design practical, culturally safe solutions that improve access to mental health care, education, and opportunities for meaningful participation.

Hiba is passionate about mental health and is studying a Bachelor of Psychology. She is also volunteering for Lifeline as a Digital Crisis Supporter. As a member of the Mental Health Youth Advisory Group, she hopes to emphasise young people’s perspectives on mental health.

In the future, she hopes to work in the mental health field. She hopes to provide empathetic support to people going through challenging times.

Hiba is also interested in reading and writing. She is studying a Bachelor of Arts in combination with her psychology degree to fuel this interest. She majors in creative writing.

Mila-Kate is a Gomeroi Youth Advisor and Year 11 student. She has been an active member of several youth advisory groups. As a performing artist, Mila has been a core member of the First Nations Advisory Group to the NSW Department of Education Arts Unit and played a strong role in her school's SRC. Mila was recently accepted to attend ANU National Indigenous summer school and Mila has also been a long standing member of her local surf life saving club. Mila hopes to make a difference for young people, especially young First Nations people all across Australia.

Riley has extensive lived experience within the NSW mental health system following a complex childhood. There was a time when they felt completely overwhelmed and hopeless, but discovering advocacy gave them purpose. They realised they weren’t just fighting for themself, but for others around them who needed a voice.

Riley’s journey has not been easy, and they have had to work hard for everything they have today. That experience drives their commitment to making other people’s journeys even a little easier. 

They are passionate about amplifying the voices of those who feel unable to advocate for themselves — those currently struggling, those who were not adequately supported, and those who will need help in the future.

Riley believes that by working together, we can reduce stigma, improve systems, and help ensure that every young person has access to the mental health support they deserve.

Samuel is a high school student from the Far North region of Queensland. His growing involvement in community service and leadership led him to apply for a place on the 2026 Youth Advisory Groups.

As a newly elected Cairns Youth Councillor and a Youth Member in the 2026 Queensland Youth Parliament, he hopes to bring the perspectives of regional-young people from Far North Queensland into discussions that directly affect their lives.

Samuel is also passionate about giving more young people the chance to step into leadership and make a real difference in their communities. He hopes to bring that focus to the 2026 Mental Health Youth Advisory Group.