Creative Industries Youth Advisory Group

Alya is in her final year of high school in Perth, Western Australia and lives on Whajak Nungar land. She loves performing in musicals, drama productions and choir performances.

The creative industries are a powerful avenue for expression - a powerful tool that can be used to overcome social issues. Alya is dedicated to breaking accessibility barriers in the artistic sectors to empower marginal groups by allowing all people to have access to expression. She will focus on breaking these barriers through collaboration with businesses to develop new platforms for youth of all backgrounds. Through this, Alya hopes to drive change through allowing youth to find their voice and identity through the arts.

Aurielle is a proud descendant of the Kamilaroi people of Northwest New South Wales and lives on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. She was a member of the 2023 Youth Advisory Board for the Australian Theatre for Young People, a member of the Aboriginal Affairs committee of the 2023 Y NSW Youth Parliament a member of the Northern Beaches Council Live and Local working group to improve outcomes for live music and also sits on the Y NSW First Nations reference group.

She was the 2024 recipient of the Nangai Mai awards for outstanding commitment to Performing Arts for NSW. Aurielle has been an active member in the community as a surf lifesaver volunteer at Bilgola Surf Life Saving Club and she is the school Prefect leader for Inclusion and Diversity.

Having consulted on several projects already Aurielle has a clear vision for improving the career pathways for young performing artists, especially First Nations artists and artists with Disability.

Charlie is a creative producer with seven years of experience in the performing arts and music industry. He has contributed to projects including concerts (Splendour in the Grass, Mullumbimby Music Festival), circus (Spaghetti Circus, National Circus Festival) cabaret (Brunswick Picture House), comedy (Token), and album campaigns (Space44, Upper90, Loose Content).

Charlie aims to amplify the voices of young creatives, particularly from regional and marginalised backgrounds.  His goal is to champion inclusivity, advocate for diverse perspectives, and contribute to the development of policies that empower and support the next generation of creative practitioners.

Lucas is a student currently preparing to commence his first year of tertiary studies in the fields of both Arts and Sciences. With a background in both visual and performing arts, engaging in local gigs, workshops and community theatre productions. He strongly believes in the importance of creating strong community and peer support systems within rural and regional arts spaces.

As a proud member of the LGBTIQ+ community, Lucas’ goal is to promote diversity and accessibility to create safe, collaborative spaces wherein the voices of queer youth can be amplified and expressed in a way that will promote active and meaningful change. This is Lucas’ first step into leadership, he looks forward to engaging with programs and policy regarding the creative industries and discovering what opportunities lie ahead.

Max (she/they) is a young creative from Broken Hill, undertaking their HSC this year. They are passionate about having more access and representation for regional young people in the arts, being fortunate enough to come from such a rich artistic community themselves. Improving arts education is also a priority for them.

Max is stoked to be part of this advisory group for a second term and can't wait to see where this year takes them.

Michaela is from Brisbane, Queensland and is entering her first year of a politics, philosophy and economics degree. Passionate about improving access to arts education through public policy, Michaela brings her educational experience in the hopes of making the arts accessible for all young people.

She is grateful to be continuing on the committee for 2025 and brings her love for public policy to the group.  Outside of advocacy, Michaela loves all things books, theatre and politics!

Residing from Adelaide, Nicola suffered a stroke in late 2018 which has led to seemingly lifelong disability. Despite this, she’s persevered, even getting a Diploma from Flinders University in Media Arts.  Nicola has used her talent for editing and her passion to help others in a variety of unique ways, including speaking at stroke meetings and making a documentary about her stroke.

She hopes that she can instil and encourage other young people who have suffered brain injury and help them further their ambitions.

Nyarath passionately empowers emerging artists from culturally and linguistically diverse communities helping them to overcome barriers in Australia's creative landscape. Having personally experienced the absence of representation, she advocates for equity and diversity in the arts.

Residing on the lands of the Boonwurrong and Wurundjeri people in Melbourne's Southeast, Nyarath hopes to amplify the region's diversity within the broader creative context of Australia. Working alongside the Office for Youth, she aims to bring a nuance to the implementation of the National Cultural Policy so that it empowers and resonates with all young Australian creatives.

Reede is a proud Trawlwoolway man from Launceston Tasmania, he is a passionate youth advocate/ambassador with a strong interest in providing young people from all across our nation with a voice in change-making.

Within this group, Reede aims to assist young people in regional and rural areas to receive better arts education and support for arts-based careers. Reede has a background in Mental Health and First Nations advocacy and wants to continue to advocate for young people in these communities in the arts sector.