Working partner: National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA)
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About
The First Nations Youth Advisory Group provides advice to the NIAA on the development of the Early Years Education Capacity and Innovation Fund (the Fund).
Advisory group members will take part in a series of meetings with the NIAA. They will have a role in designing the fund, including the types of activities that will be eligible.
Members
Noah (he/him)
17 years old, from New South Wales
Noah has been the NSW Youth Parliament Member for Pittwater and also served as the Youth Minister for Aboriginal Affairs in 2022. Noah received the Youth Parliamentarian of the Year award and most recently was awarded Northern Beaches Council Young Citizen of the Year 2023. He is active in his community, a recipient of Bilgola Surf Life Saving Club chairman’s award, member of the Northern Beaches Council’s Youth Advisory Group and the Student Representative Council at school. His passion is to facilitate enhanced learning about Aboriginal culture, creating a level of awareness to close the gap and make our youth voices to be heard.
Sienna (she/her)
16 years old, from Queensland
Sienna is a proud Kuku Yalanji and Waanyi woman and is passionate about the Closing the Gap of Indigenous disadvantage. She is particularly invested in closing the gap in education between First Nations and non-First Nations Australians as she believes education is a direct pathway to closing gaps in other socio-economic areas. Sienna looks forward to working with likeminded individuals in the Youth Advisory Group and hopes that together they help create progress in closing the gap on education for First Nations Australians now and for future generations.
Shanaya (she/her)
17 years old, from Northern Territory
Shanaya McAdam-Bray is a proud Arrente and Pitjantjatjara young woman from central Australia. As part of the Youth Advisory Group, she hopes to make change not only for her generation but all generations to come. Additionally, she hopes to influence the way youth view education and to show and that it’s not an obligation but an opportunity to achieve amazing things. Shanaya is looking forward to having interesting conversations, learning and sharing with other youth from Australia and being part of positive change for the benefits of education for our future generation.
Georgie (she/her)
19 years old, from South Australia
Georgie is 19 years old and recently moved from Canberra to Adelaide to play in the South Australian Netball Football League Competition. Outside of sport, Georgie is studying a Bachelor of Social Work. In the future, she really wants to work with young people, and in particular her First Nations community. Georgie is also interested in social policy and advocacy work. What she hopes to achieve from being in the Youth Advisory Group is to gain experience in a working group of people who produce plans and strategies to bring forth impactful programs that address the needs of Aboriginal children in education.
Rhea (she/her)
21 years old, from Queensland
Rhea is a young Torres Strait Islander from the Ait Koedal clan of Thursday and Saibai Island. Rhea is an emerging social worker and youth advocate for First Nations rights. She hopes to inspire by being an agent of change through the process of decolonisation. Rhea hopes to provide an intergenerational, trauma-informed and culturally responsive approach to the upcoming design and implementation plan dedicated to First Nations community development.
Victory (he/him)
24 years old, from Victoria
Victory is a proud Dharug and Kamiliroi man, who grew up on Dhudhuroa, Waveroo, Wiradjuri Country along the border of Victoria and New South Wales. He currently works in the community services space and has done so for the past 4 years. Victory hopes that, along with the other mob selected, he can lend his voice and provide a culturally specific lens on how to best support the next generation of First Nation young people in achieving the best learning outcomes they can.
Jonathon (he/him)
22 years old, from Western Australia
Johnny is passionate about his Aboriginal Culture, an avid sports fan with a key interest in Athletics, Basketball and AFL and he is dedicated to improving the education of vulnerable youth. Johnny is connected to his Aboriginal Culture and has been performing Aboriginal Dance and Didgeridoo since a young age. He was born in Geraldton, grew up in Perth where he did all his early years of schooling then moved back to Geraldton where he completed High School. Upon completion of grade 12, Johnny has been successfully self-employed by running a cultural business.