- Fatima Merchant, Nathida Chalermsuk, Samuel Thomas and Izabella Brandis announced as Youth Week WA Ambassadors for 2024
- Youth Week Ambassadors are appointed to be a voice for young people and play a key role in planning Youth Week
- Youth Week WA 2024 will run from 5 to 12 April
Youth Minister Simone McGurk today announced that Fatima Merchant, Nathida Chalermsuk, Samuel Thomas and Izabella Brandis will be the Youth Week WA Ambassadors for 2024.
The Youth Ambassadors will represent young people in Western Australia and play an important role on the Youth Week Planning Committee, which is coordinated by Propel Youth Arts Inc.
Fatima Merchant is 19-years-old and undertaking a Bachelor of Arts while interning at UWA's Public Policy Institute. Fatima is a member of the Amnesty International Australia Youth Advisory Group, UN Youth Australia and is a facilitator at the WA Debating League. Fatima won the 2021 WA Lions Youth of the Year for public speaking; the 2021 Mercie Whellan Women+Wellbeing Youth Category, and she also received the 2021 Commissioner for Children and Young People Participate Award.
Nathida Chalermsuk is 22-years-old and studying a Bachelor of Psychology while working as a disability support worker. Nathida was vice president of Association Internationale des tudiants en Sciences conomiques et Commerciales at Curtin University where she launched a new initiative, Youth United, a program that facilitates cross-cultural understanding amongst young people in Australia.
Samuel Thomas is 19-years-old and established Sam's Spares, a not for profit that saves unwanted e-waste from landfill. Sam repairs and refurbishes computers, laptops, mobile phones, gaming systems and other electronics before gifting them to community members in need. Sam also works as a support worker and he strives to overthrow the stigmas and limitations put upon his Neurodivergent community. He was the winner of the 2023 Young Volunteer of the Year award.
Izabella Brandis is 18-years-old and lives in Kulin. She is the community development officer at the Shire of Kulin, the vice president of the Kulin Netball Club, a coordinator of the Kulin Bush Races Committee, and a member of the Cultivating Kulin Committee. Izabella was successful in securing a Youth Week WA 2023 grant that enabled her to hold workshops for young people in the community where they were invited to come along and create artwork expressing 'What makes Kulin special to you?'.
For more information, visit: https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-communities/youth-week-wa
As stated by Youth Minister Simone McGurk:
"Congratulations to Fatima, Nathida, Sam and Izabella. I look forward to seeing the innovative and exciting programs they will help create to get more young people involved in Youth Week.
"The WA Youth Ambassador role is a great program for young people to develop their leadership skills and highlight the issues that are important to young people across the State.
"The Youth Ambassadors will have an important opportunity to encourage other young people to share their ideas and views and to be involved in the planning and delivery of Youth Week in Western Australia."
