Five young and inspiring Territorians have been appointed ambassadors for this year’s NT Youth Week.
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Leading the way for youth in the Katherine, Victoria and West Daly region is driven 18-year-old Leah Sharp.
Working on the the NT Youth Round Table last year and being heavily involved in youth events, it’s no surprise Leah has been appointed this position.
“Working on the Round Table was fantastic and having reps from across the NT gave it a really broad spectrum,” she said.
“Basically you have the opportunity to speak with members of government, the Chief Minister and NGO’s about what’s important to young people.
“Because all decisions made in parliament make a huge difference to young people.”
Leah first heard about her appointment as Youth Ambassador at Katherine High where she works as a tutor.
“I was so happy because it’s something I really wanted.
“My parents are very proud, but sad not to be here to follow my journey.
“My whole family is very supportive of the youth work that I do,” Leah said.
However, Leah’s journey to becoming a youth ambassador has been no walk in the park.
Leah moved to Katherine 4 years ago when Army dad, Iain Taylor was posted at Tindal’s RAAF base, but had to convince her parents to stay, alone, to finish school when he was moved to Townsville.
“I wanted to keep in touch with school and stay on the round table.
“I think it’s important to have a strong support system at school,” she said.
NT Youth Week is an invaluable opportunity for young people to have conversations about pressing issues, as well as an avenue for expressing ideas.
The NT Government said that it is investing in children and young people as our leaders of tomorrow.
“Young people play a significant role in shaping the Territory and creating vibrant communities,” Minister for Territory Families Dale Wakefield said.
“NT Youth Week recognises and celebrates the positive contributions that young people make and it’s important the voices of young people are heard.
“The five ambassadors this year are role models and were selected because of their passion for the well being and development of young Territorians, as well as their connection to their communities,” he said.
Leah said she is dedicated to being a voice for her peers and a support system to anyone who needs it.
In a bid to bring young Territorians together Leah and past Round Table members have formed the NT Youth Leadership Forum for young people which provides a platform to create projects and become leaders.
“What I have right now is invaluable,” she said.
“There is so much stuff going on for young people.”
Leah is big on change, and working in schools is the perfect place to combat what she thinks are the forefront issues affecting youths.
“The two main issues I see at work (school) are truancy and their mindset about going to school.”
“Kids want two-way respect with teachers and a safe space to talk about issues.”
“I’d like to see more tolerance taught in school. I believe if young people were taught about other cultures there’d be less animosity,” she said.
As for Katherine, Leah would like to point the focus on young indigenous health issues, saying that it’s overlooked.
“We want everyone to be healthy and that’s not happening at the moment for many reasons,” she said.
But she is doing something about it.
“I’m going to uni next year in South Australia for medicine,” Leah said.
“I want to come back to the NT to work in tropical medicine and get as much experience as possible”.
Along with Leah sharp, this years Youth Ambassadors are:
· Ineke Wallis, 23 for the East/ West Arnhem Region
· Dunstan Weetra, 23, for the Roper Gulf Region
· Chelsea Hamilton, 17, for the Central Australia Region
· Gabby Yengbie, 17, for the Darwin, Palmerston and Rural Area
· Leah Sharp, 18, for the Katherine, Victoria and West Daly region
The five ambassadors will have the opportunity to attend events and activities across the NT, engage with the media and are the faces of the NT Youth Week in their region.