Hills Shire Youth Ambassadors announced

Mayor Byrne pictured with the new Hills Shire Youth Ambassadors Munira and Rory.JPG

Julie Charlton, Rory O’Connor and Munira Tabassum Ahmed have been announced as this year’s Sydney Hills Youth Ambassadors.

Sydney Hills Youth Ambassadors play an important role in representing young people in The Hills Shire. This representation includes participation in local youth activities, community events, Council functions and in the Hills Youth Army.

During their term, Youth Ambassadors may also be asked to sit on local youth advisory committees, attend Hills youth service networks or other relevant interagency meetings or represent young people at functions and events throughout The Hills in a ceremonial capacity.

Mayor of The Hills Shire, Dr Michelle Byrne welcomed the new ambassadors to The Hills Shire Council team.

“We’ve decided on three amazing young people with different interests and talents to take on the role,” Mayor Byrne said.

“Each brings something new to the table, as well as a strong focus on ensuring young people remain connected and engaged in their local community.

“This is going to be a really exciting year and I’m looking forward to working with Munira, Rory and Julie for the betterment of the region,” Mayor Byrne added.

Mayor Byrne also thanked the outgoing Youth Ambassadors Hayley Irving and Anthony Radic for their dedication to the role.

“Hayley and Anthony have done a terrific job, especially at a time when we were made to remain apart to protect the community from the further spread of COVID-19. The pandemic brought its challenges, but these two individuals worked really hard to ensure their fellow peers remained in high spirits.

“Some of their highlights included working on a mental health social media video series which provided tips to keep positive throughout lockdown. Another was their time in engaging young people to join them in a team Clean Up Australia Day event at Bella Vista Farm. The group picked up 30 kilograms of rubbish.

“I’ve enjoyed working with Hayley and Anthony and I hope they will be able to use what they’ve learnt during their term in their future endeavours,” Mayor Byrne added.

She also thanked this year’s finalists Ziaa Zorabi, Angelina Martin, Grace Ho, Thomas Sahlieh, Aanya Takkar, Alessandra Campagna and Sabrina Du.

“It’s really encouraging to see so many young people in the Hills interested in our community and wanting to get involved,” Mayor Byrne said.

“All our finalists have such admirable passions for social issues and I encourage them to continue to expand on them,” she added.

More about our Sydney Hills Youth Ambassadors:

Munira Tabassum Ahmed

Munira is a talented writer and performer. Her work has been featured in the Australian Poetry Journal, Emerging Writers and Runway Journal. She’s also received praise for her performance work by Bankstown Poetry Slam and Westside. Munira is passionate about the arts, mental health and wellbeing. In her new role as Youth Ambassador, Munira hopes to connect with and improve the wellbeing of young people through the arts.

Rory O’Connor

Rory has lived in the Hills his entire life. He has attended school here, his parish is based here and he has played competitive sports here. Rory is currently completing a media and economics degree at Macquarie University. On top of his studies, he is invested in giving back to the Hills and has participated in volunteering programs, such as Bushcare. Rory hopes to continue to serve his community in his new role as Youth Ambassador.

Julie Charlton

Julie is a passionate advocate for people with disability. She has travelled throughout NSW to talk extensively about people with disability and the issues that they face. She has also been the chairperson at the Youth Advisory Council and is an athletics coach. In her new role as Youth Ambassador, Julie hopes to give back to her local community and make a better world for her fellow peers.

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