It was so great to be back for my third Inspiring Australians Student Summit, joining more than 500 students from across southern Adelaide and the Fleurieu Peninsula to share my story of founding the South Australian Youth Forum. I spoke about my experience of starting SAYF at 17 and how leadership isn’t something that only belongs to people with a particular title, position or level of experience. I really wanted to share the idea that leadership exists in all of us, and tha

It was a privilege to join the 2026 Young Citizens Leadership Forum as a panellist, alongside more than 80 young leaders from communities across South Australia. I spoke about what it means to be an adaptive leader as a young person, particularly in a world that is constantly changing. For me, leadership is about being willing to pivot, rethink and change direction when circumstances shift, while staying grounded in the values that guide you (I am still learning all of this a

It was great to be part of ReachOut Australia’s ‘All In’ day for staff, joining a panel alongside fellow young people to explore what meaningful collaboration actually looks like in practice. I spoke about, when it comes to collaboration, the importance of young people being active partners and the need for organisations to invest the time, resources and support required to make that partnership meaningful. We also explored how the physical environments in which co-design tak

It was great to present alongside my co-lead from ReachOut Australia at the Mental Health Services Conference in Sydney, reflecting on the process that led to the development of our youth participation framework. Rather than focusing solely on the framework itself, our presentation explored what we learned along the way and the values we identified as essential to building meaningful partnerships between young people and organisations. We spoke about what it looks like to wor

It was great to present an educational workshop to the Wattle Range Youth Advisory Group focused on public speaking and using young people’s voices to influence local council decision-making. Drawing on a deputation template I developed in 2022, the session explored what a deputation is, how young people can effectively present their ideas to council, and how public speaking can be used as a tool for youth advocacy. It was particularly exciting to hear that the Youth Advisory

It was an honour to deliver a speech at the Diana Ramsay 100 Year Centenary at the Art Gallery of South Australia, hosted by the Diana and James Ramsay Foundation. I spoke about the powerful role that philanthropy can play in turning big ideas into meaningful change, particularly when it comes to supporting initiatives that strengthen and empower communities. It was also an opportunity to recognise the incredible contribution of the Diana and James Ramsay Foundation, includin

I was invited back for a second Inspiring Australians Student Summit, this time joining history-making astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg and Dr Karl as one of three keynote speakers. Over 600 students from nine visiting schools came together for a morning built around curiosity, resilience, and dreaming boldly. I brought the youth voice and community leadership lens to a lineup of genuinely extraordinary Australians, speaking to what it means to build something from the ground

I was invited to deliver a keynote at the Official Dinner of the 31st National Schools Constitutional Convention, held at the National Press Club in Canberra. I spoke to 120 students from across every school sector in Australia about what youth voice in democracy actually looks like when you take it seriously. I was invited specifically as the 2025 SA Young Australian of the Year and for my work building SAYF. What made it even more meaningful was that I had been an NSCC dele

I served as MC across ReachOut Australia's Youth Advocates and Ambassadors Workshop at ReachOut's Sydney office. The workshop brought together ReachOut's cohort of young advocates and ambassadors to connect, reflect, and explore what is next for their work. Holding a room requires something different from a keynote. It is about reading energy, creating safety, moving things forward without forcing them, and making sure everyone in the room feels like they belong there.

This was the second episode in a two-part series with host Nadia Rossi, Dr Ben Lohmeyer, and me. We continued sharing findings from our co-designed study on loneliness in young people and its relationship to bullying, discussing what the research means for young people's wellbeing and what families, schools, and practitioners can actually do about it. The conversation covered how schools can create safe spaces, what young people said would help them when experiencing loneline

I was invited to serve as an independent grant assessor for the James and Diana Ramsay Foundation's 2026 grant round for young people. The Foundation's mission in the youth sector is to support programs that promote wellbeing, resilience, and the opportunity for young people to thrive. My role was to assess applications and provide a shortlist of recommendations to the board for final funding approval.

I developed and facilitated a workshop for the young people of Wattle Range to identify the local changes they wanted to see in their community. At the end of the process, I supported them to present their ideas directly to the Mayor and local councillors to push for real action.

I was invited by the OECD to participate in a focus group interview with an international delegation of senior public officials and experts from the OECD Open Government Unit. The interview forms part of the 2025 to 2026 Country Review on Strengthening Civic Space to Support Citizen Participation in Australia. The delegation visited Adelaide and I was asked to share my perspective based on my leadership roles and contributions to civic youth programs. Being identified as some

During National Child Protection Week, I joined SA Australian of the Year Professor Leah Bromfield and Senior of the Year Charlie Jackson OAM on stage to present a Call for Change in protecting children. SAYF members delivered speeches highlighting stories of resilience, justice, and the urgent need for community-led reform in how we think about child safety. Bringing young people onto that stage to speak in their own words about what reform needs to look like was incredibly

Over 400 students heard from Sam Bloom, World Para Surfing champion and author, His Excellency Dr Richard Harris SC OAM, Governor's Deputy and Thai cave rescue diver, and me as the 2025 SA Young Australian of the Year. Together we shared lessons on resilience, trust, teamwork, and the power of youth voice. I spoke to students about using their voices for change and what genuine community leadership looks like at any age. Photo credit: Andrew Beveridge

South Australia's inaugural Active Citizenship Convention was a landmark three-day event at Adelaide Oval, bringing together nearly 1,000 Year 10 students from across the state. I delivered the keynote across all three days, opening conversations about leadership, participation, and what it genuinely means to show up for your community as a young person. The event featured democratic simulations, mock ballots, and AI-related media panels run by the Electoral Commission. I bro

I was invited to join a panel discussion hosted by Ending Loneliness Together exploring the WHO Commission on Social Connection's landmark report on loneliness and its global significance. I contributed as a youth practitioner working directly in the loneliness and social connection space, bringing the lived experience and community-led perspective to an otherwise predominantly academic and government conversation.

Since July 2025, I have been serving as Co-Lead for ReachOut Australia in the development of the organisation's first-ever Youth Engagement Framework. ReachOut is one of Australia's largest national mental health support services, and this framework marks a real milestone, bringing together all areas of the organisation around a shared set of principles for safe, meaningful, and impactful youth engagement. My role centres on listening. Bringing together diverse voices, from s

Alongside a fellow SAYF member, I represented SAYF as one of the only young people in the room, advocating for youth-informed strategies on mental health, domestic violence education, and community safety. Our contributions were personally recognised by Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier, which reinforced something I believe deeply: when young people are given a real seat at the table and prepared to use it well, the people in the room notice.

I was invited by the ACCC to participate as a panellist at the 2025 National Consumer Congress in Melbourne, the ACCC's flagship annual event. The overarching theme was declining consumer trust, framed around the question of how to regulate in an environment where trust is eroding. I contributed to the session on young adults and digital markets, bringing the youth perspective to one of Australia's most significant consumer policy forums. Photo credit: ACCC