Fatima Merchant, Nathida Chalermsuk, Samuel Thomas and Izabella Brandis will represent young people in Western Australia as part of the Youth Week Planning Committee that plans a range of Youth Week WA activities, coordinated by Propel Youth Arts Inc.
Fatima 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 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 Étudiants en Sciences Économiques et Commerciales at Curtin University where she launched a new initiative, Youth United, a program which facilitates cross-cultural understanding amongst young people in Australia.
Sam 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 and gifts 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 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?’
As WA Youth Ambassadors, Fatima, Nathida, Sam and Izabella will have the opportunity to develop their leadership skills and highlight the issues that are important to young people across the State.
More information
- See Minister for Youth Hon. Simone McGurk's full media statement.
- For more information, visit our Youth Week WA page.
