Youth stories
Wesley Stubbings
Hi, I am 23 years of age and I live in Townsville, the place I love and call home because it's where I was born and raised. I am of Aboriginal descent from my father's side and he originates from the Gundungurra and Darug people in the Mountains, Katoomba NSW.
For a little over five years I have been actively involved in the community and surrounding areas of Townsville, including Ayr, Charters Towers and Palm Island. I have a passion for working with Indigenous youth giving them guidance, support and principles which enable them to become leaders to their family and peers. My current paid employment is with the homeless shelter run by the Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Health Service.
My volunteering is founded in a local church organisation called International Indigenous Flame Ministries. Since committing to volunteering in 2006, I have achieved a lot. I have developed leadership skills which have taken me to a few nations of the world as a keynote speaker at various conferences and these opportunities arose out of friendships I made with certain leaders of those countries.
I am the youth leader in the church and have pioneered a lot of things in our region. For example, one major event is our annual youth conference which began in 2006. Our first year saw about 80 Indigenous youth come to Townsville from all over the northern region. Cathy Freeman was a guest speaker and the Mayor of Ayr came.
In 2007, we had about 100 youth come from all over for an awesome time of fun, sport, leadership and music. I invited our former mayor, Tony Mooney to come and present awards to the Indigenous Elders of our community. It was great.
In 2008, it was an awesome time together with new people getting involved. Youth from down south travelled up for the conference. Our current mayor, Les Tyrell, presented awards to our Indigenous police officers and Liaison Officers.
This year, I am planning for the event to be bigger and better. When you have a vision it is important to stay true to it by not giving up and not looking at the challenges it presents, especially when you lack finances and resources. You’ll be surprised just how far you can go when you get committed and passionate about serving a vision.
Some of the quotes I made up and live by are:
"I believe that volunteering is a way of life...especially if you consider yourself to be a leader."
"What drives me to volunteer comes from a desire and passion to see people achieve their goals...and in doing so, I reach mine."
"Volunteering keeps me active, gives me joy and connects me with the community"
Brad Fuller
Queensland Young Member for National Youth Week Brad Fuller
Hi my name is Brad Fuller and I'm the Queensland Young Member for National Youth Week.
This is my second year of being the Young Member and working with Federal, State and Local representatives to organise Australia's largest celebration of young people. As Young Member I am responsible for looking after the promotion of National Youth Week in the media so I get to do a lot of media interviews which is always exciting.
I became involved in Youth Week because I wanted to make a difference in the community by helping young people have their voices heard by government. My aim is for National Youth Week to become a medium for young people to have their opinions listened to and acted upon by decision makers in our community. Youth Week is of the utmost importance to young people in Australia as it provides a channel for them to express themselves, view others work and, most importantly, enjoy being young.
The theme for National Youth Week 2009 is Make A Move and I encourage all young people to make the move to celebrate being young whether by attending an event, hosting one of their own or by entering the online competition. National Youth Week is an opportunity too big to miss.