Youth Ambassadors’ To “Bridge The Gap”

In a continuing effort by the Council to engage young people in the community, Anthony Radic and Hayley Irving have been named the Hills Shire’s Youth Ambassadors for 2020-2021.

Formally welcomed – in compliance with social distancing measures and COVID-19 safety guidelines – by Mayor of the Hills Shire Dr Michelle Byrne on Wednesday 15 July, Anthony Radic and Hayley Irving joined other 2020-2021 finalists

Replacing the outgoing 2019-2020 Youth Ambassadors Tian Yi Wong See, Reshmi Niriella and Savannah Mandakini Dissanayake, Mayor Byrne thanked them all for their hard work, commitment and dedication.

“I would like to commend our three outgoing Youth Ambassadors on their determination in raising awareness about youth mental health, the environment and everything else they’ve felt passionate about,” said Mayor Byrne.

Committed to strengthening youth voices in the broader community, Mayor Byrne is looking forward to working with them on creating a more connected, inclusive and supported the Shire.

Freshly eighteen and with the hopes of forging a career in politics, Hayley is currently studying at Macquarie University. Signalling a desire “to give people her age and younger a stronger voice in the community,” Hayley will be using her appointment “to make a legislative difference”.

Both speaking with the Sydney Hills Focus, Hayley shared her “strong passions about social justice, science and political matters” describing the ambassador role as a platform for “giving a voice to other kids and teens that really want to make a difference, just like me.”

Sharing similar goals, Anthony will be using his position to “work closely with youth advocacy and volunteer groups like the Hills Youth Army”, hoping to one day achieve his dream of working with the United Nations.

Holding a strong passion for youth advocacy, Anthony believes he can achieve this through his idea of “connections”.

“Connections look at strengthening the relationships the youth has in existing programs within the community but also establishing newer links with different Hills groups.”

In assessing this year’s candidates, Mayor Byrne was delighted “see so many of our youth interested in their community,” describing them as “of an extremely high standard”.

“I look forward to working with Anthony and Hayley and hearing their ideas on how to further include youth in Council related matters,” added Mayor Bryne.