Young gamechangers recognised at Council's youth awards

Published on 19 June 2023

An advocate for the mental health of young people, a champion powerlifter representing Australia in Romania later in the year, and a creative powerhouse are among the winners of the 2023 Fairfield City Mayor’s Youth Achievement Awards.

Held by Fairfield City Council, the awards recognise young individuals and groups who have excelled in the sports, arts, business, humanitarian, and community activism arenas.

Fairfield City Mayor Frank Carbone said it was exciting to hear how the City’s young people were inspiring community pride, and strengthening community life in Fairfield City.

“It brings us great pleasure each year to recognise local young people making a difference through their demonstration of leadership, passion, commitment and enthusiasm,” Mayor Carbone said.

“By volunteering and leading significant projects in our community, young people are not only making a positive contribution, they are building essential skills and attributes for life.

"Our young people are tomorrow's leaders and innovators. It’s important we shine the lighton their achievements to encourage them and show them that we are behind them.”

The winners for each award category are as follows:

First Nations Youth - Izack Carter

Izack uses opportunities in and out of school to share his Aboriginal culture with the wider community. Recently he was instrumental in developing a yarning circle with his peers, and he has aspirations to decorate logs, create murals and ensure that the Aboriginal culture is represented in community events.

Creating Change Award - Sapphire Truong

Sapphire has led several fundraising efforts both at school and in the wider community to raise awareness into mental health, with funding going towards early intervention, reducing stigma and encouraging young people to seek help for mental health issues.

Sports Impact Award - Dylan Tran

Dylan is a leader in his chosen sport of weightlifting, recently winning the right to represent Australia at the junior powerlifting championships held in Romania later in the year. He consistently represents his school in athletics carnivals and mentors and coaches other students.

Start-Up Talent Award - George Alkhoury

George’s candle making business ‘Flames of Love’ specialises in quality, handcrafted candles using the best ingredients. Recently adding custom creations to his product catalogue, his decadent candle collection embodies his passion for making art and attention to detail.

New Beginnings Award - Marwa Moeen

In the short time she has been in Australia (7 months), Marwa has developed strong English speaking skills, was awarded a scholarship at the University of Technology, Sydney and is a member of the Inner West Multicultural Network. She juggles all this while supporting her family and other newly arrived families settling in to the area.

Creative Arts Award - Tammy Dang

Tammy is a creative powerhouse who can write, act, direct, make films, create animation, dance, design and make costumes. She was the recipient of the 2022 PYT Fairfield Micro Commission and is currently their artist in residence working on a full length musical theatre work drawing on her Vietnamese Teo Chew culture.

Leadership Award - Daniel Tuuaga

Daniel demonstrates strong leadership skills at school through his role as a Peer Support Leader and his involvement in the ‘Fades and Braids’ onsite barber shop program helping build students’ skills. He was also selected as a representative for the NRL as a youth advocate for mentoring young people.

Outstanding Youth Group - Cambodian Living Arts and Culture Youth Dance Troupe

This troupe uses traditional Cambodian dance to share the Khmer culture at events and festivals in the local community and throughout Sydney. They are preservers of this dance art form and role models for the Khmer youth.

Phoenix Award - Mallak Farhan

Mallak donates her time to supporting young people from refugee backgrounds transition to the Australian education system. She is passionate about the arts and has performed at the National Poetry SLAM and is a talented spoken word poet and musician.