2024 Community Achievement Awards Victorian finalists revealed
Kyabram Blue Light is up for a top gong for its efforts helping young Victorians. Discover the finalists making waves in their communities.
A Kyabram not-for-profit group is ensuring young regional Victorians have access to fun, adventure and mentoring despite the rising cost of living crisis.
They are part of 32 finalists across eight categories for the Community Achievement Awards for Victoria.
Shepparton Police senior constable and youth resource officer Mitchell Bull took over the reins for Kyabram Blue Light in 2017, which is up for a Community Group Award.
It is a not-for-profit, registered charity running low-to-no cost activities for young people, to connect them with each other and nearby emergency services.
Mr Bull said children from Prep to Year 12 can participate in several different activities, from three-day camps, to regular blue light discos, weekly gym programs and an annual pool party.
“We took 28 young people down to Queenscliff and they spent a whole day at the Geelong Adventure Park and went out on an ocean fishing charter, and had general teamwork resilience-based activities,” he said.
“They managed to walk about 35km over the two days, we had a few people who caught their first fish ever, and people overcame their fear of heights and drops.”
He said the demand was “huge” with waitlists for certain programs, but he deemed it a regional necessity.
“The cost of living has gone up, unfortunately young people seem to be on the receiving end of this,” he said.
“Our engagements have been increasing by thousands each year, the interest is bigger than ever. Unfortunately it’s also been matched with a declining amount of people willing to volunteer.”
The Community Achievement Awards has several Victorians under the spotlight for their commitments, advocacy work, and innovation.
At Parkville, Deli Chen is an agricultural finalist for his work on nitrogen fertiliser efficiency to reduce environmental effects and improve crop productivity. His work has helped more than 2000 farmers.
Meanwhile, Joel Chambers from Rutherglen achieved the region’s first certified sustainable vineyard with heat-tolerant grape varieties, reducing herbicides and more.
Gabriel Gervasoni, from Ballarat, is a finalist for two categories and has helped gain accessibility in public spaces and promoted STEM for young people with disabilities. He is legally blind, which inspired his project Social Vision for Young Adults.
The Albury Wodonga Regional FoodShare battles food insecurity in regional areas, and redirects surplus food with more than 150 partnered agencies.
Heather Baird, from Dutson, is celebrating 10 years of her initiative, A Better Life for Foster Kids. The program is partnered with more than 450 organisations, and supports out-of-home care systems, delivers Christmas gifts, trauma-informed training and more.