Cowra Youth Council Youth Peace Award Nominees

The Cowra Youth Peace Award is an initiative of the Australian Chapter of the World Peace Bell Association to commemorate the International Day of Peace.

The Cowra Youth Council is very proud of its members, Stassi Austin and Destiny Pepper, on receiving nominations for the 2021 Cowra Youth Peace Award.

Mikelli Garratt consistently embodies, through her actions and consideration, an effort to assist others.
A Year 11 student at Cowra High School, Mikelli is often seen stepping in to lend a hand when things get busy, whether it is in the school canteen, supporting her peers with school work or leading by example as the Vice-President of the Student Leadership Council (SLC). She is currently fundraising for the World’s Greatest Shave and will be shaving off her hair in October of this year.

Destiny Pepper is a 16-year-old young lady with a passion for dance and for helping others, whether in the dance studio or through her role as a member of the Cowra Youth Council.
As a long-time student of the Cowra Ballet School, Destiny holds the respect of her dance teachers and fellow students, bringing an unrivalled determination and commitment to her dance practice. Des-tiny is an outstanding role model for the younger students of Cowra Ballet School.

Emily Beath-Pearce is 17 - years-old and comes from Gooloogong. Emily has been involved with the Pony Club and soccer over the years and she is also an active student at St Raphael’s Catholic School. Earlier this year, Emily jumped at the chance to represent the Rotary Club in the Cowra Festival of International Understanding Youth Ambassador Program.
She represented both the club and herself very well, taking the concept to heart and actively participating at every.

Anna Russell is a respected student of St Raphael’s Catholic School Year 12 cohort. Earlier this year, Anna coordinated an awareness campaign and fundraiser to support the ‘Do it for Dolly’ charity.
This event ran over several days and in-cluded awareness-raising and education initiatives on mental health and fundraising activities.
The impact of Anna’s efforts has sparked follow-up mental health initiatives within her school community.

Stassi Austin has been an active member of Cowra Youth Council for five years, serving two of those as the elected Chairperson. Stassi is inclusive and welcoming and holds the respect of her peers. She ensures everyone can have their say about issues and ideas, listens carefully and gives positive feedback. Stassi conducts herself with dignity, propriety, positivity and respect for others, with this respect recip-rocated by the young people, community organisations, and local and State govern-ment representatives she works with.

Put simply, Zeeden Cook is a very special soul. This compliment offered by his employer, the Cowra Information and Neighbourhood Centre (CINC), shows how valued Zeedan is as a member of their staff. He is credited with an incredibly gentle and empathetic nature and wis-dom beyond his years.
Zeeden started his journey with CINC as a Year 10 work experience student through Cowra High School.
From day one, everyone at CINC knew that Zeedan had something to offer.

Tess Roberts joined the team at CINC as a volunteer as she wanted to give back to her community. Tess would do whatever was asked of her and was always willing to do extra volunteering. She showed a true passion for wanting to help and give back to her community.
In March this year, Tess was offered a traineeship in community services with CINC. Tess has absolutely grown in all areas of her own life. She goes above and beyond each day, regardless of the task she is set.

Cameron Melton has established himself as a young man that is at all times willing to help others.
He proved this at school by offering to be part of peer support at St Raphael’s Catholic School. He is also a willing volunteer for the Cowra Show Society and is always quick to put his hand up to help with the Society’s various activities. Cameron is always willing to assist others in achieving their goals as well as assisting those that have additional needs.

Ethan Tindall has at all times shown an ability to lead, to be a team member and to assist those that require additional instruction. In his volunteering with the Cowra Show Society, he assisted the society at the Big Bush BBQ at the Sydney Royal Easter in 2021.
This enabled the Show Society charity to raise funds through the volunteers’ efforts. Ethan has also volunteered at other major events for the society such as the Memorial Service for Ian Armstrong OAM, and Mr Peter McDonald, both respected persons from the Cowra community.

• Topics:
• Awards
• Community
• Local Council