Each year, the number of nominees for the Young People’s Human Rights Medal continues to grow, showing that young people are now, more than ever, a critical force in human rights advocacy.
After reviewing the record number of nominations that were received, it quickly became clear that these inspirational and highly motivated young individuals came from a surprisingly diverse range of backgrounds. The five finalists are illustrative of this diversity, with ages spanning from 17 to 24 coming from locations all across Australia.
When speaking to the finalists about how they became involved in human rights advocacy, a common thread arose: they had all personally experienced and overcome the hardships associated with the issues they are campaigning on. This has resulted in five passionate and committed young advocates.
Yen Eriksen, 23, a tireless campaigner for LGBTIQ rights, uses her radio show to bring awareness to the issues facing women and the LGBTIQ community, working at a grassroots level to foster acceptance and inclusion.
Yen says she became interested in human rights from an early age and recalls, as a high-school student, printing out the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and taping it to her cupboard door.
“It came with the territory of being born in Australia, to migrant parents, being born a woman and being born, knowing from a very young age, that I was queer,” she says, of her interest in human rights.
“I think all of those things fed into an experience of inequality and fed into intellectually realising that the world is not necessarily an equal or just place.”
Similarly to Yen, Adam Schwartz, 24, found himself becoming a spokesperson for mental illness after battling depression and being personally affected by the stigma surrounding it.
“The doctors had always said ‘you’re not alone, everyone out there is suffering’ and I thought ‘well if everyone is suffering, where are they?’” he says.
Following his recovery and after volunteering at a mental health organisation, Adam resolved that he had a responsibility to give back. This realisation lead him to write his self-published book, ‘mum, i wish i was dead’.
“For me, it was always if one life is affected, then it was worth everything,” says Adam, “everyone has the right to feel good, to wake up and be happy”.
He hopes his story can bring greater awareness and understanding to youth mental illness.
Over in Perth, current Young Australian of the Year and finalist Drisana Levitzke-Gray, 22, is once again being recognised for her efforts in advocating for the rights of the Deaf community, particularly the right for Deaf children to access Auslan (Australian Sign Language).
Drisana is the fifth generation of Deaf women in her family. Growing up in a deaf community and being exposed to Auslan from birth has meant that she has always been acutely aware of her rights and the inequalities facing her community - inspiring her to become an ardent champion of her first language.
“Currently, the stigma in the medical field is that if a Deaf child learns Auslan, they will never be able to speak and they will not grow up to be successful and independent,” she says. “I guess I am not that successful am I?”
Like many of the Young People’s finalists, Drisana first took action against the inequalities facing the Deaf community in high-school, recalling an incident where she was forced to demand captioning on a program her teacher was showing to the class.
“There was a problem that needed to be solved, it wasn't about the people involved at all… it was about the lack of accessibility and my right to access information equally to everybody else,” she recalls.
“Since then, I guess, I have been on a crusade to right every wrong in this world that myself and the Deaf community face.”
On the other side of the country, in Mount Isa, Queensland, Justice King, 17, has successfully coordinated three different mental health awareness campaigns, before even graduating from high-school.
As a young, Indigenous woman, her campaigns are youth orientated, focusing on removing the stigma of mental illness among young people, through story-telling and by galvanising community support.
“It sparked a movement,” says Justice, “where mental health is being discussed more and focused on to a point where it has basically been eradicated as a social taboo.”
When asked how she became involved in human rights campaigning, Justice says, “I suppose it started with becoming more comfortable with myself… It wasn’t easy for me to do that, and I am not too sure why it got easier, but I know that there are a lot of kids out there that don’t have that... Everyone has the right to speak up and everyone has the right to feel good about themselves.”
Her latest undertaking, “Raise your Cards” gained widespread attention, after Justice was awarded a $10,000 grant after being named a finalist in the ABC’s Heywire competition.
Fellow Heywire finalist, Prudence Melom, 20, became involved in human rights after coming to Australia as a refugee. Her journey, as a teenager, from her home country of Chad to Townsville, Queensland, has inspired her involvement in anti-racism work.
“We [my family] always keep in mind that there are many young people in our country that are going through a lot and didn’t get the opportunity that we did. I use that as motivation to keep me going,” she says.
“Hoping that one day when I am successful I will able to go back and help them myself.”
The Young People’s Human Rights Medal will be presented at the annual Human Rights Awards on December 10 at a lunch at the Westin Hotel in Sydney. Commission President Professor Triggs will deliver a key-note speech on the future of Human Rights in Australia. Tickets are available online https://humanrightsawards2015.eventbrite.com.au .
Part two of this profile will be published on Monday.
