Youth Advisory Group

Jess is a Macquarie University graduate who studied a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Social Science, majoring in Social Justice and minoring in Criminology. During university, Jess completed the Macquarie University Global Leadership Program with Merit. She was also the recipient of the 2020 MQ Outstanding Volunteer Award and the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Macquarie University Law School Community.

Jess is passionate about advocacy for young people. As Secretary of the Macquarie University Model United Nations Society, Jess helped university and high school students develop confidence and leadership skills through ‘munning’ – a simulation where students can learn about diplomacy, international relations, and the United Nations. Jess also demonstrated her advocacy skills in the National Justice Project Disability Hackathon, where together with her team, she won the 2021 competition. Jess hopes to use her legal skillset to address the injustices faced by marginalised communities, previously working as an Assistant Supervisor at the Redfern Legal Centre and as a Paralegal at Settlement Services International.

Jess is particularly passionate about Indigenous rights, reflected in her volunteer work at the Aboriginal Land Council where she reviewed and appealed ministerial rejections of land rights claims. Jess has also volunteered at Speaking in Colour, an Aboriginal-owned and operated small business that provides Aboriginal consulting services and cultural capacity training to corporates, schools and other organisations. In her current role as a Commercial Lawyer at ResMed, Jess continues to work in this space as a Board Member of their Australian Indigenous Mosaic.

Given her background in Law, Social Science, and Criminology; Jess is a strong believer in supporting models that treat addiction as a public health issue, instead of a criminal one. She hopes that as a member of Sir David Martin Foundation’s Youth Advisory Group, she can help and advocate for young people who want to make a long-term change in their lives.

Harry has recently finished a degree in Psychological Science at Deakin University, and particularly enjoyed learning about addiction, and coaching and counselling for behaviour change.

He joined Lifeline as a telephone crisis supporter during 2020 in Melbourne, and recently transferred to Lifeline’s Sydney phone room after moving between the two cities.

Harry is a passionate advocate for destigmatising individuals, families, and communities affected by problem drug and alcohol use.

Lucy Stronach (she/her) is a consultant to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, a Youth Programs Officer at the Town of Victoria Park and teaches criminology at the University of Western Australia. She lives and works on Whadjuk Noongar land.

From 2020/21 Lucy was the Australian Youth Representative to the United Nations. Throughout 2021, she toured Australia to identify the concerns, needs and experiences of diverse and underrepresented young people before reporting to key stakeholders including the Australian Government and the United Nations.

A graduate of studies in Criminology, Law, and Security, Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism, Lucy is a passionate advocate of youth justice, indigenous justice, and gender-based crime prevention. Her work has taken her to the streets of Mumbai to fight for the empowerment of sex workers, to juvenile prisons in San Diego to aid young offenders, and to the UNDP in Bangkok to work with youth leaders in the promotion of human rights and justice.

Before assuming her role as the Youth Rep, Lucy worked across the Indo-Pacific as the Sri Lankan Fellow for DFAT’s New Colombo Plan Scholarship. Part of her program included working in Vietnam to combat the abuse of street children and rehabilitate victims of human trafficking, and after working at Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence, Lucy was named a contributing International Research Fellow where she helped formulate the nation’s first public defence strategy.

In 2021, Lucy was named one of YAIA’s ‘Young Women to Watch in International Affairs’, was a finalist for the 2022 Young Achiever of the Year Awards, sits on advisory boards for both the Sir David Martin Foundation and the United Nations Association of Australia (NSW), and is Vice President (Administration) of UN Youth Western Australia.

Maddy (she/her) resides in Wangal and Gadigal Country of Eora Nation studying a Masters of Social Work, whilst working with Australian Catholic University on Darug Country, and as a support worker alongside people living with disabilities.

Maddy has spent the past eight years working alongside young people for a variety of organisations and schools nationally, and internationally. She is the current Oceania Representative for the International Youth Advisory Body for the Dicastery of Laity, Family and Life in the Vatican. She sits on the board for the Marist Association which oversees Marist Schools, Marist 180, Marist Solidarity and Marist Youth Ministry.

Maddy is driven to redefine our perception of peripheries, and people on the margins, challenging the discourse to recognise everyone is at the centre of their own worlds, so we accept the invitation to take the time to sit with and amongst people – learning from them. By doing this providing a space in which everyone feels safe, heard and unconditionally loved.

She feels quite privileged to be journeying with young people, encountering them as whole people, allowing them a space where they do not have to justify who they are and why they are in this space.

Maddy’s hope for young people in the Sir David Martin Foundation and in society in general is recognition of the two-way learning and wisdom young people offer to the world, watching them grow to be the best version of themselves whilst being confident leaders for the betterment of our world.

Kacie Fahey (she/her/hers) is a Kamilaroi woman who lives and works on Yuggera, Jagera and Ugarapul Country. Kacie is currently working as a First Nations Learning Advisor at the University of Southern Queensland, studying a Masters of Domestic and Family Violence Practice, and running her own Aboriginal artistry and design business.

Commencing in 2016 and ending in 2022, Kacie has worked in several advocacy-centric roles within the Queensland State Government. Her time with the Department of Child Safety, Seniors and Disability Services saw her supporting the important work of the NDIS Project Management Office. Kacie has also had the privilege and honour of working on and supporting several projects and pieces of work including the Yarning for Change Report, the Growing up in Queensland Report, a number of systemic reviews, and the maintenance of the state-wide child death database (CODA), while working for the Queensland Family and Child Commission.

Having previously been involved in Ipswich City Council’s Youth Advocacy Council, Kacie believes that amplifying and genuinely engaging the voices of young people is a core pillar of advocacy. Furthermore, Kacie is deeply passionate about ensuring advocacy is intersectional, strengths-based, and underpinned by best-practice approaches.

Completing a degree in Exercise Science followed by a Masters in Education, Will specialises in secondary school health education. With experience currently spanning over five years and across a variety of primary and secondary school settings, he has developed a deep understanding of what it takes to empower young people to lead healthy, purposeful, and fulfilling lives. Will’s teaching philosophy focuses on promoting holistic well-being, ensuring that students grow not just physically, but also mentally and emotionally, developing the resilience and confidence needed to thrive in all aspects of life.

Will has participated in both international and local volunteer programs. He has travelled to remote Cambodia, where he participated in building homes for under-resourced communities, while locally, he has worked with vulnerable populations in Sydney and greater Sydney areas. Providing hands-on support and contributing to community initiatives that focus on inclusivity and health care. These experiences have supported his ambition in making meaningful change and positively impacting the lives of individuals both in and out of school.

A strong advocate for mental health and youth empowerment, Will is passionate about helping young people overcome challenges as well as making positive, sustainable changes in their lives. He actively facilitates activities that break down stigmas around mental illness, encourage open conversations, and promote healthy, balanced lifestyles. Through these efforts, Will aims to foster a generation of individuals who are not only physically active but also emotionally resilient and socially conscious.

Ellie Hennessy is a Year 12 student at a high school in Sydney. Ellie and her family have a long-standing relationship with the Martin family, and the Sir David Martin Foundation. She is excited to become more actively engaged in the Foundation. In 2020, Ellie co-authored a charity cookbook titled 3 Cooks Who Care with proceeds benefiting Oz Harvest. She actively participates in various co-curricular activities at school, showcasing her enthusiasm for learning and helping others. In her spare time she loves participating in team sports and is eager to continue her studies post-high school, hopefully focussing on law and business.

Taeg Twist is a proud Birri Gubba Birriah and Ngāpuhi person from Waibene in the Zenadth Kes region. A dedicated advocate for human rights, Taeg works across the arts and health sectors, with a particular focus on Indigenous rights, LGBTQIA+ inclusion, and environmental justice.

This year, Taeg was appointed as the First Nations Australian Youth Delegate to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) and is the recipient of the 2024 Jack Cranstoun Scholarship. Their leadership experience includes serving as the Youth Health Network Coordinator for the Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC) and as President of Imagi-Nation for AIME (Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience).

Taeg’s commitment to social good extends beyond their professional roles. Taeg is a regular plasma and blood donor for the Australian Red Cross and volunteers their time to support homelessness initiatives. Taeg’s long-term vision is to establish a not-for-profit organisation that brings access to the arts to rural and remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, with the aim of advancing health equity.

Mijica is a youth advocate for mental health, underrepresented communities and community development. She works full time as an Equity Practitioner and works part-time as a research assistant with University of New South Wales (UNSW) focusing on the areas of adult learning and emergency settlement in Australia and the Pacific Islands. Mijica is an active volunteer in Canberra, ACT community dedicating her time and effort in areas of education, media, health care and human services. She is a Juris Doctor candidate with the goal of one day supporting young people and families in times of hardship. She hopes to share her lived experiences with mental health with others to empower them to thrive in community, empowering them to empower others.

Jonathan O'Brien is a writer, software developer, and housing advocate. He is the Lead Organiser of YIMBY Melbourne, as well as a Queensland Literary Award-winning writer, and a 10% pledger. He is passionate about early intervention, housing-first, and leaving the world better than it was when he arrived.

Joshua is a 16-year-old, year 11 student who has been raised in a small regional Wheatbelt town. Josh has been a young carer for his sister, for over 10 years, providing intense, nursing-level care for her around the clock.

Josh’s life and outlook have been significantly shaped by his caring role, as well as the resultant financial hardship he has experienced after his family of 6 were suddenly thrust into poverty, depending, out of necessity, on a meagre Carer’s Pension.

Joshua has also experienced multiple other factors of disadvantage throughout his childhood, including housing instability, family domestic violence, and a family court battle that favoured the perpetrator of abuse. Josh has seen first-hand the devastating impact of drug and alcohol use in three close family members, who turned to substances in attempts to manage serious mental health conditions.

Joshua has a unique intersectional voice. He uses his lived experience to champion systemic reforms and additional supports in attempts to mitigate the impact of disadvantaged childhoods on the life outcomes of young people. Josh is excited at the prospect of joining a team of other passionate young people, through his involvement in the Sir David Martin Foundation, with similar aspirations of tackling the many dire social issues that imprison youth in disadvantage.