Finalists announced for Young People's Medal

A diverse range of finalists will be vying for the 2017 Young People’s Medal, with judges revealing their top five nominees.

“I congratulate this outstanding group of young people for their dedication to advancing human rights,” said Commission President, Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher.

They are:

Georgie Stone
Georgie is a transgender advocate who at the age of 10, was the youngest person to receive hormone blockers in Australia. She campaigned for laws to be changed to allow transgender children and their families access some treatment without Family Court approval.

Bassam Maaliki
Bassam is passionate about creating a world where everyone belongs, initiated by his own experience as a Muslim teenager. Bassam established the #uBelong, a project aimed at fostering a culture of inclusiveness and multicultural harmony. 

Ziagul Sultani
Ziagul is a vocal advocate for multicultural young people, promoting the rights of refugees and young migrants in regional and remote WA to access education and work. She is one of the founding members of MYAN Australian Youth Ambassadors Network (YAN), which aims to find solutions to the injustice and inequality facing migrants and refugees.

Caitlin Figueiredo
Caitlin is a multicultural young Australian working nationally to tackle discrimination, and drive inclusive opportunities for young women and girls. As Board Director of the Australian Youth Affairs Coalition, she provides a voice for 4.3 million young people to defend their rights at the Federal level. Caitlin is organising the world’s largest Girls Takeover Program with the Federal Parliament to promote democracy, girls’ leadership & increase female representation.

Celia Tran
Celia is committed to supporting young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds to expand their leadership and advocacy skills and communicate with decision-makers on issues that impact their lives. This work has included connecting young multicultural people with public audiences for speaking opportunities. 

Media contact: Sarah Bamford 0417 957 525
sarah.bamford@humanrights.gov.au