2021 Winners

Youth of the Year 2021 – Dre Lang Carr

Dre Lang is the winner of the NASCA NAIDOC Youth Of The Year Award for 2021. He is a proud Wiradjuri and Gamilaraay man that has been a part of NASCA since year 7. He is currently in year 11 at Alexandria Park Community School in South Sydney. Dre has had a massive impact among his peers in NASCA program as well as his community, with strong connections to his family in Dubbo and Narrandera, and his Community in the South Sydney area. Dre is always striving for greatness and is willing to lend a help in hand when needed, helping facilitate NASCA programs alongside staff and working at the Youth Connect program in Redfern after School. Dre is an outstanding young man that both his NASCA and school peers look up to and see as a leader, and is a credit to his family and community, and well deserved of the YOTY Award. Congratulations Dre!

Youth of the Year 2021 – Lisa Swinnerton-Slee

Congratulations to Youth of the Year winner Lisa Swinnerton-Slee. Lisa is a proud Aboriginal woman who is committed to finding her mob and understanding more about her culture. She has found that being involved with NASCA has provided her with an opportunity to learn about and develop a sense of pride in her culture. Well done Lisa it has been so great to see your curiosity and confidence grow over the last few years.

Excellence Award 2021 – Armani Pulevaka

Armani began her NASCA journey when she was in Year 7, now in year 12 Armani is moving into her final year at Tempe High School. Armani is a quiet achiever, throughout the years Armani has really stepped up, she displays excellence through her leadership with the younger students, a role model students can turn to. Armani has a vibrant personality, she’s always willing to have a Yarn especially if it has to do with Kpop! She is very caring and takes pride in her culture and is a naturally talented musician who is passionate about music. We are so proud of you, well done Armani!

Integrity Award 2020 – Reice Kaine

Reice is a Wiradjuri man and NASCA participant. Reice demonstrates what it means to have integrity. He always tries to help others if they need it. He is always respectful of his peers and those around him. Reice understands that everybody goes through things, and looks for constructive ways that he can lend a helping hand to those in need. Reice knows that our people have always made sure that we sustain our environment and look after our country. Reice’s hopes for Aboriginal people into the future is that we can all have a good education, get the support that we need, and do what we love most in our lives. Congratulations Reice!

Integrity Award 2020 – Taleah Carter

Taleah is a proud Biripi woman who grew up on Dharug land, beginning her NASCA journey this year as the recipient of the Integrity Award! Taleah is a hard working and strong leader who is resilient and strives for greatness every time she steps into the school gates. Taleah is warm and friendly and holds her family values close to her heart. Congratulations on the outstanding achievement Taleah!

Cultural Pride & Inclusion Award 2021 – Caiden Griffiths

Caiden is a Yuin man who is proud of his culture and always tries to embrace it. He enjoys learning about Culture and believes that healing country is about bringing people together to heal all of the sadness from the past. Congratulations Caiden, we are so proud of you! It has been fantastic to see your involvement with NASCA and your commitment to sharing culture develop over the last few years.

Collaboration Award 2021 – Mackenzie Humphries

Mackenzie Humphries is the Winner of the NASCA NAIDOC Award for Collaboration. Mackenzie is a proud Wiradjuri woman from Wellington High School. She is most proud of her family and the values they have instilled upon her growing up. Mackenzie exemplifies the NASCA value of Collaboration within the NASCA program and in the wider community and it’s for this reason that she has won this prestigious award. Not only does Mackenzie lead by example as the Wellington youth leader but she continuously encourages all other NASCA students to be their best and participate in all activities Mackenzie is committed to actively making a positive impact on the Aboriginal community. Congratulations Mackenzie!

Collaboration Award 2021 – Harley Sevander

Harley is a proud Aboriginal man and NASCA participant. He is proud of his culture and always looking for ways that he can learn more about Culture, and share it with more people. Harley is constantly showing his skills as a collaborator. He is always enthusiastic about NASCA activities, and makes sure that he is including his fellow students to get the most out of it. Harley actively looks for ways that he can work with others to get the best result, and this is shown in the high standard of everything that he does. Harley is committed to making a difference in his community. Congratulations Harley!

Trust Award 2021 – Tabeal West

Tabeal is a Pitinjara woman from the NT. She enjoys dancing and doing Aboriginal art. Tabeal always tries to help others, and always tries to make sure that NASCA is a safe space for people to be able to talk about how they’re really feeling and what they’re going through. She is well respected among her peers in both the NASCA program and her school, and is someone that can be trusted to do the right thing whenever the circumstances call for it. Congratulations Tabeal!

Trust Award 2021 – Kenni Samuel

Kenni is a proud young leader who’s mob descends from Bourke NSW. Kenni stands tall for what he believes in and is a valued student and peer at Thomas Reddall High School and throughout the NASCA community. Kenni had this to say to other young people out there, “Keep your head up, and don’t worry. Don’t worry about other people’s opinions. Just focus on your future.” Kenni hopes to continue his focus on his future in automotives whilst giving back to his Mum. Congratulations Kenni!

2020 Award Winners

2020 Male Youth of the Year Award – Regan Craig

Regan Craig is the very deserving winner of the NASCA NAIDOC Male Youth of the Year Award. Congratulations Regan! Regan consistently displays the qualities of a leader both within the NASCA program and in his wider school community. As a senior student, his natural leadership shines and he is a role model to other First Nations students at Airds High School. He models all of the NASCA values; Excellence, Collaboration, Trust, Integrity and Cultural Pride and Inclusion, in all that he does and strives to be someone that his younger peers look up to.Regan’s vibrant spirit draws people in and he is able to use his natural charm and warmth to positively influence his peers, teachers and NASCA staff. He is humble and treats everyone equally. Regan’s desire to make a positive difference in his community is infectious and we believe he is destined for big things!

2020 Female Youth of the Year Award – Lily McEwen-Gillespie

Lily McEwen-Gillespie as the 2020 NASCA NAIDOC Female Youth of the Year Award winner. Lily is compassionate, an attentive listener and shows great passion for her culture, making her a strong leader within our NASCA community. Lily is self-determined and has a strong desire to exceed at school. She consistently puts up her hand to help out in NASCA sessions and is admirable in her encouragement towards younger students at Kingswood High School. The Youth of the Year Award recognises exceptional students who have adopted NASCA’s values; Excellence, Collaboration, Integrity, Trust, and Cultural Pride and Inclusion, in all that they do. Earlier this year, Lily completed an internship with NASCA where she showed just how her own values line up with ours.

Collaboration Award Winner – Mackenzie Bruce

Mackenzie Bruce is the winner of the NASCA NAIDOC Award for Collaboration in 2020! She is proud of her culture and connected to her community. This is part of what makes her such a great collaborator. Mackenzie dedicates her time to team sport, education sessions, cultural days, and other community events outside of school. Mackenzie is an outgoing person who is looked up to and respected by her peers. She strives to share her knowledge and involve those around in NASCA activities. Mackenzie has the highest standard for her work and she is always eager to learn from and teach others. Mackenzie is committed to actively making a positive impact on the Aboriginal community. Congratulations Mackenzie!

Collaboration Award Winner – Connor Sharpe

Connor from Kingswood High School is the winner of the NASCA NAIDOC Collaboration Award! Congratulations Connor! A genuine, friendly and compassionate NASCA participant since year 8, Connor is an exceptional role model to his mates. He is always one of the first students to help out at our sessions and events, and takes care in mentoring younger NASCA participants so they feel welcomed and at ease. Connor takes great pride in his connection to Aboriginal culture and we couldn’t pick a more deserving winner for the Collaboration Award. Well done Connor!

Cultural Pride and Identity Award Winner – Yilara Widders

Congratulations to Yilara, the very deserving winner of NASCA’s Cultural Pride and Inclusion Award. Yilara is such a positive role model in her school and community. She is passionate about driving change for First Nations young people and challenges her peers to take initiative. She takes pride in her culture, isn’t afraid to stand up for her beliefs and uses her voice to speak out on the big issues. Yilara has an infectious personality which people naturally gravitate towards. She is friendly, inclusive and has shown impressive leadership to her fellow NASCA students both at school and in her local community, just recently delivering home essential packs to young families during the COVID lockdown. Congratulations Yilara!

Cultural Pride and Inclusion Award Winner – AJ White

AJ is the winner of the NASCA NAIDOC Award for Cultural Pride and Inclusion in 2020! AJ is always involved in performing and volunteering at NAIDOC and other cultural events. He frequently dedicates his time to help run events and he is always willing to share his knowledge. AJ plays the Yidaki/Didgeridoo and helps his Aunty with art outside of school, in the community, and at family cultural events. He loves playing TIG (Traditional Indigenous Games) and he is hungry to learn more about his culture. AJ’s energy and creativity shines through whenever he is involved in a cultural activity. AJ is a gifted and intelligent student who has expressed an interest in studying and becoming a lawyer. Even though AJ is only in Year 7, he is always being a role model in NASCA sessions, which makes the classes run smoothly and helps everyone to get the most out of it (including the NASCA staff!) Congratulations AJ!

Trust Award Winner -Tia Bates

Tia Bates is NASCA’s NAIDOC Trust winner in 2020! She has been a NASCA participant since 2019. Tia always goes above and beyond for her peers by supporting them and actively listening. Her actions show not just how dedicated she is to her NASCA peers, but also to the wider community. When NASCA sessions are running, Tia reminds her peers and always turns up on time, ready to learn and engage with content. She gives 100%, actively contributing to the group with her insightful knowledge when she participates in discussions. Tia is honest and open, others know they can rely on her. Tia cares a lot about her community. She is always contributing to make it a safe and welcoming environment where everyone is respected and valued.

Trust Award Winner -Jonathan Barber

Jonathan, or Jono, is the winner of the 2020 NASCA NAIDOC Award for Trust! Since joining NASCA in year eight, Jono has become one of Richmond High School’s strong leaders. He is a role model for all of NASCA’s Values. Jono is a positive, caring, and genuine community member. He has put his hand up many times to help and support anyone who needs it. Jono has attended many NASCA events, such as Poetry in First Language and NASCA Dreamfest! Each time Jono showcases the trust we come to see and expect from someone so committed to being a meaningful contributor to the NASCA Community!

Excellence Award Winner -Vanessa Dillon

Vanessa is the joint winner of the NASCA NAIDOC Excellence Award and has been a NASCA student since Year 8. Vanessa is driven and consistent with her school work, but it wasn’t always this way. It was through discovering her connection with her culture, through dance, her family and their story that she became more grounded and changed her approach to school. Now, Vanessa is proud and passionate in her fight against racism and uses her social media to advocate for her community. Vanessa featured on the ABC program, “What it’s like” and is currently planning a podcast about what it’s like to be an Aboriginal young person in Australia. In January this year, Vanessa completed an internship with NASCA and we know first hand just how fierce and capable she is! We can’t wait to see what the future holds.
Congratulations Vanessa!

Excellence Award Winner – Jalil White

Jalil is a proud Gamilaraay man and one of the winners of our NASCA NAIDOC Excellence award in 2020! He has been a NASCA student since 2019 at Airds High school. Jalil is a fiercely loyal friend who has no problems standing up for the right thing. He loves a good laugh and has a natural charm that makes him an incredibly easy person to be around. Jalil enjoys spending time with friends, painting and going out on country with his family. Jalil has shown great growth in the past year, going from a reserved and shy student to a real leader in our NASCA community. We are so excited to see what happens in Jalil’s future!

Integrity Award Winner – Jack McEwen-Gillespie

Jack McEwen-Gillespie, a NASCA student since 2018 is NASCA’s NAIDOC Integrity winner in 2020! Jack sets the example in acting with fairness, honesty and authenticity. Jack is described by his peers as respectful, confident, culturally proud, patient, positive and trustworthy. Jack is 16yrs of age and has played Lawn Bowls at a representative level and has his eye on representing Australia at the Commonwealth Games. He lives in Penrith with his twin sister Lilly, who is also a NASCA NAIDOC Award finalist. When not bushwalking or hanging with his mates, Jack enjoys drawing. Well done, Jack!

Celebrate NAIDOC and be part of NASCA’s campaign to honour Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and excellence.

The NASCA NAIDOC Youth Awards recognises the contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in their local community acknowledging their outstanding achievements.

Modelled on NASCA’s values, we will recognise student achievement and excellence in five categories;

Excellence – Being the best you can be
Integrity – Doing the right thing
Trust – Believing in yourself and others
Collaboration – Being an active member of the NASCA community
Cultural Pride and Inclusion – Always was, always will be, and I am always proud
Youth of the Year Award

In honour of the original NAIDOC week, over the next month we’ll be releasing powerful videos of NASCA participants who deserve meaningful recognition. Every week we’ll have new films of young people telling their stories in their own words.

NASCA NAIDOC Youth Awards