By Laura Michell
Young people making a difference in the Thomastown electorate will be celebrated during a new exhibition at State Parliament.
Celebrating Young People Living in the Thomastown Electorate will be held at Parliament from October 29-31 and will showcase the contribution of young people to the electorate, which takes in Epping, Wollert, Lalor and Thomastown.
The exhibition has been organised by the Youth Parliamentary Committee with the help of Thomastown MP Brownyn Halfpenny.
Committee member Monique Lobosco said the exhibition aimed to highlight how young people were making a difference.
“We want to show people what young people are doing and how they are doing it. We also wanted to tell the stories of refugees in the area,” she said.
Among those taking part are Wollert brothers Deng and Jacques Dhieu, who run not-for-profit organisation Project Zero Youth Alliance.
The brothers, who arrived in Australia in 2004 as refugees from South Sudan, aim to provide support and guidance to African youth living in Whittlesea.
“We are from a refugee background and we have seen a lot of suffering and been through a lot. We have an opportunity here in Australia to make our lives better,” Jacques said.
“Over the last few years, we have seen a lot of negativity, especially in our community. There are a lot of kids who need help.”
Deng said the alliance ran a homework club and tutoring program to encourage kids to stay in school.
“We felt that by offering a tutoring program we would help kids stay engaged in school,” he said.
