Craigieburn’s Michael Casha is a bona fide high achiever.
The National Australia Bank analyst is also a carer for his older brother David, who has cerebral palsy, a volunteer with the State Emergency Service and online manager at community broadcaster SYN media.
To top it off, the 22-year-old was last week chosen as the Victorian ambassador for National Youth Week next April.
Youth Affairs Minister Ryan Smith said Mr Casha had been selected for the role because of his outstanding contribution to the state government’s Involve committee, a youth advisory group.
Mr Smith said Michael would play an essential role in planning and promoting events for young Victorians.
Mr Casha is excited about his new ambassadorial role, with the theme for next year’s festival being ‘It starts with us’.
He said his own community journey had started with following in his mother’s
footsteps. She volunteered with the SES for more than 30 years, and Mr Casha signed up aged 16.
He is also a tireless promoter of family carers, who often get no financial support if they’re not a person’s primary carer. Mr Casha said he was initially drawn to SYN radio as an outlet to advocate for people with a disability, and for more than a year he had a weekly segment about the hurdles faced by people with a disability and their carers.
In the run-up to next year’s event, Mr Casha is urging people and community groups to get involved in Youth Week and youth issues.
Funding of up to $1000 is available for organisations hosting events that bring young people together.
Applications must be submitted before November 14.
Apply at: www.youthcentral.vic.gov.au/nyw
