Melissa Abu-Gazaleh, 29, the founder of the Top Blokes Foundation, has been named the 2015 NSW Young Australian of the Year.
Melissa established the Wollongong-based Top Blokes Foundation in 2006 as a youth-led organisation that encourages young men to be active in their community. Today, the organisation reaches 1400 young males each year to address issues such as mental health, suicide, gender equality, alcohol abuse and the effects of pornography.
Melissa, a talented and passionate public speaker, is often called on to speak at events around the country to engage young men and conduct research to advance young men’s social welfare.
“A lot of the issues and trends that young men are struggling with are growing and emerging, so we need to have a proactive approach to these. One of the things young men are missing is a platform and ability to share their opinions – I’ve always been passionate about including young men’s voices and their ideas in all the work that Top Blokes does,” says Melissa.
Also nominated this year was Laura O’Reilly, last year’s Women of the Future Judges’ Choice winner and the co-founder of Fighting Chance, an organisation that provides job opportunities and training for young people with a disability.
Visit topblokes.org.au and fightingchance.org.au.
