NEWSBOYS FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2017 5 NEWSBOYS FOUNDATION AWARDS Kelly Phan Newsboys Foundation Youth Leadership Award Winner 2016 Bendigo Senior Secondary College student Kelly Phan won the 2016 Newsboys Foundation Youth Leadership Award, which was presented at the Victorian Student Representative Council Recognition Awards in Melbourne. The award made a profound impact on Kelly’s life and prospects. She is now studying a double degree (Bachelor of Law and Bachelor of Global Studies) at Monash University, with a view to one day working in diplomacy for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. With the $3000 prize, Kelly expanded her own leadership training organisation, MotivatEd, which she established in Bendigo, where she delivers leadership seminars run by young people in order to develop their leadership capacity. She also engaged a young person in Bendigo with leadership training by sponsoring Whitney Eadon to attend the Magic Moments Youth Leadership & Business Summit. Kelly said: “Receiving the Newsboys Foundation’s Youth Leadership Award has greatly increased my confidence in my leadership capacity and my future hopes and ambitions. In addition to that, my passion for creating change and being a young leader in my community will be even further fuelled by this award, as it will allow me to develop my leadership skills.” She offers this advice to fellow young people: “Changing and adapting is important for any initiative, especially in the early days, and if you face every challenge with the intention of learning more about stuff, your impact on the world will grow bigger as you improve your ideas every step of the way.” Youth Leadership Award 2016 finalists were: Thomas Velican, Nossal High School ($1000) and Kristen Sellings, Yarram Secondary College ($1000). Emma Amery Newsboys Foundation Regional Music Award Winner 2017 The 2017 Newsboys Foundation Regional Music Award was won by Emma Amery from rural North-East Victoria. The award is part of the Melbourne Recital Centre annual Bach Competition. Emma began learning violin at the age of six in Wangaratta, and since then has played in numerous community concerts and local productions in the region. Emma has been travelling to Melbourne each Saturday since 2014 to participate in the Melbourne Youth Orchestras program, and this year holds the position of Assistant Concertmaster with the Melbourne Youth Orchestra. The award involves travel and one week’s accommodation for the student and a parent/guardian in Melbourne and a daily per diem; lessons with a top teacher on the relevant instrument; complimentary tickets to concerts at Melbourne Recital Centre during that week; mentoring/shadowing opportunities with Melbourne Recital Centre’s artistic and production staff; and the opportunity to go ‘behind-the- scenes’ with direct contact to industry professionals. The prize is open to entrants who live, and attend a Victorian Government school, in rural or regional Victoria to enable such students to benefit from musical tuition opportunities. Emma said winning the award has made a positive impact. “Winning the award boosted my confidence and I’m really looking forward to spending a week with mentors, going behind the scenes at the Melbourne Recital Centre and being inspired by accomplished music professionals.”