Roving Reporter Profile : Glenn,
Glenn, an avid Robbie Williams fan, is living independently in a unit in Warragul, in the West Gippsland area and is studying Certificate III and IV in Information Technology. Apart from also listening to Meatloaf and Britney Spears, Glenn loves to interview people and is always on the lookout for ways of learning new skills.
Growing up in a country town, with two brothers, Glenn's passion for writing and working to help the community led him to youthcentral and the Roving Reporter program. Glenn is always eager to make new friends and have fun, and he loves being a part of the Roving Reporter team. He's enthusiastic about writing articles and reviews, and is also happy for the extra opportunity to make some cash as a writer.
Glenn considers himself to be a very honest person and is always eager to prove himself and his skills.
Glenn's blog can be found at http://Youthcentralwestgippsland.synthasite.com
Roving Reporter Profile : Kayla,
Kayla is 16 years old and currently studying year 11 at Bairnsdale Secondary College. In her spare time she enjoys: horse-riding, singing, dancing and "any recreational sport". Kayla loves getting involved in her community and is an active member of FReeZA.
"I'm not calm, polite, mature, shy or lethargic," is what Kayla replied when asked "What are five words that don't describe you?" Rather, she describes herself as being "outspoken, loud, energetic and immature". She loves any sport and says "give me a sport and I'll play it".
Kayla, being a fun and enthusiastic teenager, shares some wacky facts about herself. She takes her "phone and chapstick" wherever she goes. Her favourite comic villain is the Joker. She is most scared of feet and would "turn gay for Miranda Kerr", whilst admitting she has a "fetish for six-packs".
Kayla also shared that she believes "there is only one God, but we all have different ways of worshiping Him". When Kayla dies she would like a traditional Catholic burial, big headstone, "the works", and would like the song "I'll Be Missing You" by P. Diddy played at her funeral.
In between Kayla's busy life as a student studying English, maths, biology, Japanese and Equine Industry certificate II, she manages to fit in her part-time job at Bakers Delight and be a roving reporter for youthcentral. She also commits lots of time to helping her Nan on the farm and looking after her horses. Some morning she rises at 5am, when most teenagers are still sleeping!
Kayla recalls her trip to Japan for three weeks in 2007 as being a memorial trip, describing it as being "bloody wicked, fantastic and awesome!" She hopes to further develop her Japanese by returning in 2010 to teach English.
As Kayla endeavours to be an English teacher in future, she hopes to develop her writing ability through freelance journalism. As part of her time with youthcentral she aspires to interview Hamish and Andy.
Our young roving reporter wants to tell all her fans "Don't give up on the world just yet, there is still hope. They [the government] actually might do something right."
Roving Reporter Profile : Sharnee,
Sharnee is a 17-year-old fun-loving girl who loves to rollerblade with mates, go horse-riding and enjoys spending Friday nights at youth group. She loves music, is currently studying trumpet, trombone and flute, and is a member of East Gippsland Brass.
She is studying year 11 English, chemistry, maths methods and year 12 biology at Lakes Entrance Secondary College. She describes her school as "a small caring community where every individual matters". Sharnee is also a house captain, school council representative and an enthusiastic member of the Jazz combo, brass ensemble and senior stage band.
She has a passion for helping others. Whether it's doing the 40-Hour Famine, mentoring fellow students, volunteering at the local special school or leading a youth camp, count Sharnee in! Whether big or small she's always there to extend a helping hand. She says, "Too often we look for the 'big' opportunities to help others, yet we miss the small ones that surround us every day."
Sharnee found out about youthcentral from Gippsland Lakes Community Health workers. Sharnee decided to apply for the roving reporter job "to inspire the youth community to make a go of their lives, no matter what the challenges may lay ahead".
Sharnee is a young Christian girl who is enthusiastic about sharing Jesus with people. She made a commitment to God about 1 year ago and says "making a commitment to follow Jesus was the best thing I have ever done! God showed me love when I thought there was no such thing. He rescued me from the bottomless pit of my own destruction." This young girl knows that no matter what happens, God will carry her through. She embraces life and looks forward to the future God has in store for her.
When asked, "If you could be anyone for a day, who would you be?" Sharnee, constantly ready to extend a helping hand, replies with, "I would be someone from a Third World country." She would aspire to share her story with the world in extending a helping hand.
She's a small town girl and says "I've travelled England and Europe, but nothing beats my home town."
With the type of personality Sharnee has, she asked me to leave you with one thing - "It doesn't matter what background you have or where you come from. It only matters what you want to do. Dream BIG!"
Roving Reporter Profile : David H
David lives in Yallourn North, a small town in the Latrobe Valley and he believes it's a great place to live. "Within a couple of hours travel you could be in Melbourne, at the beach or in the mountains." Given the choice David will almost always pick the mountains. Throughout his life he has spent a lot of time either skiing or hiking on the nearby Baw Baw Plateau.
David is fond of fiction writing as he caught the bug in primary school. But it was during his later high school years that David became more serious about writing. He found that it was a great outlet for his creativity and that others got a laugh from his stories.
After being a 'lethargic' teenager David has now taken on an active lifestyle. He enjoys a lot of walking, cycling and in winter his all-time favourite pastime, cross-country skiing.
Apart from this David is involved in a few different areas of his community. He is a member of his local Fire Brigade, as well as his town's 'Action Group' and is on the committee of management for his local Rail Trail.
The opportunity to be a part of the youthcentral team was too good to pass up and David hopes that he can help to spread the youthcentral message as well as learn a few valuable lessons along the way.
Roving Reporter Profile : Eliza,
Eliza's out to change the world. A vegan since the age of six, she has always been a strong believer in animal rights. Growing up in the small community of Longford near Sale has given her a love of the wide open spaces and picturesque country scenery.
If she could be any animal, she would be a sheep - but don't jump straight to conclusions on this one! Not because of they follow the herd, but because of their gentle nature, she decides the life of a sheep would be the one for her.
Aside from her love of animals and nature, Eliza has a passion for French. Last year she travelled to France twice in the space of four months. "I felt so spoilt," she said, "It was so much fun."
Although her time at school is usually spent in beloved humanities classes, Eliza relishes lunchtime with her friends. Never straying from a good deep and meaningful, she's a thinker with plenty to say on just about any topic.
When asked about the scariest thing that's ever happened to her, an incident involving a hairdryer comes to mind. "When I was little, my mum was blow-drying my hair when all of a sudden the hairdryer exploded into flames!"
Until recently, she has turned a cautious eye to hairdryers.
In her spare time Eliza can be found rummaging through op-shops in search of that perfect vintage dress. She loves the idea of buying from op-shops because she knows her money is always going towards a good cause. To relax, Eliza likes reading, swimming and watching TV.
One day Eliza would love to travel to Africa and other Third World countries volunteering to help disadvantaged communities. Although she's not entirely sure of her career path, it is clear her committed attitude will get her wherever she decides.
Roving Reporter Profile : Maya
Maya is currently tossing up between a career in health or the Arts. Last year she took her love of helping others all the way to India where she worked with and taught English to impoverished street children.When not practising her physiotherapy or rescuing Indian orphans, Maya can be found either at a club, on the netball court or with friends who she says would probably describe her as "Nice, nosy but just someone they can rely on."
Another passion of Maya's is writing, which she does in her spare time. A few of her pieces have even been published in The Age newspaper, a feat of which she is proud. Of joining the youthcentral team she says, "I really like writing, so that's why I'm here."
Maya's life motto is: "Don't take life too seriously. Just try to be a good person while you're here."
Roving Reporter Profile : Allen,
Meet Allen. He's in his early 20's and lives in Croydon in Melbourne. Originally from Liberia, Allen has had a life of refugee camps and war torn countries. Having left Liberia because of war, Allen ended up in a refugee camp in the Ivory Coast (or Cote d'Ivoire). Twelve years later and because of war again, he left and fled to Guinea. Allen then spent two years in Guinea prior to coming to Australia 18 months ago.
If Allen had the choice to change his birth country or the developing countries he has lived in to make them a better place he says, "Change comes from within, so I have to change myself and how I think of the past and the suffering conditions."
Allen loves to learn, especially about things going on around him. As a result he doesn't have a favourite TV show. When he does turn on the TV - he watches shows about current affairs not just in Australia, but around the globe. At the moment Allen is most concerned about the wars.
Allen looks up to people who are seen and heard doing the right thing and that do not discriminate. "These people are obvious to everyone. They must also strive for the best, be independent and not rely on others." Allen's favourite examples are Martin King Jr and Thomas Jefferson.
Ten years down the track Allen hopes he will be able to achieve a level of education that will allow him to advocate for people who are at a disadvantage, not just in his his native Liberia, but also in other developing countries.
Allen doesn't want to have a 'particular place to rest'. "Today I'm here, tomorrow I'm in the US." Allen may also end up somewhere back in Africa or maybe in Asia. He wants to be everywhere so he can learn about things that are happening around the world.
Allen's ambitions hold many things, but mainly politics and political studies in the future. He doesn't want to become a political leader, but to become a person who can speak on disadvantaged people's behalf.
