Senator Anne Urquhart Duty Senator for Braddon Labor Senator for Tasmania Chief Government Whip in the Senate MEDIA RELEASE LOCALS RECOGNISED AT 2025 HEYWIRE REGIONAL YOUTH SUMMIT I am proud to see Cooper from King Island and Alyssia from Burnie recognised at the 2025 Heywire Regional Youth Summit. The Summit brings together winners of the Heywire Competition and the Trailblazers Program. It promotes youth leadership, collaboration, and the development of projects that improve rural and regional Australia. Cooper has been recognised as a winner of the Heywire Competition which is a lived experience storytelling competition celebrating stories of life across regional, rural, and remote Australia. In his winning submission, Cooper shared his story of substance abuse and the supports available.
Alyssia has been recognised as a Trailblazer. This program celebrates young people across Australia who are determined to make a difference in their communities. Alyssia is one of 16 inspiring young people chosen this year. Her program, Life After School, aims to help high school students bridge the gap between education and adulthood by teaching essential life skills like budgeting, taxes, and superannuation—skills often missed in traditional schooling. She has already made a real impact by running this program in local schools, empowering students to navigate life after school with confidence and readiness for the workforce. Quotes attributable to Senator Anne Urquhart: “Heywire plays an important role in amplifying the voices of young people from regional Australia and encouraging them to be the change they want to see in our communities.” “We are lucky to have young people in our community, who are passionate and committed to making our region a better place now, and into the future.”