Congratulations to our 2023 Youth Grant winners!

Deaf Children Australia has been providing Youth Grants to deaf and hard of hearing young people since 2000. This year saw many young people applying for grants to fund their dream projects. Recipients have shown opportunities for personal development and benefits for the deaf, hard of hearing, or broader Australian community. Congratulations to the 2023 Deaf Children Australia Youth Grant winners:

Ashley Guo, NSW, 18

Ashley is using her Youth Grant to participate in a structured learner driver’s program with a licenced instructor – building the skills and confidence to prepare her for driving on her P Plates. She’s excited about the independence this will provide in terms of being able to drive herself to and from her casual job.

Cooper Todd, NSW, 18

By travelling to Indonesia for 3 months, Cooper is going to be using his grant to learn to travel and live independently. He will be surfing throughout his trip to improve and enable him to compete in surfing competitions.

Edie Gifford, WA, 18

There’s a big move in store for Edie! She’ll be using her Youth Grant to support her move from Western Australia to New South Wales where she’ll be studying musical theatre. The grant will also assist her in pursuing additional vocal training for her tertiary qualification.

Eva Dickinson, VIC, 18

It’s Eva’s dream to be able to fit out a van and use it to travel around Australia. She will be using her Youth Grant to work on her van fit out project so that she can use it to experience the beautiful landmarks in Australia.

Ewan Waters, VIC, 14

Ewan’s goal is to produce high-quality songs that can be showcased online. He’ll be using his grant from this DCA initiative to purchase the professional equipment he needs to pursue his goal.

Hayley Edgar, VIC, 19

Being passionate about photography, Hayley will be studying a Bachelor of Photography in 2024 and using her grant money to cover the costs of her mandatory equipment and materials.

Hugh Gionfriddo, VIC, 15

Hugh would like to become a professional football player and play in the AFL in the future. Through his Youth Grant, Hugh plans to pay his club registration fees and buy the equipment he needs to work towards being selected for the Eastern Rangers.

Jack O’Brien, QLD, 15

Jack used his grant to travel from his hometown in far north Queensland to Brisbane, so he could perform songs in Auslan as part of a choir in the Creative Generation State School Onstage 2023.

James Logan, VIC, 17

Through his Youth Grant, James has been able to pursue his dream of entering the Deaf World Swimming Championships in Argentina.

Jay Pearse, NT, 16

Making crotchet items and hand-printed shirts is part of Jay’s exciting endeavour to open a craft shop. He’s keen to engage with his community through this project and will be using his grant to buy the necessary supplies and pay the stall fee.

Jaya Palmer, TAS, 20

After launching her online art shop with last year’s Youth Grant, Jaya is eager to build on her existing digital art skills. This year, she’ll be using her grant to undergo digital art coaching so she can use her skills to create even more artworks.

Kieran Holmes, VIC, 16

Photography is a way that Kieran likes to express himself and he’d like to pursue it as a profession. He’ll be using his grant from this DCA initiative to do a photography course and grow his skills.

Kody Gibbons, VIC, 21

Kody is using his Youth Grant to gain independence by getting professional driving lessons to build his confidence on the road and help him achieve his driver’s licence.

Nate Gale, QLD, 12

Nate was selected to represent Queensland at the under 13 Australian National Ice Hockey Championships. He’s using his Youth Grant to fund his travels to Melbourne to participate in the championships!

Rebekah Fraser, WA, 14

Competing in the National Swimming Championships is Rebekah’s goal and what she will be using her grant to fund. Swimming gives Rebekah confidence and independence and she’s committed to training and competing.

Shadrak Niyonita, VIC, 20

By participating in the 2024 Australian Deaf Games, Shadrak is excited to represent his state and improve his health and fitness. He’ll be using his Youth Grant to travel to New South Wales with his soccer team and participate in the games.

Tyler Ferres, VIC, 20

Tyler has used his grant to participate in the 2023 World Deaf Basketball Championships which were held in Greece. He is part of the Australian Goannas Deaf Basketball Team and got to represent Australia on the international stage.

William Liitiaeinen, WA, 18

Through his Youth Grant, William is training and competing in track races to prepare himself for the 2025 Deaflympics in Tokyo. His goal is to be able to represent Australia and the deaf community at the Deaflympics.

DCA is proud to support these brilliant young individuals to pursue their dreams and passions. We want to help young people engage in their community, and to gain the skills to be resilient, independent, and thriving.

Youth Grants will be open for applicants again in April 2024. We encourage deaf and hard of hearing young people across Australia to apply. Have a go and see where it may take you!