Congratulations to the Winners of our 2022 Youth Grants!

Deaf Children Australia’s Youth Grants have been available to deaf and hard of hearing young people since 2000. This year welcomed many young people with a myriad of dream projects to apply. Recipients illustrated opportunities for personal development and benefits for the deaf, hard of hearing, or wider Australian community. Congratulations to the recipients of the 2022 Deaf Children Australia Youth Grants:

Catherine Thecla-Saun, VIC, 19

With the help of the DCA grant Catherine is pursuing her passion to become a renowned deaf actress. She wants to show the world that deaf CAN!

Emily Hayes, NSW, 17

Through this DCA initiative Emily is pursuing her driver’s licence with the support of a skilled driving instructor, this will help Emily gain more independence as a young individual.

Hannah Woods, WA, 20

Hannah is going after her dream of becoming the first profoundly deaf Veterinarian in Western Australia. She aspires to attain her certification and be an example to encourage young deaf people to go after their passions. She desires to be a Vet who can empathise and communicate through Auslan with deaf and hard of hearing pet owners.

Henry Hughes, NSW, 18

Participating in the 6^th World Deaf Swimming Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2023 is right on the horizon for Henry, as he joins the list of successful applicants this year. He endeavours to be on the Australian Deaf Swimming Team.

Imogen Barnes, NSW, 18

Imogen will be participating in the 2023 Paddle Australia (PA) Canoe Sprint National Championships and the Oceania Canoe Sprint Championships. With a history of competitive canoeing, her aim in 2023 is to again become a NSW state team representative.

Jaya Palmer, TAS, 19

Jaya took part in our first Art Competition giving her the confidence to want to set up her own design business. She is undertaking training to learn how to set up an online shop and how to market her designs.

Jesse Watson, NT, 16

Jesse participated in the 2022 NSW Whipcracking Competition in Deniliquin, this event was hosted by the Australian Whipcrackers and Plaiters Association (AWPA). He enjoyed sharing his interest with other young people at such a prestigious competition.

Keiran Holmes, VIC, 15

Kieran will be pursuing his interest of Photography. He will be developing in this field which will allow him to become a professional photographer in the future.

Nicole Taylor, NSW, 16

Nicole competed in the short course swimming competition in Queensland, hosted by Queensland School Sport. She was the recipient of the Australian Sportsperson of the year and Australian Junior Sportsperson of the year award by the Griffith City Council. Nicole hopes to one day participate in the Deaf Olympics.

Olivia Mary Ford, QLD, 19

Olivia will be participating in a national championship for athletics in 2023, held in Sydney. She hopes to compete with other deaf athletes and raise awareness about deaf athletics.

Ryanna Skye Lawson, VIC, 20

With assistance from the grant Ryanna will be attaining a Diploma of Professional Dance Contemporary. As a deaf young person, she believes it is important to pursue this path as it illustrates how deaf people can achieve anything.

Sekou Kanneh, VIC, 22

Sekou will be attaining a Certificate IV in Screen and Media. He wants to share his experience as a former deaf Olympian and encourage the deaf community in fitness.

Shadrak Niyonita, VIC, 19

Shadrak is obtaining a Certificate II in Carpentry. This will lead to job security and independence. He will also be receiving driving lessons from an Auslan Instructor.

Sion Takahashi, NSW, 15

Sion also took part in our Art Competition and was so excited to win a prize that it has inspired him to create designs to apply to t-shirts. His source of inspiration is other deaf and hard of hearing young people.

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

Youth Grants will be open for applicants again in April 2023. We encourage deaf and hard of hearing young people across Australia to apply, just have a go and see where it takes you!