Koorie Youth Council

Georgia Mae Capocchi-Hunter is a proud Wurundjeri woman living in Naarm, Melbourne. Hear how Georgia came to be involved as a KYC Executive member and what matters to her.

I joined the KYC towards the end of 2016. I was on my lunch break at school when I found out they were looking for new Executive members so I thought I would give it a go, borrowed one of the school laptops and got in touch. At this point I hadn’t had much to do with KYC.

I knew of the Summit but was too young to attend as I was 16 but I liked what KYC stood for and thought that this would be a good way to have my voice heard. I decided to join the KYC because I felt that young people, especially those under the age of 18, were still not having their voices heard in a meaningful way.

Decisions were being made by organisations and government departments about us and our future without any real input or collaboration from the actual young people who were going to be affected. To me, KYC seemed to be dedicated to ensuring that all Indigenous young people’s voices were heard and that the advice we could give was acknowledged and acted upon.

One of the best things about being in the KYC is the diversity amongst the members. While we are all young Indigenous people, our experiences and passions are unique and it’s great to learn from everyone else around me.

I also really appreciate the many opportunities we are given to be a voice for young people, whether it is speaking at a conference or meeting with a minister, I like seeing our experiences and voices as young people be valued and heard.

It is hard to say what the best thing about the Koorie Youth Summit is as it’s such an amazing experience overall. I suppose the best thing is the environment it creates for us young mob. We are able to take a break and just hang out together, take part in cultural activities, have deep discussions, watch movies and form new friendships. The Summit really gives you an opportunity to feel completely relaxed and safe because you know that everyone there has your back.

I am most passionate about the environment and taking care of Country. If we lose Country I believe we lose one of our most meaningful links to our culture, identity and history. The future generations deserve to be able to go out on their Country and not be surrounded by barren lands, empty forests and polluted waterways.

My mum is probably my biggest role model. She is a strong Aboriginal woman and I appreciate everything she has done for me. She made sure I was connected to my community and my culture and helped me to see the importance of caring for Country.

I try to get out of the city and the suburbs. I feel my most relaxed surrounded by nature so I try to go camping or at least on a hike so I can feel grounded again. If I’m not able to get out though I usually like to just sit with a good book and get lost in the world I’m reading about!​