The C&K Young Change Maker Award (16–18 years) celebrates young Queenslanders who use their voices, experiences and ideas to advocate for the rights and wellbeing of children and young people.
Through leadership, education, advocacy and community action, these young change makers challenge perspectives, raise awareness and contribute to meaningful change. This year’s finalists demonstrate the role young people play in shaping their communities and the systems around them.
Their courage, determination and commitment remind us that young people are leading, influencing and creating change right now.
Angus Riley
Angus Riley advocates for children and young people in out-of-home care, drawing on his lived experience to champion greater stability, safety and support for carers and families.
Angus has given testimony to the Commission of Inquiry into Queensland’s Child Safety System and advised child-protection and mental-health researchers. Through community projects with the South Burnett Regional Youth Council, Angus also helps ensure young people’s voices inform decisions affecting their lives.
At the heart of this advocacy is a commitment to children’s rights: ensuring young people in care are heard, have their experiences taken seriously and participate in decisions that affect them. Angus champions systems that listen to young people and respond to their needs.
Ava Costa
Ava Costa is a disability advocate, founder of Walking with Ava and co-founder of The Sharing Shed Foundation. The foundation connects donated disability equipment with children and families unable to access it through traditional funding pathways.
Drawing on lived experience of spinal cord injury, Ava turns advocacy into practical action, removing barriers to education, independence and community participation. This work has included helping four children access the wheelchairs they needed to return home from hospital.
Ava’s advocacy reflects every child’s right to participate fully and equally in education, family life and their community. By removing barriers to essential equipment and support, Ava helps create greater opportunities for children with disability to experience independence and inclusion.
About the sponsor: C&K
Thank you to C&K for supporting this celebration and for a longstanding commitment to Queensland children. By creating nurturing and inclusive learning environments, C&K continues to champion every child’s potential and help lay strong foundations for lifelong learning and wellbeing.
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