Liam McNally
A Caroline Springs teenager has been nominated for the 2022 Victorian 7NEWS Young Achiever Awards for her broad contributions to community leadership, first aid volunteering, and disability awareness.
Kayla Parker (17) is a Keilor Downs College student nominated for the Saward Dawson Community Service and Social Impact Award.
Kayla is a youth volunteer St Johns Ambulance, a Brimbank youth leader, is on her school’s Student Voice and Leadership team, A YMCA Swimathon youth ambassador, and has been awarded the Long Tan Youth Leadership and Teamwork award and Keilor Downs College’s community service award and outstanding contribution to the school community award.
She is also a disability awareness advocate, at the age of five, Kayla was diagnosed with a connective tissue disorder known as Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS).
As a result of the diagnosis, she spent the majority of her early years in a wheelchair. Kayla has raised awareness for people living with “invisible disabilities” by giving talks, including on TV and raising the official EDS flag outside of Treasury place with the Victorian premier in 2014.
More recently, she has continued this work through the Western Bulldogs Youth leadership project, and her instagram account @wbinvisible_but_real.
Kayla said being nominated has been a “surreal experience”.
“Because all the volunteer work that i have done and am still doing, you don’t do it because you want to be recognised for it, you do it because you want to bring out long-lasting positive changes within all your communities, but to know that someone has seen that, and has recognised that is a huge thing,” she said.
Finalists for the Young Achiever Awards will be presented and winners announced at an Awards Gala Presentation Dinner on Friday, April 28.
