Following a nationwide call-out, sixteen individuals passionate about strengthening their communities have been announced as Heywire's 2018 young regional Trailblazers.
The group represents some of the brightest emerging leaders in regional Australia, working in areas such as Indigenous culture, mental health, agriculture and business.
Trailblazers will have their story told on the ABC and attend the Trailblazers Lab in Canberra in February 2018.
The Lab is an intensive five-day experience which empowers young regional leaders to share their stories and build their professional network and capacity.
The director of ABC Regional, Fiona Reynolds, said that Trailblazers builds on the ABC's commitment to champion young people in regional Australia.
"These brilliant young leaders are working to create a better future for their communities and their peers. We're very proud to share their stories," she said.
Federal Minister for Regional Development, Fiona Nash, said they represent the bright future of regional Australia.
"Trailblazers is about so many of the great things about Australia: our regions, our great young people, and true leadership," she said.
"Communities will be built by young regional trailblazers."
Trailblazer Alana Black, from Rydal in NSW, is excited to connect with other young changemakers.
"It's a fantastic opportunity to learn from other regional people and hear what they're doing in their communities," Ms Black said.
"I'm looking forward to bringing that knowledge back to Rydal."
Alana is working to improve succession planning in farming families.
"Empowering farmers with the tools to address issues like succession planning — which we know has a flow on effect on areas including mental health — is a preventative step to create more resilient regional communities," she said.
Pritika Desai founded Shoutout! in the Northern Territory after her personal experience highlighted the lack of targeted mental health services in regional areas.
"It really came from my own lived experience of mental illness and my own struggles about the accessibility with stigma and accessibility with services," she said.
"So once I started really becoming public about what was happening in my life, I found there were a lot of other young people with the same challenges.
"We came together to do something about those issues."
A series of videos showcasing their stories will be shown on ABC platforms in early 2018.
Trailblazers is run by the ABC's Heywire regional youth program and supported by the Australian Government through the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development.
