Six finalists from the Zonta International Young Women in Public Affairs (YWPA) award program were recognised for their exceptional leadership and active volunteerism in the community.

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They are Alice Burns of Coffs Harbour Senior College, Lilly Birkett and Anastasia van Gaalan of Orara High School, Eva Smith of Toormina High School and Madison Parkes and Betelhem (Betty) Tesfamariam of Bishop Druitt College.

Betty was announced the winner of the 2024 Zonta Coffs Harbour YWPA Award and received $500.

Among her accomplishments was a leadership role in the Coffs Youth Climate Alliance during the 2023 Concert for Climate held in the Botanic Gardens.

Anastasia van Gaalan was awarded an Honourable Mention.

Also celebrated on the night were two students from the Zonta District 24 Achievement Award for a Young Indigenous Woman (AAYIW) program.

Keeley Gardner (Bishop Druitt College) and Ebony Singh (Woolgoolga High School) both received a Highly Commended Award for being in the top ten of all nominees from NSW and the ACT.

All finalists participated in two Young Leaders panels, facilitated by Claire White of the Leaders Network.

Nada Hassin Ali, a previous Pat Funnell Encouragement Award and YWPA finalist, is also a member and advocate of the small Yazidi community in Coffs Harbour.

In 2014, at the age of nine, she and some of her family escaped from an ISIS incursion on her village of Sinjar in Northern Iraq, arriving in Australia in 2018.

Her talk about the escape elicited an emotional reaction from the dinner audience.

Nada uses Slam Poetry as a means of expressing her response to this trauma, winning a spot in the 2023 Australian Poetry Slam contest while in Year 12 to perform at the Sydney Opera House.
She also performed two of her poems at the Zonta dinner.

By Andrea FERRARI