YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCIL

Aravindh completed a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology with a specific interest in ethical and political theory. He is currently in the 3rd year of Medicine at the University of Melbourne, aspiring towards a career in psychiatry. Ethical questions are at the centre of his interest in philosophical inquiry and spirituality. He is a practicing Buddhist with an education in academic philosophy and this lends itself to his ability to provide alternative perspectives on common sense morality while maintaining sufficient openness and epistemic humility.

Lee-Elle is a 16-year-old Year 11 student from Fremantle, Western Australia and is studying politics and law, business management and enterprise, and accounting at Santa Maria College. She is passionate about politics, business relations, ethical problems and how humans respond to them. Lee-Elle would also love to make a difference by having the opportunity to shape and influence ethical discussions and decisions as well as expand her knowledge and learn from experts in the field. She enjoys friendly debates and is looking forward to meeting like-minded individuals who share an interest in ethics and engaging in discussions and debates about key issues.

Sasha is an early career professional with a strong interest in ethics and its place within Australian society. In 2021, she completed a Bachelor of Liberal Arts at Princeton University. Courses in both economics and philosophy sparked her passion for the nexus of the two fields, specifically how economic analysis and ethical inquiry can inform an equitable energy transition. Most recently, as an Associate at BCG, she has advised clients in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors, including on decarbonisation and social impact strategy projects. She is excited to join the Youth Advisory Council and help the Centre bring accessible ethics to the leaders of tomorrow.

Faith is a new art school student at Adelaide TAFE. They are committed to bringing their lived experience as a trans and queer person in a rural area to discussions in the Youth Advisory Council and are passionate about the severe lack of medical resources in rural towns. Faith is passionate about community and believes that culture is at the heart of growth.

Jonah is a recent philosophy graduate and is keen to transform the passion that they found learning about ethics and teasing out moral problems into some real-world experience. They are a non-binary person from Wollongong who has recently moved to Sydney and found attending the Festival of Dangerous Ideas in 2022 illuminating and thought provoking, especially Alok Vaid-Menon’s talk. Jonah thinks there is a need for visibility and critical thinking that is missed through our education system and is looking forward to meeting other young people that might both challenge and expand their ethical horizons.

Amelia is a 14-year-old Year 9 student and who loves learning and being challenged. Her favourite subjects are mathematics, science, history and geography and she is currently undergoing an accelerated HSC mathematics course. After high school, Amelia hopes to study medicine or pharmacology at university, which partners well with her interest in ethics and research. At home, Amelia enjoys playing bass guitar and developing her encyclopaedic knowledge of statistics, world flags and countries by continent, as well as writing essays and papers on topics that interest her. Amelia’s experience has been that adults often assume that someone of her age can’t understand complex ethical and policy-related ideas. She wants to show that young people can make a difference and should be encouraged to engage in ethical discussions.

Anson is a Year 12 student at Abbotsleigh on Sydney’s north shore and is interested in media arts, law and marketing. She enjoys filmmaking, writing and music, growing up with debating and the arts, and has always been interested in social and ethical issues from the past and present, including a fascination with historical figures in civil rights history. Anson would like to raise awareness about areas in ethics that may be overlooked, including media ethics in our digital age, and intersectionality within social justice movements that may under-represent certain demographics.

During primary school Stella used to listen to the podcast ‘Short and Curly’, an ethics podcast for kids. As she grew older this sparked a love for ethics and debating and led her to consider ethics as not just a discussion but an intricate part of life. In Year 9, Stella transferred schools and started a new school subject: critical thinking. These opportunities growing up gave her a love for discussion and debate, allowing her to use ethics as a gateway to understand and contemplate the world. Stella is currently in Year 11 at the Sydney International Grammar School.

Harrison is studying a double degree in computer science and politics, philosophy and economics (PPE) at University of the Australian National University, specialising in artificial intelligence. He’s passionate about the intersection between technology and society, particularly concerning ethical decision-making for autonomous systems and algorithmic bias. He wants to help educate other young people and bring his unique lived experience as a combined STEM / humanities student and youth advocate from regional Far North Queensland.

Enoch is currently studying a Bachelor of International Security Studies and Politics, Philosophy and Economics at ANU in Canberra, but was born in Alice Springs, NT. He grew up and graduated there and has a strong passion to help those most vulnerable in Australian society. His hometown is currently experiencing a crime wave, (Kmart and Target are rumoured to be closing down – removing cheap clothes options in Central Australia) and a health crisis. He wants to bring further insight from his own experiences to help further understand how we can bring services to remote communities and why governments are responsible for this.

Sofia is a student at Sydney Girls High School who is passionate about politics, current affairs, and the value of debate to an open democracy. She believes that in an age which is so deeply partisan, and in a world where flippant opinions are so common, the value of having long, deep discussions with public intellectuals, particularly those with heterodox views and heterogeneous backgrounds, is an incredibly valuable pursuit. Stella hopes to be able to connect with young people to broaden the spectrum of debate and ensure all viewpoints are represented and valued in public discourse.

Darcy is a 19-year-old currently on a gap year attempting to gain some real-world experience with which to frame his future university studies. He works as a lighting technician at Canberra Theatre and in his limited spare time he enjoys singing, circus arts and philosophy. He is passionate about helping drive social change, beyond the regular options such as rallies, charity events and social media movements.