BRIANNA Bartlett has two very different places to call home.<\/p>\n
One of those is Malawi, Africa. The other is Ballarat, where last week, she was named the winner of the city\u2019s Zonta Club\u2019s Young Women in Public Affairs Award.<\/p>\n
Established to celebrate, champion and promote the dedication, volunteerism and leadership of young women in the community, the award is something Miss Bartlett \u201cwasn\u2019t expecting.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was very surprised. I feel honoured and blessed to have been recognised,\u201d she said. \u201cI grew up in Malawi and I was involved in lots of volunteer community work growing up.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people, when I mention that, would say that I was involved in international volunteer work but for me, that\u2019s my home.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Ballarat Christian College student has worked with children, caring for babies in a Malawi orphanage.<\/p>\n
She raised money to distribute mosquito nets to protect families from malaria, was involved with medical clinics, provided food and essential supplies to Malawi locals affected by catastrophic flooding, and gave school supplies to children in rural villages.<\/p>\n
Miss Bartlett also has a strong connection to one specific institution.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an all-girls school to encourage young women to be educated. There is a massive gender inequality in Malawi, just as far as opportunity, especially with high rates of poverty,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI visited on several occasions, encouraged them, and a few times they asked me, \u2018what can women in Australia do?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cI had the opportunity to tell them that being a surgeon, lawyer or politician is not a farfetched, unrealistic dream. It should be a common occurrence all over the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
The other four finalists were Loreto\u2019s Caitlin James, Ballarat Clarendon College\u2019s Jai Williams-Murnane, Damascus\u2019s Blaise Mulrooney and Ballarat Christian College\u2019s Esther McKee.<\/p>\n
The judging panel was Donna Campbell, Zonta Club of Ballarat President, Member for Wendouree Juliana Addison and Paula Nicholson, Ballarat Arts Foundation President.<\/p>\n
Miss Bartlett said the finalists \u201cwowed\u201d her.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery time one of the other girls got up, I sat there and thought, that\u2019s amazing, they deserve to win it. They were all incredible,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Hoping to use the award as a platform, Ms Bartlett wants to \u201cinspire positive change.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not enough, just one or two people with a compassionate heart and a big voice to stand up and say something against injustice and inequality. It\u2019s got to be a group effort,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cExtreme poverty oversea isn\u2019t the only inequality in the world. In our own community there\u2019s homelessness, domestic violence, bullying, discrimination… They\u2019re realistic things in Australia.<\/p>\n
\u201cA small act of kindness is where positive change begins to take place, and that\u2019s a responsibility each one of us should be carrying, looking outwards to our communities and figuring out what we can do to uplift someone today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Miss Bartlett also receives a bursary payment to assist further education and leadership aspirations.<\/p>\n
She will move onto the next round of the national, and potentially international, Zonta YWPA Award process.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BRIANNA Bartlett has two very different places to call home. One of those is Malawi, Africa. The other is Ballarat, where last week, she was named the winner of the city\u2019s Zonta Club\u2019s Young Women in Public Affairs Award. Established to celebrate, champion and promote the dedication, volunteerism and leadership of young women in the […]<\/p>\n