Local Indigenous mentor recognised

TORQUAY’S Keeden Graham, a proud Yorta-Yorta, Wiradjuri, and Dja Dja Wurrung man, has been nominated for the 2022 Victorian Young Australian of the Year Award for his tireless work to elevate and mentor young Aboriginal people.

The 22-year-old manager and deputy CEO of Strong Brother Strong Sister is one of just four Victorians nominated for the award, which he described as an honour and opportunity.

“Working in the Indigenous community, you want to make your community proud; and doing that makes me feel happy and proud,” Keeden said.

He said the award nomination was also an exciting opportunity to raise the profile of Strong Brother Strong Sister and gain acknowledgement and recognition for the small grass-roots organisation.

Strong Brother Strong Sister was established in Geelong in 2017 and is a 100 per cent Aboriginal-owned-and-operated organisation, that provides a culturally appropriate and safe place to help Aboriginal young people thrive.

Keeden, who has grown up in Torquay, has been with Strong Brother Strong Sister for almost four years, joining the organisation soon after its founder Cormach Evans started the organisation.

“I was working with Cormach in a local surf shop, we’d been close friends, and I was doing a Certificate IV in Community Services, and it was an opportunity to work with young people and advocate for them for things that they don’t have,” he said.

Keeden said there were plans to grow Strong Brother Strong Sister, which recently partnered with Cotton On, but his focus was supporting the many young Indigenous people as they come out of the pandemic and re-engage with each other and their community.

The award nominee is also an active board member of the Ngarrimili Charity, offering programs and support to current and aspiring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses across Victoria.

He is a member of the Victorian Youth Congress, working closely with the Minister for Youth, as well as a former council member of the Youth Council at the Commission for Children and Young People.

Keeden’s nomination for the prestigious Victorian Young Australian of the Year Award recognises “his natural leadership skills, and passion for Aboriginal culture which shines through in all his work, where he gives young people the opportunity to learn and immerse themselves in their culture”.

Keeden is one of four nominees and the award recipient will be announced on November 10 in a livestreamed ceremony.