By Michael Newhouse
YOUNG Taylors Lakes youth worker and counsellor Angela Saflekas was last week named Brimbank’s Young Citizen of the Year, for her time spent working with the area’s troubled youth and teenagers.
At just 24, Ms Saflekas has already shown her dedication to Brimbank, and to Melbourne’s West, giving much-needed personal support and advice to people aged 12 to 25 in her role as youth support counsellor for Brimbank Youth Services YMCA.
Receiving her award last week at Brimbank City Council’s Australia Day ceremony at Sunshine Marketplace, Ms Saflekas said her mission was to help those who needed it the most.
She said that through her work and her education (she hopes to have qualified as a registered psychologist by the middle of the year) that she has grown personally, not just professionally.
Ms Saflekas has created her own social group, called Checklist 8, which aims to provide young people, aged 16 to 25, with the skills and knowledge for life and to improve their social competencies.
But there is more to come. Adding to her workload, Ms Saflekas said she plans to create a similar group for people aged between 12 and 15, which will be based at the Visy Cares Hub in Sunshine.
