Henry Kendall High School year eight student, Ms Bodene Gilham has won the NSW Youth Frontiers Mentoring Award in the category of Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing.
Bodene was presented with her award by member for Gosford, Ms Kathy Smith on Wednesday, February 17. The awards ceremony was held in the Strangers Dining Room at NSW Parliament House where three finalists in each category were recognised in front of family, friends, MP’s and sponsors of the awards.
Over 1,000 people participated in the Youth Frontiers Mentoring program and Bodene was selected as a finalist for her project entitled “Anonymous I, Anonymous You: Person-toPerson Advice for Bullying”.
Bodene’s short YouTube video gives real, practical and personal advice to teenagers who are experiencing bullying. Bodene recognised that there was a stigma attached to seeking help in a school setting and created the video with her mentor Ms Jane Goodwin, a 26 year old PhD candidate of the University of Newcastle.
“Henry Kendall High School and the Gosford community can be proud of this young lady who has recognised a growing problem in her peer group and has set about helping people with this innovative approach,” Ms Kathy Smith said. As the winner of her category, Bodene has been invited to spend a day at ReachOut.com, meeting the team and receiving professional training.
She will also be offered the opportunity to be paid $200 to produce a feature article for the ReachOut. com website. In addition to this, Bodene will also spend a day working at the Black Dog Institute meeting clinicians, researchers and contributing her thoughts to Black Dog projects aimed at young people.
Media release, Feb 23, 2016 Kathy Smith, member for Gosford