Youth are often referred to as the future.
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This is true, but the statement fails to acknowledge the impact youth have on the present.
You need to look no further than the Tasmanian Young Achiever Awards.
The Examiner is a proud long-time sponsor of these awards.
On Friday night the winners were announced for the various categories including service in leadership, volunteering, disability and sport.
These people, considered youth, are individually volunteering for hundreds of hours a year at organisations like Red Cross or community houses.
They are the 14-year-olds who didn't want to waste their father's dairy by-products so they have created their own fudge company, and the teenager who makes teddy bears as comfort for children and adults facing difficult situations.
They are the young adults who created the opportunity for people with a disability to complete the Duke of Edinburgh Award or coordinate an awareness campaign in relation to climate change and environmental issues.
These people are not our future. They are our present.
They are proof that being kind can change the world.
Many of the young people who were nominated for the Tasmanian Young Achiever Awards would have faced barriers in their lifetime.
Some of these barriers were mentioned, such as family upbringing, homelessness, mental health, disabilities, gender and age.
They are not Tasmanians who are doing well, for a young person. They are Tasmanians who are making a difference in their communities. This is what the awards celebrate.
The awards acknowledge their achievements and also inspire everyone who reads their stories.
Congratulations to all involved in the awards and thanks to the young people acknowledged, who are doing their part to improve the community we call home.
