Young Citizen of the Year 

Darebin Youth Services Leadership Program

In 2019 Rumbi participated in a leadership program facilitated over ten weeks with Darebin Youth Services.  This sparked a relationship that has resulted in Rumbi winning Young Citizen of the Year at the 2020 Darebin Community Awards. It was a super exciting night, with Reservoir High School getting a big shout out from the City of Darebin Mayor, Lina Messina.  Cr Messina presented the award to a very humble Rumbi at the Darebin Arts Centre.

Her nomination biography follows: 

In 2020 Rumbi was dedicated to community and youth engagement and inspiring young people to keep connected online.  Rumbi has been an active participant at Darebin Youth Hub and volunteers with the FreeZa committee.  A youth developmental program which provides opportunities for young people to organise live performances and create opportunities for local artists.

During the closure of the Hub in 2020, Youth Service programs went digital.  Rumbi curated and hosted many online events via Darebin Youth Services to actively engage young people in the community.  Even though she was going through her own challenges of online schooling and faced many social barriers, she took the initiative to connect with Darebin Youth Services weekly and create dance workshops, cooking workshops and supported other online events.  Another event Rumbi designed was an online Youth Activism Panel for Youth Week.  She wanted to use the platform to inspire the work of local young people and create a safe space to share important topics such as climate change and race based discrimination.

Overall this young leader took initiative and many long hours to support young people in Darebin.

I am super proud of Rumbi and hope that you will share in congratulating her leadership and commitment to youth in the Darebin community.

 Michele Riali  

 Secondary School Nursing