Anna Kaufmann

Name: Anna Kaufmann

State/Territory: Australian Capital Territory

Occupation: Student

Star sign: Virgo

Shoe size: 6 ½

Favourite hobby: Dancing

Why did you get involved with NYW and why is it important to you?
As a young person passionate about helping other young people, I saw NYW as the perfect opportunity to make a positive difference in the community, and inspire others to do the same. We, as young people, are the future of not just this country, but the world, and therefore I see the chance to celebrate our accomplishments and to come together to tackle issues important to us as incredibly important.

Why should young people get involved in NYW and how can they get involved?
Young people should get involved in NYW because it celebrates them! And it is also a chance for their voices to be heard on what’s affecting their lives. It’s so easy to get involved, just check out the website or the facebook page, see what awesome things are happening in their area, and go along and celebrate being young!

What are you most looking forward to for NYW 2012?
I’m looking forward to meeting so many new people from all different areas and backgrounds, and working with them to make a difference in our community. I look forward to seeing young people across the country come together and sharing great experiences, it’s going to be awesome!

What’s your hidden talent?
I have to say I do make pretty good sushi.

Who or what have you been inspired by recently?
I recently went to the Manuscripts exhibition and the National library, which features handwritten letters and documents from some of the most well known and influential figures in history. Seeing handwritten letters from the likes of Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin, Florence Nightingale, Captain Cook and Isaac Newton was not only incredibly inspirational, but also made these larger-than-life figures of history seem so human, and normal, and seeing them in that light really made me realise that there is nothing stopping me from accomplishing as much as they did.

If you could travel back in time and meet yourself as a 12 year old, what advice would you give yourself?
To stop trying to be more grown up and enjoy being a kid, there is some stuff you can only get away with doing when you’re that young.

Tell us something about yourself that not many people know?
I am a total gym junkie, I workout everyday and I absolutely love it.

If you could plan any event for NYW, what would it be and why?
I would love to plan an event where we all slept on the streets for a night, really roughing it, for a chance to gain an insight of what it’s really like for homeless youth and raising awareness about the struggles that they face on a daily basis. Homeless youth is an issue that is so much bigger than we all realise, and one that I feel really needs to be addressed.

If you were an animal, which would you be and why?
If I was an animal I would probably be one of those howler monkeys found in South America. Mainly because I talk a lot and have a really loud voice, but also because monkeys are such curious creatures and I am definitely a person who is constantly curious and craving to learn more about the world around me.

How can the Youth of today be (more) active in their communities?
The youth of today can be more active in their communities by simply using their imaginations and taking action. Find an issue they’re passionate about and do some research, if there isn’t already something set up with which they can help, for example a charity or organisation, think outside the box on ways they can help to make a difference, then get some friends together and make something happen. Anyone can make anything that they can imagine happen, the hardest part is just getting started.