MIDLAND youth worker Casey Moller won the Minister for Youth award for most outstanding youth worker at the WA Youth Awards last Friday.

She said she was honoured and proud to receive the award.

“Being named a finalist was already such a profound moment for me, and to actually receive this prestigious award feels truly amazing! This recognition goes beyond a personal or professional achievement; it reflects the collective efforts of so many incredible individuals who have supported and inspired me to become the youth worker I am today.”

Ms Moller’s work ranges from delivering support and education to young people in the community, to securing grant funding for projects and community events.

This year these events included a youth panel in Midland that gave young people the opportunity to share their firsthand experiences and opinions on youth issues with people working in youth mental health.

Youth Focus is the agency behind HeadSpace and is the largest youth-specialised non-government service provider for mental health in WA.

Youth Focus chief executive officer Derry Simpson said the stories shared by winners and finalists throughout the awards night were inspirational.

“They all displayed a shared passion and commitment to bringing positive change for young people now and into the future,” she said.

“Our incredible people, like Casey, are critical in achieving our purpose at Youth Focus – to champion the mental health needs of young people, so they can thrive in their community.”

Youth Focus has been providing mental health support services to WA’s youth for more than 20 years, with the aim to provide top quality services and a safe space for young people to talk about their mental health.

The WA youth awards were started in 1999 to ensure young people in Western Australia are recognised and rewarded for their achievements and contributions to their community.

The awards are run by YACWA, and financially supported by the WA government.

Youth minister Hannah Beazley said recognising youth workers, and their passion and dedication to WA’s youth was an important part of the youth awards.

“Youth workers make our communities better places by supporting and improving the lives of young people in WA,” she said.

“It was an absolute pleasure to award Casey the ‘most outstanding youth worker’ award for 2024 for her commitment to providing early intervention and prevention education for young people in need.”