Introducing our Youth Participation Coordinator, Sheeneeya Penrith!

Sheeneeya is a proud Yorta Yorta, Dja Dja Wurrung, Wiradjuri, and Yamatji woman. She grew up in Naarm (Melbourne) and spent her holidays in Kyabram and Shepparton. Sheeneeya is passionate about giving back to the community the way the community has supported her throughout her journey in life and the barriers she has faced over the years. Without community support, she would not be the woman she is today. Sheeneeya wants to make sure that mob are being taken care of appropriately and safely, ensuring that our rights and voices are being heard and taken into account. 

Over the past decade, Sheeneeya has worked in multiple sectors within ACCO’s in Naarm, including justice, health, and alcohol and drugs. At the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service (Fitzroy), she held multiple roles such as receptionist, medical administration officer, Aboriginal Health Worker, and In-Home Support Worker. In the justice sector, she has worked for the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service in youth justice and has worked for the National Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Legal Service, where she supported mob who have disabilities who have been neglected and exploited within the justice system. She helped mob share their stories to the Disability Royal Commission.  

Before starting at KYC, Sheeneeya worked at Ngwala Willumbong in the AOD sector as the Community Engagement Worker for the northern suburbs of Melbourne Metropolitan, developing and delivering programs from an AOD lens to youth, adults, and elders in community.  

Last year, she was the 2023 Victorian Wurreker Award Winner – for Community-Based Employee in the Community Sector, recognising her work with young mob in youth justice while employed at VALS. Sheeneeya is passionate about strengthening communities and uplifting the younger generations. Building healthier and stronger communities affects us as individuals and creates better spaces for the generations after us. 

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