Youth mental health researcher and passionate supporter of mental health advocacy globally, Maddison O’Gradey-Lee, has been announced as one of only four nominees for the 2025 NSW Young Australian of the Year award.
The nomination recognises Maddison’s achievements as co-founder of the Orygen Global Youth Mental Health Fellowship. Now known as the ASEAN-Australia Youth Mental Health Fellowship, it is a six-month program providing youth advocates with support, mentorship and education. The fellowship has now trained 76 youth advocates in mental health education, lived experience advocacy and peer support across 42 countries.
Maddison has created a global community combating taboos around mental health and over 21,000 young people have been reached through the direct and indirect impact of the program to date. Maddison is also working to improve the measurement of mental ill-health for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people through her PhD research.
Maddison said she was delighted to be nominated alongside inspirational young people making a difference in their communities.
“I feel incredibly honoured to be a state finalist for Young Australian of the Year,” she said.
“As a child I remember watching the Australian of the Year awards in awe every year, and wanting to one day have that level of impact in the community – so to be a finalist is incredibly special.”
This latest recognition comes after Maddison recently became the first Australian to win the coveted Diana Legacy Award, presented by Prince William in honour of his late mother, Diana Princess of Wales.
The NSW award recipients will be announced at a ceremony at the Museum of Contemporary Arts in Sydney on 13 November, and will join other state and territory recipients as finalists for the national awards in Canberra on 25 January 2025.
About the Orygen Global Youth Mental Health Fellowship
Orygen’s Fellowship program is for young people aged 18 to 30 from Australia or any ASEAN country who are passionate about youth mental health and want to create change in the mental health landscape in their respective countries.
It was established to build the capacity and skills of young people to create positive change in mental health awareness, policy and systems reform and supports participants to develop youth mental health project plans designed around the needs of their communities.