Youth worker scores top gong

A Karratha woman with a lifelong passion for helping young people in under-resourced country areas has been recognised with a WA youth worker award.

Karratha resident of six years Sandra Spadanuda last week won best regional youth worker at the WA Youth Work Awards for her efforts to improve the lives of young people living in regional and remote parts of the State.

The award particularly acknowledged Ms Spadanuda’s co-founding of and ongoing involvement in the Blue Beanies Projects, an organisation that aims to reduce youth suicide and improve the wellbeing of young people living in regional Australia by supporting other youth services.

Ms Spadanuda’s 20 years in the sector has been mainly spent in towns and remote communities in the North West and she now works as a youth officer with a government department in Karratha.

She said she was thrilled to win and was glad Youth Work WA recognised the different nature of youth work in regional areas by offering a best regional worker award for the first time this year.

“One of the things that I’m really passionate about is advocating for equality for young people and for youth workers — access to services, access to training for youth workers so we can keep the field professional,” she said.

“Young people need great youth workers.”

Ms Spadanuda praised the quality of youth services in the City of Karratha area.

“They’re all really important services and they all have a really big part to play,” she said.