14 Nov 2024
Congratulations to Tumbi Umbi Campus Alumni Maddison O'Gradey-Lee for being awarded the 2025 Young Australian of the Year for NSW.
Maddison O’Gradey-Lee
Mental health advocate and researcher
Maddison O’Gradey-Lee aims to improve the measurement of mental ill-health for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people through her PhD research.
In 2020, Maddison co-founded the Orygen Global Youth Mental Health Fellowship, a six-month program providing youth advocates with support, mentorship and education modules to increase the impact of their advocacy projects in their communities and globally.
Together with Orygen Global, Maddison facilitated one of the largest global youth consultations on mental health. She heard advocates felt unsupported and lacked training. Within four years, the Orygen Global youth fellowship has trained 76 youth advocates in mental health education, lived experience advocacy and peer support across 42 countries.
Over 21,000 young people have been reached through the direct and indirect impact of the program. Maddison has created a global community that’s combating taboos around mental health and was the first person from Oceania to win the Dalai Lama Peace Fellowship.