#MEETBYC Emily Bui

🤔❓ Did you know that Brimbank has a Youth Council? Now you do! It’s with great pleasure to introduce to you our 2021 Brimbank Youth Councillor Emily Bui!

Name: Emily Bui

Pronouns: She/Her

Suburb: Kings Park

Tell us more about yourself!

I’m just an ordinary high school student! After graduating high school and University, my main goal is to be able to help those in need and less fortunate than I am. 

My hobbies are cooking and baking. In my spare time I also love to hang out with my brother and my sister. Unlike many other siblings, we are quite close!

Why did you join the BYC? 

There are two reasons why I decided to join BYC. Firstly, I have always liked the thought of being in a council or being a part of a community and being able to contribute my ideas and watching them come to life. After joining my school’s student council, I realised that not much was getting done, nobody really cared and students’ voices were not being heard or represented. When I read about the BYC, I knew that this was my chance of being a part of something big, representing the youth in Brimbank as well as sharing my thoughts and ideas. Secondly, I wanted to get out of my comfort zone. I’ve always been a shy kid and was even battling with myself on whether I should submit the form for BYC. I’m glad I did!

What are you passionate about? Why is your passion/s important or relevant to the Brimbank community?

There are so many issues affecting youth and the community that I care about and I could go on forever. However, one topic that I especially care about is the discrimination against the LGBTQIA+ community. Being able to come out, having people support you and being comfortable with your identity is so important. It’s a basic human right. I’m sure that we’ve all heard about violence and discrimination against the LGBTQIA+ community on social media and the news, but these things happen in our OWN Brimbank community, I see it almost everyday at my own school! The unjust and oppressive ways in which this community has been treated can lead so many young individuals to be impacted severely mentally and physically. I would love to help raise awareness and solve this issue.

What are you hoping to achieve as a BYC member this year?

I am hoping to be able to represent the students in my school and the youths in the community that I am a part of. My goal is also to encourage them to use their voices to speak up about things they care about. 

What does a better Brimbank look like to you?

A few of many things that I believe would make a better Brimbank:

Acceptance and celebration of each other’s uniqueness

Willingness of youth to step up, become leaders and advocate for change

Plans and actions to tackle pollution to make the environment of Brimbank safer, cleaner and more sustainable.

What’s one piece of advice you have for young people who want to create change in their community

Don’t be afraid to use your voice. It’s cool to speak up on things you care about! Who else is better at representing young people other than young people?Just give things a go, remember we are the leaders of the future!