The search is on for our area’s best young male catch, a lad around town who will already be proactive in community service of some type or another
Melissa Abu–Gazaleh is managing director, Best Catch–Australia, and she is inviting young males to step forward and contest the 2008 Illawarra Best Catch competition.
 This will be the third of the series, with the 2007 winner Matthew Taylor continuing his volunteer work with Interchange Illawarra in a range of activities including helping children with autism and Citizens Advocacy where his role is to represent people with a disability in a crisis situation.
Photo: The 2007 Illawarra Best Catch winner Matthew Taylor. Check out his profile Click Here!
Entries close for this year’s event on Friday 29 August and the judging night will take place at the City Beach Function Centre on Saturday 11 October when the candidates will engage in interactive and entertaining segments on stage that will challenge the audience’s understanding of young men.
Entrants must be between the ages of 18 and 24 years.
Melissa says it is a fact, scary as it might be, that 70 per cent of social commentary on young males is generally unfavourable, a figure released after a recent university research program which showed many people associated the age group with violence, graffiti and home invasion.
“We are often warned to be wary of these young men,“ she says, “and that’s one of the reasons Best Catch-Australia was formed. We hope the competition and resulting publicity will show the social commentary is off the track.”
There are already 13 per cent of young males involved in volunteering in the Illawarra, she says, and obviously there is room for more to become involved.
And, she adds, these young males are concerned at why too many people don’t have a high regard of their image and place in society.
Her work recognised
Melissa has recently been rewarded for her interest in youth by being nominated as a member of the TAFE NSW Illawarra Institute Advisory Council, a body designed for providing advice and information on local industry and community trends.
Born locally and a lifelong resident of the area, Melissa completed her education at Kanahooka High School.
Today she is attending the University of Wollongong where she is studying for a degree in communications and media as well as marketing.
Added to this study load she is also undertaking a Diploma of Welfare at TAFE.
She believes that one area that often makes it hard for 18 – 24 year old males to
be recognised for their proper worth is that many of them have not had access to real role models during part of their upbringing.
And, in the short time her not–for–profit company Illawarra’s Best Catch has been operating Melissa has already been approached from other communities interested in adopting a similar operation.
“I am hoping that in the not too distant future the idea will be franchised across Australia,” she says.
Interested people can get more information online at www.bestcatch.com.au, and for information on how to enter Melissa can be contacted on 0404 630 013.
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