Social entrepreneur and youth advocate Jarrod Wheatley OAM has been named as Armidale’s Australia Day Ambassador for 2023.
Working in the social sector since he was 17, Jarrod has run a youth centre, set up programs for refugees, and founded two not-for-profit organisations in the youth intervention space.
Street Art Murals Australia (SAMA) uses street art as vehicle for social inclusion and urban beautification, breaking the negative cycle of criminalisation and alienation by commissioning murals and workshops. Street artists have now painted more than 360 murals all over the country, for clients such as Pfizer and
Lend lease.
His other social good business, Professional Individualised Care (PIC) breaks the mould for out of home care. Normally, children who were too traumatised or high needs for foster care would be placed in an institutionalised care home. PIC is an alternative that places one child in the home of a Professional Therapeutic Carer, who can provide a therapeutic intervention and real relationships. This is both improving the lives of young people and changing how trauma-informed the sector is.
Jarrod will be participating in Australia Day events in Armidale, Ben Lomond, and Guyra.
Australia Day Events
Armidale
11AM – Armidale Australia Day Awards and Citizenship Ceremony, Central Park
Ben Lomond
7AM – Australia Day Breakfast, Ben Lomond Memorial Hall
Guyra
9.30AM – Flag raising ceremony, Rotary Park
6.30PM – Guyra Australia Day Awards Dinner, Guyra Bowling and Recreation Club. Tickets can be purchased from The Gala Centre until January 23rd.
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