Meet Youth Advisory Group member Callum

September 8, 2022

Callum, a young male adult is sitting by the ocean with water and rocks in the background. He is smiling at the camera.

The Youth Advisory Group (YAG) is a new initiative that provides very special siblings between the ages of 14 to 25 a platform to be heard. The group is made up of nine enthusiastic, motivated, and inspiring young adult and adolescent siblings eager to express their thoughts and ideas in bold, creative ways.

In this series, our Youth Advisory Group members have interviewed each other to learn a bit more about their day-to-day life experiences and time with Very Special Kids.

Meet Callum, interviewed by fellow Youth Advisory Group member Jarrod.

Could you give me your name, age, and current level of education?
Well, as you know, my name is Callum, I am currently 14 years of age (turning 15 in October), and I am in year 9.

Next question is simply a fun fact about yourself?
Hmm, I would say I love being creative and talking and messing around with friends. But a more interesting fact is that I went through a cyclone.

Nice! If you feel safe doing so, could you share a bit about your sibling and their story? If you want to, you can provide their name, but only if you feel safe doing so.
My sister Allegra, we called her Ally, and she had epilepsy and had to go to the hospital quite a lot. She was a very funny person who liked animals and cooking and got into lots of random things and thought it would be funny to put them in my dad’s work bag, such as hairbrushes and toy cups, in case he needed them.

She was with us for five years until one of her seizures caused her to stop breathing and had to be rushed to the hospital where she later passed a day after.

And what would you say has been a highlight that’s stayed with you from your time involved with Very Special Kids?
I would say it is all the people you meet and make friends with. It is a great place to find people like yourself who know what it is like to experience the things you have and how fun camp and activity days are. I remember being so proud of a cardboard and elastic band guitar I made when I was young and how fun participating in events is.