Berat Kaya was inducted on Wednesday 24 May 2023, as our youngest ever member, with the classification of YOUTH LEADERSHIP / FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHY
Berat was born in Ankara Turkey and his primary and secondary schooling were completed in Turkey before coming to Australia.
Berat Kaya is an aspiring youth leader who has a deep passion for empowering young people and giving back to community. When he moved to Australia from Turkey in November 2018, he faced many challenges including a language barrier. He experienced isolation and as a result, lacked confidence. He has shown that through community involvement, he was able to build a sense of belonging and realise his passion to positively impact young people.
In 2020 he successfully completed his Certificate IV in Community Services and in 2021 he completed a Diploma of Youth Work at RMIT. Currently Berat is completing his double degree in Bachelor of Criminology and Psychology from RMIT. His commitment to his studies is a testament to the work that he has undertaken with the Brotherhood of St Laurence and other partnered organisations at RMIT University
In 2019, he was awarded the Youth of the North Award and in 2021 he received the Young Legends Award for his insights about the importance of Keeping Victoria Beautiful and raising value among young people to respect their living standards. Also in 2021 he received the Hume Council Young Citizen of the Year award. Berat has been recognised for his dedication in various youth community development projects and volunteer roles at Kangan Institute, Brotherhood of St Laurence, and Hume council. Working for young people also helped Berat to be recognised by the Rotary Club of Melbourne as a Young Achiever in 2022. After receiving the Young Achiever award, Berat started to be more active on Rotary’s projects. He created video vignettes for Rotary Club of Melbourne’s Environment Day luncheon by using his art skills with the guidance of Reg Smith. He also created a video for Rotary Convention 2023 and it was released by Rotary International. You can view his video interview with Mary Barry, promoting the Rotary International Convention in Melbourne HERE. He also provides his photography skills at Club’s meetings and events.
Berat is looking forward to connecting with more Rotarians and using his skills further to promote Rotary and continuing his ongoing community engagement.
