About

Meet the team!

Akur Magot

Journalist

she/her

Akur is a passionate advocate and storyteller dedicated to amplifying positive narratives. As an Associate Journalist, she works to challenge stereotypes and highlight the strengths of her community. Akur is deeply involved in youth leadership, volunteering with local groups and collaborating with key stakeholders to address important social issues. Beyond her advocacy, she has worked with the South Sudanese Business Response through one of Australia's leading law firms Lander and Rogers. In her free time, she enjoys reading, exercising, journaling, and creative writing using her voice to inspire change and reframe the stories told about her community.

➔ Find my work ➔ Find my work

Alanis Furtado

Journalist

she/her

Alanis has an avid passion for amplifying youth voices and finding tangible solutions to big problems. She has participated in LIVE FM’s Melton community radio program, podcasting and public speaking and presented on topics of financial literacy and youth violence at the Western Region Youth Forum for the last two years. As a biomedical science student she has a keen interest in public health, specifically in health education and independence for young people and bridging cultural inequities within health systems. She has volunteered at Melton City Council's Youth Advisory Committee for two terms and is Melton's Young Citizen of the Year. She loves watching movies instead of doing her homework, creative writing about the mundane, collecting antique porcelain dolls and has a passion for eclectic fashion.

➔ Find my work ➔ Find my work

Binusha Pathirana

Journalist

she/her

As a journalist and youth advocate, Binusha bring a passion for storytelling to Good News Melton. She founded her school’s first student-led newspaper, The KDC Times, leading a team to publish four editions featuring local voices and community action. Within the city of Melton, Binusha championed youth stories through leadership on the Melton Youth Advisory Committee, content creation with Brimbank Youth Council, and mentoring with VicSRC. When she's not writing, Binusha enjoys painting and exploring dystopian sci-fi worlds. As an Associate Journalist, she's dedicated to amplifying young voices and creating impactful, youth-oriented media.

➔ Find my work ➔ Find my work

Cathryn Langley

Journalist

Cathy is a passionate writer and final-year Media and Communications student, majoring in Journalism. She has contributed to the Parliament of Victoria's Parliament Express, the YMCA Youth Press Gallery, and taken on the role of Lead Writer for Deakin's student-run magazine. As a journalist for Good News Melton, Cathy believes in the power of storytelling to shift perceptions and highlight positive change. Beyond writing, she's committed to youth advocacy, community engagement and mental health awareness, taking on volunteer roles with the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, Batyr, and Headspace over the years. Previously, Cathy explored creative writing on her blog, Talk Underwater, focusing on mental health and resilience. Inspired by poets like Sylvia Plath, Cathy enjoys reading, writing poetry, and connecting with others through shared stories.

➔ Find my work ➔ Find my work

Cathy La

Journalist

she/her

Having grown up in the City of Melton, Cathy has developed a strong connection to the area and believes that its good news stories deserve to be told. Prior to YLab, she worked at a non-profit community services provider, WISE Employment, as well as the Melton City Council. These experiences have given Cathy valuable insight into the importance of working towards positive community outcomes. Cathy decided to join the Good News Melton project as a journalist because she has always had a passion for writing and storytelling. Cathy wholeheartedly believes in the power of words and their ability to educate, inspire, and move audiences. This likely stemmed from another great passion of hers – reading. Cathy is an avid reader of both fiction and non-fiction, and always keen to have a chat about what books people are currently reading!

➔ Find my work ➔ Find my work

Damon Chester

Manager

he/him

Damon oversees the day-to-day operations at YLab to support the delivery of its impactful projects with young people, including Good News Melton. Process-driven, he is always looking at ways to tinker with workflows to make them more efficient and accessible for all. Before joining YLab, Damon employed this systems thinking to manage large-scale website development projects. In the past, he has also led a team of young creatives to produce Mantra Magazine - a publication aiming to celebrate Western Sydney communities through shared experiences of classism, diaspora and lack of financial resources.

➔ Find my work ➔ Find my work

Dina Teshome

Journalist

she/her

Dina is an Ethiopian-Australian Law and International Relations student passionate about advocacy and amplifying community stories and voices. Her time as a Social Justice Prefect at her college and volunteering for the Sisters of Mercy has allowed her to build stronger and more inclusive communities across Naarm/Melbourne. Dina has contributed to Girls Run the World Program, working for the British Consulate as well as taking on the role of a committee member at an African-led university club. When she’s not writing, Dina spends her time reading fantasy and young adult novels.

➔ Find my work ➔ Find my work

Ember Dogra

Journalist

he/him

Before moving to Melton, Ember's impression of the suburb only stemmed from the news, where usually, it was portrayed in a negative light. However, after living here for over two years, he has come to realise the flaws in such portrayals. As time has passed, Ember has come to realise the true essence of Melton lives in its vibrant community and rich culture. As he's grown, Ember has come to realise writing allows him and many others to share their perspectives, emotions and ideas that would otherwise go unheard, writing poems and narratives that reflect himself. The Good News Melton Project is the perfect platform for Ember and like-minded individuals to bring their visions to life, highlighting the beauty, strength and untold stories of this remarkable suburb. Through his word and advocacy, Ember seeks to inspire locals and outsiders to see Melton as he does, a place for opportunity, freedom, and resilience.

➔ Find my work ➔ Find my work

Justin Enrico Legaspi

Journalist

he/him

Justin is a Filipino-Australian interdisciplinary artist, writer and youth advocate based in the Western suburbs of Naarm/Melbourne. As an associate journalist, Justin is passionate in connecting the arts with local and emerging communities – stimulating dialogue and amplifying underrepresented perspectives in more inclusive ways. He is being mentored through programs by Next Wave and KINGS Artist-Run, driven by inquiries of access, visibility and participation within fine arts. Currently an artist-in-residence at The Substation, Justin’s creative practice moves between pop culture and diasporic contexts.

➔ Find my work ➔ Find my work

Lifi Hakim

Designer

she/her

Lifi is an Indonesian multidisciplinary designer specialising in branding, typography and photography. She currently works as a graphic designer at YLab Studio.Lifi is passionate about social justice, mental health and sustainability and over the past few years she had the opportunity to be involved in community projects and in particular within the Muslim Community like Podium, Six Degrees and Faithfully Sustainable. Her work is inspired by people's stories and in hopes to use her skill set to create considered design solutions that have a lasting impact.‍

➔ Find my work ➔ Find my work

Micah Cursio

Journalist

she/her

As a journalist and emerging storyteller, Micah is passionate about community journalism, youth voices and believes in the power of local stories to create meaningful change. Being a journalism student at RMIT, Micah has developed experience as an editor of the school newspaper The Swanston Gazette, and Series Producer of The Swanston Explainer podcast. Micah is an avid reader, an aspiring leader and enjoys long walks at the beach. Through her work with Good News West, Micah is committed to finding the human stories behind local issues, celebrating community achievements and amplifying perspectives that deserve to be heard.

➔ Find my work ➔ Find my work

Nerasha Pathirana

Journalist

she/her

As a Year 11 high school student, Nerasha has previously worked with her school’s newspaper committee, Brimbank Youth Council, VicSRC, and Melton Youth Advisory Committee. From her experience, Nerasha has developed strong skills in writing, leadership and storytelling as they have all taught her how to express her ideas in a variety of different forms.

➔ Find my work ➔ Find my work

Ruby Healey

Designer

she/her

Ruby is a multidisciplinary designer based in Naarm/Melbourne. As Studio Manager at YLab she leads a team of emerging practitioners to produce creative outcomes through the lens of co-design. With a background in graphic design, she has a particular interest in artist books and self-publishing. Ruby is curious about collective practice, which informs her collaborative design approach. You’ll usually find her at Idle Time, a shared artist studio space in Brunswick East that she co-founded and manages.

➔ Find my work ➔ Find my work

Tim Quyen

Web Developer

he/him

Tim is a Web and Software Developer. Graduated from Swinburne University with a computer science degree and a background in visual communication design, he is passionate about creating human-centred technology to solve everyday problems. Guided, but not bounded by his ambition of fusing technology and arts, he crafts elegant, effective and accessible solutions.

➔ Find my work ➔ Find my work