Senator the Hon Scott Ryan, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education, congratulated the 41 young Australians, who were this week named Heywire winners for 2014.

Senator Ryan said Heywire provides an excellent opportunity for young people, aged between 16 and 22 and living outside the big cities, to publicise and address issues affecting their community.

“The Heywire winners represent the diverse experiences of young people growing up in rural and remote Australia,” Senator Ryan said.

“Each one of them has a story to share about their lives and I commend them for taking the time to do this.

“Heywire is a springboard to take local action and you just have to look at what these 41 young winners are doing to improve their communities to see how beneficial the programme is.”

Each February, winners come together at the Heywire Regional Youth Summit in Canberra. The summit culminates in a public forum in Canberra during the first Parliamentary sitting week of 2015, where participants pitch ideas to politicians, policy makers and funding bodies.

Funding of $100 000 is provided by The Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) to assist community organisations pilot the ideas raised at the Heywire Summit.

Winning stories are professionally produced and featured on ABC radio, TV and online. Winners also receive a trip to the Heywire Regional Youth Summit in Canberra.

For further information visit http://www.abc.net.au/heywire/competition/