In 2017 Harrison Kirkwood will play a role in shaping the state government’s youth-related policy. The 20-year-old has been selected to sit on the NSW Youth Advisory Council (YAC). It  is made up of 12 young people from all over the state and is broadly representative of the diversity of young people living in NSW. They will meet regularly to provide advice to the Minister responsible for Youth, Ray Williams, and Advocate for Children and Young People, Mr Andrew Johnson, on issues, policies and laws that affect children and young people. Passionate about youth issues, his life experience will also help him further promote the overarching goal – diversity. Harrison is visually impaired so getting the message out about disability is close to his heart. “I am not a disabled person, I am a person with a disability,” he says.