Chantal Ober

Community leader

2015 NT Young Australian of the Year

As a youth worker at Katherine YMCA, Chantal Ober faces daunting challenges on a daily basis. Driven to make a difference, Chantal has implemented a number of initiatives – from the YMCA Girls Program that builds resilience and self-esteem to taking on the coordination of the Katherine Region Youth Group which encourages young people to speak up and become leaders in their community. Chantal’s selfless contributions do not stop with her paid work.  Chantal volunteers her time to run the eight week shineGirl program in schools to help young girls gain self-worth, inner strength and purpose. She runs Youth Connect with her local church, in which she spearheads volunteer projects. As an Indigenous young person, Chantal is a vocal advocate and a role model for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth. Through all her work, both paid and voluntary, Chantal always leads by example and remains committed to helping young people build better lives.