Top teens recognized at inaugural Oakville Youth Awards

Eight of Oakville’s outstanding youth were recognized at a special ceremony held last week.

The recipients of the first Oakville Youth Awards are:

• Amna Sultan and Brenton Wang, Emerging Youth Leader Awards
• Qianqian Xue and Pooshne Chandrika Kotla, Youth Artist Awards
• Faith Joson and Anvi Nambiar, Youth Involvement Awards
• Junyi Jeremy Zhang and Maxximus Bettiol, Youth Sports Awards

“Congratulations to the recipients of the first ever 2024 Oakville Youth Awards,” said Mayor Rob Burton. “Council and I thank you for contributions to making Oakville a vibrant and livable community. Your leadership, passion and dedication to the community is an inspiration for all of us.”

The event took place during National Youth Week, which included free, interactive activities and learning opportunities for youth ages 11 to 17.

The town received 186 nominations for the inaugural Oakville Youth Awards, in partnership with the Oakville Youth Action Committee.

In addition, the Youth Mural Project, which invited 12 young local artists to connect, create and collaborate on an indoor public art mural, was also unveiled on May 4 as part of Youth Week. The community gathered to celebrate “A Trip Through Town” at the Youth Centre at QEPCCC.

“The Oakville Youth Awards and mural unveiling were such inspiring events on how to give back to the community. It made me so proud to see the impact youth can make and their efforts celebrated,” said Olivia Cancela, youth mural artist and social chair of the Oakville Youth Action Committee.

This is the first year for the Oakville Youth Awards, which is an initiative between the Town of Oakville and the Oakville Youth Action Committee, a group of young volunteers working to foster positive experiences for youth in our community.