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Ezra Cosmo Burnett
he/they
About
Professional Title
Lived Experience Worker
Organisation
Project Support Officer at Children and Young People with Disability Australia
Locations
- All of Victoria
Areas Of Expertise
- Community and Youth
- Creative Expression and Activism
- LGBTIQA+ Awareness and Inclusion
- Mental Health and Wellbeing
Presentation Topics
- Addiction Recovery
- Advocacy
- Chronic Illness and Disability
- Family
- Growing up LGBTIQA+ in Regional Areas
- LGBTQI+ visibility
- Mental Health
- Neurodiverse perspectives
- Trans Rights
Open to Negotiating Fees
No
Biography
Ezra (he/they) is a facilitator, peer support worker, lived experience advocate, public speaker and writer who lives in Naarm (Melbourne) on beautiful Wurundjeri Country. He is proudly queer, chronically ill, disabled, neurodivergent, transgender man who is passionate about amplifying voices with lived expertise and building a more accessible and inclusive future for all. They currently work as a Project Support Officer at Children and Young People with Disability Australia (CYDA), helping to plan, organize and facilitate the Take Charge of Change (TCC) Program. He has previously helped to facilitate the Young Leaders Program with CYDA and was a 2024 Young Leader with Minus18! Ezra has been awarded a scholarship from Orygen for studying a Certificate 4 in Peer Support Work and has previously run a TGD and Disabled Peer Support Group in partnership with Transgender Victoria and City of Melbourne Libraries. In his free time, you'll find Ez writing poetry, making art, or spending time with his cats or his queer found family.
Experience
- My first experience with public speaking was as the Lead Organizer for the Ballarat branch of the School Strike 4 Climate (SS4C) Movement from 2017-2020. Within this role I spoke to countless regional newspapers, radio stations and televisions, and led multiple protests with crowds of over 1000 people!
- From January 2023 - January 2025 I sat on Orygen's National Youth Advisory Council. Highlights within this role involved speaking as a lived experience panelist, getting invited to a round table discussion with the first Executive Director of Lived Experience at the Victorian Department of Health, being involved in numerous webinars on chronic pain, and writing multiple articles. I am currently a Safety and Risk Committee Member and Trans and Gender Diverse (TGD) Advisor for Orygen.
- I am currently a member of the Young Persons Advisory Group (YPAG) for Climate Cares, which is attached to Imperial Collage London. This international YPAG works alongside a global team of researchers to help them to address the psychological impacts of the current climate crisis on young people and their mental health.
- In January 2020 I completed a paid Internship with the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) as a part of the Union Summer Program.
- I have done casual work with Melbourne City Mission (MCM) and am currently part of an Advisory Group between MCM and Orygen. In May 2024 I was invited to attend the 'Home in Mind' Youth Mental Health and Homelessness Sector Forum for the Home Time Campaign.