Bol Mayan’s creativity, work ethic, dedication and collaborative attitude have made an incredible impact on the Yarra community, particularly for young people and for the local African Australian diaspora.

When Bol was a child, he and his family fled South Sudan as refugees and settled in the North Richmond Public Housing Estate. Bol grew up in North Richmond and after a short stint living away from the area, returned in 2022 with a mission to make North Richmond a better place for young people to grow up. 

Bol has lead a number of projects which have had positive outcomes for the local community. During the 2023 summer school holidays, Bol collaborated with Paul Kim to deliver three skateboarding workshops, teaching children and young people from the North Richmond Public Housing Estate the basics of skateboarding as well as essential life skills like resilience, patience and persistence. Bol was also a facilitator for the Centre of Ethnicity's .05 project, during which he mentored young people to create social media content raising awareness of the risks of alcohol misuse and educating young people on safe alcohol consumption.  

Bol isn’t just an advocate for social justice himself, but also regularly platforms and encourages others to speak out and lead change. His podcast The Seed Network has featured a number of young local changemakers and celebrates the stories, journeys and achievements of African Australians. This platform gives young people an outlet to share their stories and raise awareness of the challenges of growing up African in Australia, while challenging negative media narratives and fostering inter-generational and inter-community dialogue. 

Bol is an active contributor to his local community, mentoring his younger peers and leading projects that uplift and empower African Australians from Yarra and beyond. Congratulations Bol and thank you for all your outstanding work! 

The nominees for Young Citizen of the Year 

Michael Muorkor 
Bol Mayan 
Korpo Sao 
Semir Imam 
Charlie Gill 
Julia Dor 
Mariana Korwa   

Thanks to all our nominees for your contributions to life in Yarra. 

Read more stories of our 2023 Community Awards winners.