Our logo

Melanie Gunner is an advocate for youth mental wellbeing. A former chair of the Youth Round Table and winner of the Glencore McArthur River Mining Regionals and Rural Initiative Award in 2020, Melanie has been committed to communicating how life is different in the regional and rural communities for young people.

Since leaving high school in 2015, Melanie has been in the youth services sector for several years, starting off with working at her old high school, working for her local Town Council and then as the Community Engagement Officer at headspace Alice springs.

Melanie has experience delivering workshops and presentations, primarily around mental health and wellbeing, and now works for Balanced Choice – an organisation passionate about supporting young people across the Territory working closely with them to encourage them to make positive choices. Sharing her mental health story has helped several young people across the Territory and even caught the eye of SBS Insight in 2019, when they did an interview with Melanie about her story and growing up in a small town with limited resources.

Despite her challenges with mental health and other life obstacles, Melanie also successfully runs her own art business in Alice Springs, selling paintings and handmade earrings to locals and even customers interstate. With this business she has also completed over 5 murals around Alice Springs.