Meet the Team

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Hume City Council Youth Engagement and Pathways Unit (YEP) is a free, generalist service for young people aged 6-24 years who live, work, study or have a connection to Hume. Our service includes the Mental Health, Wellbeing and Leadership Team and the Partnerships, Engagement and Pathways Team.

Meet our professional and supportive staff:

Youth Engagement & Pathways

Cherry Grimwade (she/her)

Coordinator Youth Engagement and Pathways

 CherryG@hume.vic.gov.au

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Cherry started at Hume in June 2021 and leads the Youth Engagement & Pathway Unit.  She has been working in the youth sector for over fifteen years in the local, State and community sectors. She works closely with schools, service providers, community agencies and community leaders to plan and deliver responsive programs for young people in Hume. 

Cherry is into organic gardening, walking her two energic pups, reading and binge-watching Netflix shows!  


Rita Del Pizzo (she/her)

Business and Program Support Officer

youth@hume.vic.gov.au

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Rita is the Business and Program Support Officer and started at Hume in December 2021. Her role provides administrative and program support to the Youth Engagement and Pathways Unit; and can be contacted for any inquiries regarding programs offered by the YEP Unit.

She has over 15 years’ experience working in various administrative roles within the education and local government sector.

In her spare time Rita enjoys catching up with family and friends.

Mental Health, Wellbeing & Leadership Team

Rebecca Ferris (she/her)

Team Leader Mental Health, Wellbeing and Leadership 

RebeccaFe@hume.vic.gov.au

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Bec is the Team Leader Mental Health Wellbeing and Leadership and started with Hume in November 2021.

Bec has been working with young people for 17 years in Melbourne in a variety of youth work roles such as homelessness support, education and employment services and local government youth services.

In her spare time Bec likes to hang out with her two dogs and cat, get out into nature for hikes and enjoying brunch with family and friends.

Meet the staff within your local region:

Broadmeadows & Central Region

Anna Lewenhagen-Allvin (she/her)

Mental Health, Wellbeing and Leadership Development Officer

AnnaL@hume.vic.gov.au

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Anna is the Mental Health and Wellbeing Leadership Development Officer in Broadmeadows and Central Hume region which includes both Broadmeadows Youth Central and Roxburgh Park Youth Centre.  She leads a team of Youth Support Officers providing engagement and development opportunities for local young people through youth centres, local schools, and various community spaces.

Anna completed a Bachelor of Youth Work and Youth Studies at RMIT University and has been working and volunteering in the youth work sector for the last 7 years. Anna has experience in the design and delivery of early intervention programs, homelessness, disability, pathway support and supporting young people who have recently arrived in Australia. Anna is the program lead for the Youth Action Committee, which aligns with her passion for community, connection and advocacy. Anna enjoys drinking coffee, travelling and dancing (badly).


Jim Cameron (he/him)

Youth Support Officer

jimc@hume.vic.gov.au

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Jim is a Youth Support Officer within the Broadmeadows and Central Hume region, which includes Broadmeadows Youth Central and the Roxburgh Park Youth Centre.

Jim has worked and volunteered with young people since 2020 across health settings, in schools, and in local government. He believes in the value of early intervention and prevention programs for young people and that genuine youth participation is critical to meaningful program and service delivery. He is passionate about initiatives that promote healthy masculinity, inclusivity, and artistic creativity.

Jim is an avid musician, woodworker, and lover of Italian culture and cuisine.


Natalie Spear (She/Her)

Youth Support Officer

nataliebi@hume.vic.gov.au

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Natalie is a Youth Support Officer within the Broadmeadows and Central Hume Region which includes Broadmeadows and Roxburgh Park Youth Centres.

Natalie has over 10-years’ experience in the youth sector working in Out of Home Care, homeless and community development.

She is passionate about providing opportunities for young people to be heard and giving them the skills to aid them in their future.

Personally, Natalie loves to play tabletop games, cooking and spending time with my friends and family.


Jamie Duell (he/him)

Youth Support Officer

jamied@hume.vic.gov.au

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Jamie is a Youth Support Officer within the Broadmeadows and Central Hume Region which includes Broadmeadows and Roxburgh Park Youth Centres. Helping young people grow, develop and access other local youth services. Jamie also visits local high schools to run fun lunch time activities and competitions. If you see him, come and say hello.

Jamie has been working and volunteering in various roles within the youth sector for seven years, based around metropolitan Melbourne. His time working with in local governments, schools and volunteering in local community groups, have given him wide range experiences and opportunities to work with young people.

Outside of work, Jamie enjoys camping and hiking, and playing sport. He loves the St Kilda football club, most of the time! Forever hopeful that they will win that elusive second premiership. 


Sunbury & Craigieburn Region

Lorence (Cruz) Bakri (he/him)

Mental Health, Wellbeing and Leadership Development Officer 

LorenceB@hume.vic.gov.au

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Cruz is the Mental Health, Wellbeing and Leadership Development Officer responsible for the Sunbury and Craigieburn region which includes both Sunbury and Craigieburn Youth Centres. He leads a team of Youth Support Officers providing engagement and development opportunities for local young people through youth centres, local schools, and various community spaces.

Cruz has been working with young people for over 13 years, predominantly from the Hume region and has been with Hume City Council since 2011, moving through multiple roles during this time.

When not working, Cruz loves spending quality time with friends and family, watching a good movie or series and spending time outdoors. 


Tyronne Gietzmann (he/him)

Youth Support Officer

TyronneG@hume.vic.gov.au

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Tyronne is a Youth Support Officer within the Sunbury and Craigieburn region which includes Sunbury and Craigieburn Youth Centres.

His position engages with young people and their families across the region in order to provide inclusion, development, growth and various opportunities across a number of community spaces.

Tyronne has been working in the youth sector for over eight years, both in metro and regional Victoria across a diverse cohort of young people ranging from custodial, employment and community services . Tyronne is a driven, passionate and empathetic professional with a wide range of experience, having worked varied roles throughout his career as a youth worker.

Outside of work, Tyronne is an established visual artist, musician and social justice advocate, combining all these to strive for a better tomorrow. He is also a self-confessed geek who loves anything Sci-Fi, Anime or Lord of The Rings.


Vanessa (Nessa) Crampel (she/they)

Youth Support Officer

vanessac@hume.vic.gov.au

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Nessa is a Youth Support Officer within the Sunbury and Craigieburn region which includes Sunbury and Craigieburn Youth Centres.

Her position engages with young people and their families across the region to provide inclusion, development, growth and various opportunities across a number of community spaces.

Nessa has been working in the youth sector for 5 years between New South Wales and Victoria, in areas such as early intervention, homelessness, education and employment, youth engagement and participation linked to community development.

Nessa has a passion for youth justice and advocacy and loves to connect, create and engage with young people to support their growth development and capacity building in their community. She is especially passionate about working with Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander, LGBTIQA+ & CALD young people.

In her spare time Nessa likes diverse healing practices such as creating visual art, writing poems and enjoys outdoor activities with her friends.

Nessa has an ice cream tattoo behind her right ear which is linked to her love for everything ice cream.


Middle Years & Transitions

Tamar Spatz (she/her)

Middle Years and Transitions Officer 

TamarS@hume.vic.gov.au

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Tamar is Hume City Council’s Middle Years & Transitions Officer. She works with schools, service providers and families to support students aged 6-12 to thrive and stay engaged with school. A key part of Tamar’s role is to understand what students and families need, so she makes sure to have lots of conversations with the local community – to work out where the gaps might be; then, in partnership with schools and services, Tamar will help develop and deliver support and programs.

Tamar has been working with young people for over 20 years, in roles including: community development, case management, programming and education. She just recently started with Hume and is excited to get to know the community.

When Tamar isn’t at work, she loves to dance, share time with friends and spend lots of time in nature.

Partnerships, Engagement & Pathways Team

Jarrod Smith (he/him)

Team Leader Participation, Engagement and Pathways

jarrods@hume.vic.gov.au

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Jarrod is the Team Leader of the Participation, Engagement and Pathways team.  

Jarrod has been working at Hume Council for the last 8 years in a variety of roles including sports development and inclusion, economic development and youth partnerships and participation. Prior to joining Hume Jarrod spent several years working both in Australia and overseas with young people in sport for development and youth settlement roles.

In his spare time Jarrod enjoys watching NBA basketball and taking caravan trips with his family. 


Vanessa Petridis (she/her)

Youth Engagement and Pathways Officer

VanessaP2@hume.vic.gov.au

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Vanessa is the Youth Engagement and Pathways Officer. She has been working with Hume City Council for 12 years moving through multiple roles, and in the youth sector for over five years.

Vanessa works across the municipality and is responsible for the development, delivery and evaluation of skill-building and pathways to education, training and employment for young people predominantly aged 18 to 24 years.

Vanessa loves being creative and having fun exploring different art techniques and styles. She also loves going on long walks with her dogs! 


Richard Craig (he/him)

Youth Engagement and Pathways Officer

richardc@hume.vic.gov.au

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Richard is one of the Youth Engagement and Pathways Officer. Richard has been working in the youth work sector for 10 years across multiple different roles and started with Hume City Council in April 2022.

Richard supports with the planning, development and delivery of programs that support young people to engage and build positive pathways that can help them find employment or engage in education.

Richard loves football (real football!) and is a passionate supporter of Liverpool FC, and spending time with his family and friends. 


Roukaya Hassoun (she/her)

Hume Empowering Communities Project Officer

roukayah@hume.vic.gov.au

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Roukaya is the Hume Empowering Communities Project Officer. Roukaya supports the planning, development, and implementation of the Hume Empowering Communities grants program, working closely with community organisations to facilitate community designed and delivered initiatives.  

Roukaya has been working across the community and education sectors for almost 10 years, with both local and international experience. She is passionate about community led development and the empowerment it brings, with particular interest in projects that are culturally inclusive and responsive, and abolitionist in design and impact. 

Outside of work, Roukaya runs a community film initiative, which produces free monthly screenings of Arabic language film and cultural outreach around Melbourne. She also loves playing backgammon and learning languages.  


Emilia Todaro (she/her)

Youth Engagement & Support Officer

EmiliaT@hume.vic.gov.au

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Emilia is the Youth Engagement & Support Officer and has been a youth worker for over 10 years.

Emilia works with the Youth Engagement & Pathway Officers to deliver recognition, leadership and pathway programs for young people aged 18 to 24 years. Emilia is passionate about empowering young people to identify their strengths and give them the opportunity to be the amazing people that they are and reach their full potential.

Dance, music and reading and having a bash on her electric drumkit makes her heart sing!