Youth United leaders Rachael and Ash Prasad are the winners of this year’s Clutha District Council’s Individual Community Service Award.
The group is dedicated to supporting and uplifting youth in Milton.
Their collaborative spirit is evident in their work with other organisations and churches towards various community events, and last Christmas their community outreach initiative distributed 50 food hampers to people in need and provided financial support to others who had lost their jobs due to Covid-19 restrictions.
In addition to her fulltime role as a corrections officer, Rachael Prasad oversees music and administrative functions for their Mount Zion Church, and for the last two years, her focus has been on the youth group and organising community events such as the annual spring clothes swap.
Church pastor Ash Prasad is also a corrections officer, but one with engineering and business expertise he makes available to the community by helping people with home repairs and assisting them to enter the housing market.
"Together, Rachel and Ash Prasad have made significant contributions to their community, demonstrating unwavering commitment and a genuine desire to improve the lives of those around them," a council spokesperson said.
"Their tireless efforts and compassionate leadership make them highly deserving of recognition through this individual community award."
The Prasads have been in property development for more than 30 years and are passionate about encouraging others into the property market with a "hands up" not "hands out" motto.
"We have such a great time with the youth," Mrs Prasad said.
"It’s a challenge — always looking for fun activities to get them involved in ... Youth Group is a great way to build healthy friendships leading into those pivotal high school years.
"We encourage people to step out and get involved in growing our community [and] would love to thank our incredible team of Youth United youth leaders and Mt Zion Church family who have always had our back and and supported our vision."
