Mr Russell was a finalist in the TransGrid Indigenous Achievement Award in the 2021 7NEWS Young Achiever Awards,

Heather Wagland, Head of Property and Environment, TransGrid presented Mr Russell with a certificate at a gala dinner presentation on Friday, April 30 at Doltone House on Darling Island in front of more than 400 guests from across New South Wales and the ACT.

Mr Russell, who coaches the Under 12 Dungog junior rugby league team, aims to be a positive role model for young Indigenous people. He is part of the Indigenous Advancement Strategy team at Youth Express.

At Youth Express, they run two main programs called Culture Strong and Work Readiness. Culture Strong is about giving young Indigenous people a pathway to explore and identify their culture, while Work Readiness is designed to support students transitioning from school to work.

Before Youth Express, Mr Russell was an Aboriginal Education Officer at Dungog High School.

During the pandemic, Sam teamed up with Dungog High School to run a Suicide Prevention Day and raised $534 in just 30 minutes.

Since the creation of the Young Achiever Awards in 2014, it has applauded the leadership, vision, excellence and commitment of young people, whilst highlighting their efforts and success. The awards aim to acknowledge, encourage and most importantly promote the positive achievements of all young people up to 29 years of age.

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