Youth has won out in this year’s Citizen of the Year Awards, with both recipients of Strathfield Council’s annual award under the age of 25.

Citizen of the year Mohit Tolani, 23, and Matthew Nicholl, 18, were respectively announced as the recipients of the Citizen and Young of the Year awards today.

The pair were presented with their awards by Mayor of Strathfield, Cr Paul Barron and Australia Day Ambassador Tony Hasham AM at Strathfield Council’s Australia Day celebration at Strathfield Park.

Both received their awards in recognition for their extensive volunteer work, which has not only made a valuable contribution to Strathfield, but also to the wider community.

Citizen of the Year Mohit Tolani is a volunteer mentor for the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME) as well as being involved with the learning and extra-curricular involvement of refugee kids and young adults through the Australian League of Immigration Volunteers.

Mohit has also volunteered for a range of other organisations, including the Centre for Volunteering’s Student Community Involvement Program, Institute for Advancing Community Engagement, the Institute for Advancing Community Engagement (IACE) and has held the position of Secretary of SCISOC and the Sydney University Medical Science Society.

A former Strathfield Young Citizen of the Year, Mohit was also recently awarded the first ever NSW Highly Commended Youth Volunteer of the Year Award by the Centre of Volunteering.