Anna Xu (Year 11) receives Burwood Council Young Volunteer of the Year Award Mayor of Burwood Council, John Faker, presented the Burwood Council Young Volunteer of the Year Award to Anna on Friday 13 May 2022. Anna is part of a strong community of over 5000 volunteers in the Burwood Council. In early 2021, she established a volunteer program called Dancing Reciters, where she teaches speech and drama, and incorporates physical activity for primary school students of the Burwood Council community. Anna adapted the program to an online format during the 2021 lockdown, as the integral oral practice, social interaction and physical activity required for children's growth was limited. Anna brought the community together in uncertain and isolating times. Moreover, Dancing Reciters allowed children to do something new and progress every week resulting in a sense of achievement. This sustained their wellbeing and personal growth despite the missed classroom opportunities and mundanity of lockdown. The positive impact of Dancing Reciters spread so much that students from Ku-Ring-Gai Council and even Singapore participated in this program. All families provided positive feedback and appreciation for Anna’s program. This year, Anna has continued with her program in person. She continues to contribute to the local community by creating an encouraging, inclusive, and collaborative environment where children can practice speech and drama, cultivating creativity, self-expression, imagination, and confidence. Through Dancing Reciters’ in-person and online presence, a speech and drama education is more accessible to all socioeconomic classes in the Burwood Council and beyond.