Med student, LGBTQI+ advocate finalist
Josh McCormack (he/they) from Oākura has been named as a finalist for the 2022 Impact Awards.
Powered by charity Inspiring Stories, The Impact Awards recognises young New Zealanders making a difference for the future of Aotearoa and the world. The award ceremony will take place on July 30th as part of Festival for the Future – New Zealand’s largest leadership and innovation summit.
McCormack is among 37 finalists across six major categories: Enterprise, climate, inclusion, wellbeing, global and local. The winners will take home a share of $30,000 in prizes.
A fifth-year medical student, McCormack is nominated for both the Inclusion and Wellbeing categories.
The nominations recognise their work advocating for greater acceptance of LGBTQI+ communities through a variety of initiatives.
‘‘Coming from regional rural Aotearoa as a queer person, it’s been a long journey learning to carve out spaces for queerness in spaces where it doesn’t already exist.’’
‘‘I’m really hopeful for the future of rainbow safety and inclusion in Taranaki.’’ Josh McCormack
In 2020, McCormack led a campaign for the first ever Rainbow Communities Representative to be established as part of the Auckland University Medical Students’ Association. Elected as the first seat-holder in 2021, McCormack created Pronouns 101 – a campaign to implement genderaffirming healthcare tools and education in medical campuses and hospitals around Aotearoa.
‘‘The subsequent growth was quite amazing; we now have onein-four medical students around the North Island sporting a personalised name tag with their pronouns,’’ McCormack said.
Other achievements include cofounding Charitable Trust, the Collective for Rainbow-Affirming Visibility and Equity (CRAVE), co-producing ‘‘Let’s (Not) Get Sickening’’ - the medical school’s first ever charity drag show, and being the youngest team member of the Sex and Prevention of Transmission Study (SPOTS).
As an Impact Award finalist, McCormack says they are proud to have their contribution to society not only validated, but embraced, especially when it’s centred on queerness.
McCormack is passionate about addressing homophobia in rural Aotearoa. As a board member of RainbowYOUTH, they encourage young people to access their new space opening later this year in Taranaki.
‘‘I’m really hopeful for the future of rainbow safety and inclusion in Taranaki.’’
Inspiring Stories chief executive and founder Guy Ryan, a Young New Zealander of the Year and Edmund Hillary Fellow, says the contribution the Impact Awards finalists are making to the future of Aotearoa is extraordinary.
‘‘The global pandemic has created struggles for so many. These young people are stepping up to create real solutions to the challenges we face. As a nation, there is so much more we can be doing to celebrate and support their leadership. Thanks to our supporters, we can back them with awards and prizes to achieve more.’’
Inspiring Stories believes in the power of young people to create change.
More than 12,000 people have participated in the charity’s programmes, including the yearround Future Leaders programme.
Tickets for Festival for the Future are available at www. festivalforthefuture.co/get-tickets.