What started as an artistic interest in making lambatha candles has developed into something deeper for Aristidis Tsoulakas, a second -year Bachelor of Commerce student who is one of three finalists in the Young Adult category of the Westpac Youth Impact Challenge.

From an early age, Mr Tsoulakas has been making lambathes and also been involved in ceramic arts and active in community and multicultural events, as well as running his own candle-making business. It was a combination of all these interests and passions that marked him out among 6,000 other entries in the Westpac Youth Impact Challenge which he entered late last year.

He developed the idea to run an Indigenous youth-based artistic project for indigenous youth with the generating awareness of their culture and a deeper sense of connection with their ancestry.

“I submitted an online video with the project proposal that was assessed by a panel and I was selected from that,” Mr Tsoulakas told Neos Kosmos.

The social-enterprise project will be aimed at indigenous youth who will work with community elders and artists who will mentor and teach them traditional painting.

“The young person will paint onto ceramic stoneware vessels that have a texture that replicates ancient rock forms. After pouring beeswax, the vessel is a multifunctional piece of art work that can be displayed or used as a functional piece.”

“It is a proposal and I am looking to get rolling by liaising with indigenous organisations and a government department that can help to get the project going,” he said.

In making it to the final three, Mr Tsoulakas was given a Microsoft Prize pack but wining the award will gain him mentorship to help him to pitch the project to well-established business leaders for their support.

“There are multi-faceted benefits to this project. A percentage of the sales of products will go back to the young artist and to an artistic trust fund that will be used to purchase art materials and possibly hold an annual art exhibition in Melbourne that would showcase the work of the youths,” Mr Tsoulakas said.