Anything is possible when the accomplished actress, comedian and musician Madeline Sami gets together with 100 young Northlanders to look at how they might help change their world.
Sami was one of the keynote speakers at the Northland Youth Summit 2014, being held at Te Ahu Centre in Kaitaia this week.
She opened her talk, titled "The endless possibilities of a Can-Do-Attitude", with a brief history of her initial performance work, including a stint on television soap Shortland St. She then spoke of experiencing a career slump and having to take jobs she wouldn't normally have considered, such as dressing up as a chocolate novelty at Auckland Zoo.
Sami told the audience this period of her life experience taught her a lot.
"It taught me that it's not always easy and not to give up on my dream," she said.
"I ended up learning from all these jobs and experiences and they have helped me with my acting career."
Since then she has gone on to produce a pop music album with her two sisters and produce her own television show, Super City.
This is the second Northland Youth Summit. Youth-led and -driven, the summit offers a platform for young people to develop the confidence to speak up about issues that matter to them and their communities. Participants will be asked to help shape the future of Te Tai Tokerau, and will choose and award funds to 10 projects to be carried out in the community this year.
Last year's inaugural summit, in Whangarei, resulted in a youth-driven campaign to raise awareness about youth suicide.