Bomaderry High School student helps create a plan for cheaper fresh food

It is the sort of connection that comes from facing and overcoming tough times together, with times of adversity making life's achievements seem all the sweeter.

And right now is one of the times of achievement, with Mia having made a presentation to Federal Parliament through the ABC's Heywire program.

And it was all shaped by the relationship Mia has with her 34-year-old mother.

"She had me at a very young age, and basically ever since she had me we've been inseparable," Mia said.

"She's always been my best friend.

"She's amazing and she's done everything she can over the years to try and support me and my sister as a single mum."

That respect and admiration for her mum was at the centre of a spoken piece Mia put together last year for an English assignment at Bomaderry High School, which was entered into the Heywire competition.

It won the Illawarra section, resulting in Mia being being about 40 regional winners invited to spend a week in Canberra as part of the Youth Ideas Summit to help Federal Parliament hear the voices of Australia's rising generation.

Mia said she went to Canberra armed with knowing how tough life had been for her mother in the face of the rising cost of living.

"It's been hard for mum to afford food for two kids and pay bills," she said.

"With the house that we're in as well, they keep upping the rent but mum's pay doesn't go up."

Those experiences helped a presentation Mia made with four others also concerned about food security and the impact of rising costs.

That group included three people from farming backgrounds, and one from Darwin where the community relied heavily on markets to buy fresh food.

And they focused on giving people better access to fresh and affordable produce as a way of improving society.

"Our idea was the home-grown hub, that's the name we gave the program, and we had a logo for it," Mia said.

"It's a marketplace with accessible foods, fresh foods, where farmers can come and sell their produce without all the processes they have to go through with the shops.

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"Or a community can just come together and sell or give away the foods they grow at home."

Mia said it was all about creating "a community marketplace that's cheap".

"It's a good opportunity for the Nowra community to come together and help eachother socialise together," she said.

"It's a marketplace for everyone, not just one socio-economic group.

"Just come along, socialise and communicate with people, and have a chance to buy fresh food at a cheap price as well."

Mia said the idea was focused on building communities, giving people a chance to sell or share the fruit and vegetables they grew at home, along with enlisting the support of farmers and community leaders.

It also gave the supermarkets another chance to pass on the food items they would otherwise have to throw out.

And this is just the start of the year 11 student's efforts to work for change, with Mia saying she had ambitions to attend university in Canberra and study to become a journalist.