Meet our Youth Activists for 2022

Our Youth Activists are a force to be reckoned with

Our Youth Activists are dedicated, enthusiastic individuals who are passionate about a fairer world for children and girls. They receive intensive training in gender equality literacy, advocacy and government relations, media and public speaking, communications and content collection, and then go out into the world and tackle inequality head on. They are fearless, powerful and feminist.

Meet the Team

Iremide (she/her)

Iremide (she/her)

Iremide is currently studying International Relations, with a keen focus on development. She is passionate about climate activism – and about highlighting solutions that exist across all levels of society. Currently engaged in a community led farming initiative, which is aimed at increasing the involvement of immigrants and refugees in sustainable farming, she has seen the power of collective action at work.

She is committed to raising awareness around the experiences of Indigenous peoples, people of colour, women and children, and other marginalised communities. She believes it is vital these profiles are raised, given the disproportionate effect climate change has on these groups.

In her spare time, Iremide loves to dance – you’ll find her grooving along to the latest Afrobeats and Dancehall rhythms!

Jan (they/he/she)

Jan (they/he/she)

Jan is an international student from Malaysia who grew up most of their life in Brunei. They are disabled and identify as queer, trans/non-binary/genderfluid and a Person of Colour. They are currently studying Bachelor of Arts, Psychology at the University of Melbourne.

They are passionate in intersectional feminism and have advocated for social justice including refugee rights, Aboriginal rights and climate justice. They will be commencing their internship at Multicultural Women Victoria as a Project Officer to continue advocating for female refugees and migrants.

As a Youth Activist, Jan is looking forward to empower women and girls’ rights as well as gender equality for all marginalized genders. Their hobbies include drawing, singing, acting, reading and writing fiction.

Janice (she/her)

Janice (she/her)

Janice is a university student in Southwest Sydney and studies Politics, Industrial Relations and Socio-Legal Studies. She is passionate about social justice and tackling the inequalities of our contemporary world, and is a firm believer in providing spaces and platforms for all people to share their perspectives. Janice is also interested in the power of storytelling as a tool to connect with people and in her spare time, enjoys volunteering at AIME and Democracy in Colour, painting and reading.

Through the YAS, Janice hopes to learn more about effective ways to tackle gender injustices in a context where the voices of women and non-binary people, especially from diverse backgrounds, are often overlooked. She is excited to work with a team of dedicated, young individuals and can’t wait to see what change they make throughout the year!

Jemma (she/her)

Jemma (she/her)

While finishing off her High School studies, Jemma is already campaigning for gender justice and greater youth voice. Her vision is a future where equity is inclusive and accessible for all, a goal she looks forward to supporting through working with Plan International.

As an emerging activist, she is passionate about raising awareness on issues affecting women and girls, the LGBTQIA+ community, and victim/survivors of gender based violence. Jemma has received a grant to develop a project providing aid to Canberrans escaping domestic and sexual violence. She also volunteers in several college and community initiatives, including a global youth education program, and a youth advisory group at a local non-profit.

As a YAS, Jemma hopes to improve girls’ access to education, enable more diverse feminist representation, and eliminate gender based violence. In her spare time, Jemma is probably studying or catching up with friends.

Voices for Change

For the Voices for Change Project, young people from Australia, Indonesia and Vietnam came together to collectively inform what inclusive, and truly representative, civic spaces could look like.

At Plan International we believe that young people are best placed to create solutions to the problems that directly impact them.  Every single day, young women and gender diverse young people are fighting for their right to be heard – and they’re dissatisfied with decision makers not listening to them due to their age, gender, ethnicity, disability, or sexuality.

This group of powerful young people uncovered how young people currently engage in politics, and the changes they want to see so their voices are heard when it comes to decisions that directly affect their lives.

Their recommendations for more inclusive and representative spaces are:

  • invest in, support and work with grassroots, youth-led networks, especially those led by or for young women and gender diverse young people.
  • formal models to support young people in their diversity to have a say
  • education opportunities
  • more transparency and accountability
  • increasing diversity of representation.

Armed with this evidence, our Youth Activists will campaign for change and accountability from decision-makers. We encourage decision makers and those of you working with young people to consider our recommendations for change, and review the ways you can holistically engage youth in informal and formal decision making processes, and create more spaces where young people in all their diversity can participate.

Read the full Voices for Change report.

What is the Youth Activist Series?

The Youth Activist Series (YAS) is a  12-month program for young people who are passionate about fighting for gender justice. Learn more about YAS.

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