Meet our Youth Activists for 2023

Allyza is currently in their first year of studying a Bachelors of Engineering. Outside of their studies, they are passionate about making change within their communities, and advocating for social issues such as intersectional feminism, gender equality, LGBTQIA+ rights, and refugee and migrant rights.

Allyza’s passion began when growing up in the Philippines and seeing how gender and societal roles put many people on an unequal standing. In their spare time, Allyza loves to read, paint and listen to music.

Angelina is currently studying a Bachelor of Health Sciences with an focus on health and sustainable development. Her background as a queer woman of colour from a single-income household acted as the catalyst for her activism focused on amplifying lived experience and increasing diversity in decision-making.

As the 2021 Queensland Youth Health Minister, she led her portfolio to create an innovative Youth Bill to end period poverty and pitched a policy to the U.S. Embassy on improving access to sexual and reproductive health services in the Indo-Pacific. She advocates for CALD communities in the Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network and Department of Health’s COVID-19 Youth Reference Group.

As a Youth Activist, Angelina aspires to campaign for climate and gender justice, highlighting the relationships between climate change, health, and social inequity.

Chloe is a passionate feminist activist living and working on Whadjuk country. She has been involved in student-led campaigns for justice and volunteered with organisations for gender equity.

She’s thrilled to be involved in the YAS program in 2023 and hopes to learn how to best direct her activist energy to create change towards gender justice.

Georgia is a former Girl Up Teen Advisor in her first year of studying a double degree in Law and Arts majoring in International Relations. Originally from regional New South Wales, Georgia is passionate about all things gender justice, but especially girls’ access to quality education and menstrual justice, particularly eliminating period poverty and raising awareness for Endometriosis.

She is excited to work with her fellow activists and advocate to create sustainable and impactful change for young people in Australia and around the world.

Iman is a 3rd year Bachelor of Law and Bachelor of Business student, who is passionate about gender equity, women’s rights and human rights. She has a strong focus on social justice and social change especially in areas which disproportionately affect women and marginalised groups.

She hopes to see and create social and political change which empowers the youth and addresses key social problems such as domestic violence, racism and unequal treatment.

Lydia is an experienced writer and has been published in Pedestrian.tv, Junkee, the Sydney Morning Herald and Women’s Agenda. Their gender studies major and work with End Rape on Campus Australia has given them a passion for comprehensive sex education, and they’re planning to start postgraduate studies in Sexology next semester.

Lydia is a committed advocate against gender-based violence and passionate about true, intersectional feminism, especially the rights of Indigenous, people with disabilities and trans and gender diverse people. Through the YAS, Lydia hopes to become an effective and well- rounded advocate for queer rights and survivors of gender-based violence, especially those who are under-represented. They are also the proud mother of a tuxedo cat called Newt.

Melis is a Turkish creative and activist, passionate about women’s rights, queer identity and mental health advocacy. She has graduated from a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and Global Studies and hopes to work with victim-survivors of sexual violence as they navigate the legal system.

She routinely organises and participates in photoshoots and loves to write, having been featured in The Guardian and The Age. In her downtime she likes to sew and hang out with her rescue greyhound, Sunny.

Niranjana is currently studying Sociology, Anthropology and Gender Studies. They are passionate about uplifting and supporting marginalised communities including Indigenous peoples, women, children, people of colour and the LGBTQIA+ community. Ni is a member of the Youth Committee at the Museum of Contemporary Art and helps develop and deliver art programs for young people in collaboration with other young creatives. As a young artist, Ni believes in the power of creativity as a tool to raise awareness and co-create change.

They have also been taking part in the Collective Imagining program run by the Foundation of Young Australians where they have been dreaming up a collective vision for 2050 with diverse young people across so-called Australia. They hope to learn more about gender justice, connect with like-minded, diverse and passionate young activists and spread their love for poetry and music through the YAS.

Rabia is currently in her fourth year of a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Politics. She is passionate about using her platform to empower young women to create substantial change in their communities.

As a young woman of colour pursuing a career in advocacy, she wants to reshape the traditional narrative and pave the way for more women to rise up through our societal and legal institutions.

As a youth activist, Rabia aspires to advocate for survivors of gender-based violence, particularly domestic and sexual violence. She wants to understand how we can shape the law and policy to reflect the diverse needs of Australian society and learn more about the challenges facing young women in Australia and abroad.

Rhiannon is a passionate, empathetic and proud activist. She completed her Bachelor of Arts double major in Politics & International Relations with a minor in Indigenous studies in 2021 and is now a postgraduate online student studying Public Policy and Governance. Rhiannon has always had a keen interest in activism and volunteering spending many years in different roles that revolved around social justice and education, with a focus on feminism, Indigenous rights, LGBTQIA+ rights and disability rights.

Her own health struggles with chronic illnesses and disability have further ignited her passion for reform and she has been working hard to help others like herself who do not have the opportunity to do so. Using her own lived experience, passion, education and afforded privileges, Rhiannon hopes to amplify voices in the socio-political environment and use her own voice to highlight issues and create systematic reform and justice.