In every corner of the world, young people are getting involved and standing up for what they believe in.
From advocating for environmental sustainability to leading community initiatives, young people everywhere are creating safe youth spaces and developing innovative solutions for global and local issues, while educating older people!
If you’re passionate about making changes to the world around you then this article is for you! Here are some remarkable young changemakers involved in a range of issues. We hope they leave you feeling motivated and give you some ideas of how you can get involved too.
Chanel Contos
Chanel Contos (pictured) is a young activist and educator from Sydney known for her work on consent education. She started an initiative called Teach Us Consent which is a campaign aimed at reforming sexual education curriculum to include discussions about consent, boundaries and healthy relationships.
Her online petition gained tens of thousands of signatures and resulted in mandatory consent education occurring in Australian schools. She was the 2021 recipient of the Young People’s Medal for the Australian Human Rights Awards and she was internationally recognised through winning The Diana Award in 2022.
Today, she is a published author of ‘Consent Laid Bare’, Director at the Centre for Sex and Gender Equality at The Australia Institute and Head of a youth committee at the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership.
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Ned Brockman
In 2022, Ned ran 4,000km across Australia to raise awareness and funds for people experiencing homelessness. He ran for 46 days and 12 hours, raised over $1.85 million dollars for charity and used his platform to advocate for people sleeping rough.
His book, “Showing Up” details his adventure and story with a proceed of profits being donated to MOBILISE.
Ned is a role model for countless people encouraging them to channel their passion and talents to make a difference in the lives of those around them. He aims to inspire Australians “To do the hard things, to take on the next challenge, to give back and help others and to get comfortable being uncomfortable.”
Molly Hunt
Molly is a Balanggarra and Yolngu woman from the Kimberley and a total creative genius who tells stories through animation, journalism, illustration and radio.
Molly illustrated an award-winning book called ‘This Book Thinks Ya Deadly’, which showcases the profiles of 80 different Blakfellas and celebrates the diversity and success of First Nations People.
Molly has done all sorts of amazing collaborations. Behind Molly’s colourful and amazing designs, is a meaningful representation of Country. Molly continues to tell, share, inform and educate through her art and work.
Portrait of Chanel Contos smiling and looking off to the right.
Image credit: MDMD
A great way to get involved is through youth working groups or youth advisory groups (YAGs).
This gives you a chance to work with local councils or organisations and have a say in issues that affect you and contribute to the strategic direction of your local community or an organisation.
Young people leading disaster recovery
The 2019-2020 bushfires saw farmland and bushland destroyed and the town of Corryong in the Upper Murray evacuated. A Youth Working group was then created at Corryong Neighbourhood Centre, run by young people, for young people to have their say on the recovery process.
The Youth Working Group has been involved in redeveloping the local skate park, the Playles Hill Park, and engaging their peers in social activities. This group was the first platform for young people in the area to give input on decisions being made about disaster recovery.
Youth Working Groups and YAG’s are extremely important ways for young people to have a say and advocate for their needs. Your local council will likely have a YAG or working group that you can join, but as they did at Corryong, you can also set one up yourself!
Three people speaking at a table
There are so many young people advocating and making change close in their communities, either in groups or on their own.
Below are some case studies to showcase young people showing up for their communities and the ways they’re making change.
Case Study: Yeah Nah
In 2023, YACVic Rural received funding to deliver a project that is aimed at delivering Affirmative Consent education to young people in the Southern Mallee.
The project, Yeah, Nah, is peer-led. This means young people are at the centre of the ideas, development and delivery of the Yeah, Nah workshops. Young peer educators ensure young people’s voices are centred and the content and delivery of the workshops is safe and relatable to other young people.
Presly (he/him), a young Pasifika man from Robinvale, was supported by the youth services team at Swan Hill Rural City Council and the Southern Mallee team at YACVic to apply for the role of Yeah, Nah Peer Educator. Being from Robinvale, Presly noticed through his own experience that sexual health and consent wasn’t being spoken about in his community and he was keen to be involved in changing that narrative.
In summary:
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When Presly first joined the team, he had never done any form of facilitation and was quite reserved when it came to group discussions.
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A part of that hesitation came from his experience growing up in a rural town where taboo topics were not discussed openly.
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It was a learning curve to be able to contribute to discussions and overcome the social barriers that had become the norm for him.
Throughout the project, Presly has developed his confidence in talking about Affirmative Consent. Not only does he contribute incredible and creative ideas to team meetings and trainings but has been one of the most dedicated people in making sure that his skills are the best they can be.
Yeah, Nah has given Presly the opportunity to turn a passion into a job where he is regularly inspiring his community, peers and colleagues.
His role has involved not only supporting the development of the Yeah, Nah workshop but delivering it across the Southern Mallee. Presly answers questions and supports young people in the workshops and works behind the scenes to develop extra resources for young people.
Case Study: Healthy Equal Youth (HEY) Grants
HEY Grants are an annual small grant round for LGBTIQA+ youth projects and initiatives in Victoria.
Issue 3 from 'More than Melanin’ was a youth-led project funded by Round 12 of the HEY Grants. The young person behind the project, Kanika Chopra (she/they), came up with the theme for Issue 3 during COVID-lockdowns.
At a time when many people were struggling with feelings of isolation and poor mental health, Kanika decided to create an outlet for young LGBTIQA+ people of colour to express themselves and bring comfort to others through their art and writing.
Kanika describes her HEY-funded project as, “a magazine for and by POC and Bla(c)k women and LGBTIQA+ people currently published annually, issue three of More Than Melanin aims to examine life and mental health post-2020 through a satirical lens. It centres voices of youth from racially marginalised communities, especially the voices of queer people and women from these spaces.”
When thinking about the way her zine could support young LGBTIQA+ people’s mental health, Kanika said, “the impact of my publication is that of getting diverse voices out there and having other QTPOC (Queer, trans people of colour) see themselves in a publication that is for them and by people like them, hopefully resulting in them feeling seen, not alone, and perhaps inspired to putting their own work out there.”
Through her project Kanika supported other LGBTIQA+ artists with the opportunity to showcase their work, creating stronger social connections within this community.
Kanika hopes to see more projects and conversations around intersectionality within the queer community and encourages more diverse queer young voices to engage with HEY Grants.
Kanika’s zine demonstrates the power of community grants, and we encourage you to have a look at what could be available for you.
A young man holding a sign that reads: "Yeah, Nah. Affirmative consent education for and by young people in the Mallee."
As we’ve explored and celebrated some incredible young change makers and leaders, you might like to reflect on:
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What are the issues you care about?
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Which case scenario resonated with you the most?
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What are the ways you might feel comfortable to engage with your community?
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Who are the people in your life doing amazing things?
Asking your local council for current opportunities and keeping an eye out on community noticeboards are great places to get started when looking for opportunities.
It’s important to note that you don’t need to be involved in public campaigns, making change on a big scale or be in a paid position for your voice and impact to make a difference. Having conversations with people in your life is also an important part of making a change as well as supporting people and organisations that are already out there doing the work.
“Young people should be at the forefront of global change and innovation. Empowered, they can be key agents for development and peace.”
–Kofi Annan, Former Secretary General of the United Nations
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FitzSimons, P. (2022). What Chanel Contos uncovered about school-age sex abuse, we all need to know. https://www.smh.com.au/national/what-chanel-contos-uncovered-about-school-age-sex-abuse-we-all-need-to-know-20220819-p5bb6x.html
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Hare, J. (1 November 2023). Chanel Contos says most rapists are ‘entitled opportunists’. Financial Review. https://www.afr.com/life-and-luxury/health-and-wellness/chanel-contos-says-most-rapists-are-entitled-opportunists-20231101-p5egs9
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Lunch Lady. (n.d). Meet molly hunt + diversify your bookshelf. https://hellolunchlady.com.au/blogs/blog/molly-hunt
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McElroy, N. (19 October 2022). Nedd Brockmann just ran 4,000km across Australia and raised $1.85 million for charity. Now he's feeling everything. ABC. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-19/nedd-brockmann-on-his-run-across-australia-charity-feelings-home/101550180
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Need. (n.d). Showing Up. https://neddbrockmann.com/products/showing-up
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Youth Affairs Council Victoria. (September 2021). A seat at the table. https://www.yacvic.org.au/assets/Documents/YACVic-Seat-at-the-Table-Resource.pdf
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Youth Affairs Council Victoria. (n.d). What we offer. https://www.yacvic.org.au/training-and-services/what-we-offer/