I’ve been organising with the Australian Youth Climate Coalition (AYCC) in NSW for two years- working with school, community and university groups to build power and run strategic campaigns. Before I organised with the AYCC, I spent time working with Sydney’s Pacific Island community, working to create a platform for their voices to be listened to on climate change by the rest of the Australian community, particularly our politicians.
During 2015 I worked to build the skills and the power of AYCC’s NSW state branch, and supported them to work on our successful campaign to prevent Australia’s largest banks from investing in the expansion of the Abbot Point coal port, 50km from the Great Barrier Reef. I have also been coordinating the Switched on Schools program, AYCC’s high school organising arm, in NSW. I have been training and building groups of volunteers to deliver two-day intensive programs in strategic electorates around the state, and helping high school students to develop and implement sustainability action plans for their schools, as well as realise their potential as young change makers.