While in high school I learnt about climate change, at the same time as seeing our elected leaders failing to take the action we needed to protect people and planet. I got involved with the Australian Youth Climate Coalition campaigns for many years: from the schools program to organising youth-led votes. I remember starting the Reef campaign in 2013 and the disbelief of people on the street who thought no one would ever do things to harm the GBR and our climate. Over the years this has grown and grown into an unstoppable people powered movement through grassroots community organising all across Australia.

I’ve been working in Canberra the past few years in bike rider advocacy. I’ve recently moved to Melbourne to start coordinating the Sustainable Cities Campaign, an initiative of Friends of the Earth. I’m passionate about tackling climate change through our cities and transport networks.

As our electricity sector has transitioned to clean renewable energy, this has left our other sources of climate damaging emissions to grow. Unless we rapidly transform areas such as transport, we will fail to tackle climate change. I want to build skills about creating campaigns that will change the transport network and give people sustainable choices. It is how we want to create a city that is connected and liveable for everyone. It needs system wide change, and that’s why I believe community campaigning is the way to make this happen.