Congratulations to all the following young Australians who have been selected for The IMAD Honour Roll which recognises and celebrates youth leaders in Australia who have demonstrated their leadership addressing a specific issue in Australia and/or abroad. Celebrating International Women’s Day 2018, ACLW proudly announces the following young women and men as Australian Youth Gender Equality Champions in the IMAD Honour Roll.These Champions’ incredible effort and passion towards achieving gender equality in Australia is to be commended as outlined in each recipient’s testimony. Please join me in congratulating these outstanding young women and men in Australia.The IMAD Honour Roll will be open later in the year for new submissions.

For upcoming programs, Youth can join IMAD at https://www.facebook.com/groups/IMADYouthLeadersAustralia/

Dr Diann Rodgers-Healey

      See the Honour Roll in Facebook

2018 Australian Youth Gender Equality Champions  

Chloe Malmoux-Setz

Chloe Malmoux-Setz is an activist among Australian universities and in her local community. Her activism began in the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Women’s collective, in her first year studying Communications and International Studies, and she hasn’t looked back since. She proceeded building experience in the human rights field, mainly focussing on intersectional feminism, by being elected 2017 Women’s Collective Convenor and becoming a Gender Equality Youth Activist with Plan International Australia. Passionate about connecting with other activists and fighting alongside them, Chloe delved further into student movements, protests and meetings with university management and Parliament. With Chloe’s growing interest and knowledge in human rights, she continues to learn more and hopes to make a wider impact nationally and globally.”Gender Equality is so intrinsically important to me, not only as a woman, but as a person of privilege who can see intersectional inequalities in Australia, and wants to be a part of the change. I do not want to be complacent to horrible treatment, behaviour and actions as I have hope that, as a nation, we can always be better. Last year I began my journey as a gender equality pioneer among university students and in the broader community. I facilitated meetings with women identifying groups, participated in Plan International Australia’s Youth Activist series and lead regional protests against sexual violence at University. To further my contribution to society, I am currently working at Amnesty International, promoting human rights through artistic expression. Gender Equality can be learnt and advocated in a variety of ways, whether through protest, art, online forums or support groups. Through my advocacy and leadership in the last year, I have successfully made a difference in all of these networks, helping, supporting and promoting gender equality. I believe I have made a positive impact on the people around me, by either making them feel more comfortable within themselves, or inspiring them to take part of the feminist movement. By being a role model, advisor or friend in these networks, I hope I have instilled a passion within them to not be complacent to gender inequality, but strive to make a difference.” 

Matthew Friedman

 Matthew Friedman is the founder of 2 Birds 1 Bee, a youth-run relationships and sexuality education project. Through interactive workshops, 2 Birds 1 Bee engages with students, parents and schools in areas overlooked by the curriculum, including pornography, gender and sexuality diversity, and building healthy relationships. Matt also volunteers in delivering Love Bites, a school program about domestic violence and sexual assault. Through these and other roles, Matt has the invaluable opportunity to engage in feminist conversations with hundreds of young people each year. He is also studying a combined Bachelor of Arts and Economics at Sydney University. “In an age of ‘pornified’ media, never mind porn itself, it is more important than ever that young people are equipped with the skills and determination to identify subtle and structural gender inequalities. The importance of equality is not only linked to the betterment of the lives of women, but also the ultimate solution to the toxic masculinity that is behind so much of the violence (physical and otherwise) in society. After graduation from high school I founded a relationship and sex education organisation, 2 Birds 1 Bee, a platform to bring up some of the most glaring conversations omitted from the curriculum. Through it, as well as another program I volunteer for, I now deliver workshops on pornography, gender and sexuality, and consent to young people in years 7-12, parents and schools, all in order to bring inequalities into the light. Whilst I am under no delusion that these workshops instantly solve structural inequalities, the responses that I get make the work I do incredibly fulfilling. At one school visit, on pornography, a young man approached to discuss his porn watching habits in a more honest way than I’ve ever heard before. More than addiction, he was concerned by the discussion around gender portrayals and we discussed ways he could stop porn from changing how he interacts with his female classmates. At the same school, I was caught up in a discussion planning for a new gender equality society. I don’t take any of the credit for either of those discussions – those young people were the self-reflective ones brave enough to come forward – but I think that seeing me, another young person, have success in bringing up these difficult conversations solidified that it is firmly possible for them to do the same.”

Ashleigh Streeter

 Ashleigh Streeter sits on the Australian Civil Society Coalition for Women Peace and Security and last year ran two workshops at the Youth CSW. She has previously worked with World Vision and the Campaign for Australian Aid. She has also been involved with Plan International organizing the Girls Takeover and is a current board trainee with YWCA Canberra. Ashleigh holds a degree in International Relations/ Politics (Hons) and a Masters in Diplomacy. “Around the world, women continue to face and suffer varying levels of discrimination on a day to day basis. We deserve better, and we have the power to create that change. I am a member of the UN Women Taskforce, assisted in the conference organising in 2017 and was invited to present two workshops at the youth CSW conference. At this forum, a declaration was made acknowledging the trans community for the first time. Last year I co-organised the Girls Takeover Program, the only program in the Asia-Pacific region designed to equip young women from all backgrounds with the skills, networks and support they require to become politicians. This program worked with federal and local politicians, partnering them with a young female-identifying person to “take over” their office. This program reached over 10 million people & achieved 32+ commitments from every major political party in Australia. We met with every Party leader, submitted motions impacting 4.3 million Australians, changed school uniform policies for 15k students & met with the Prime Minister to present solutions to identified gender barriers. Last year, I co-founded Jasiri, the first organization globally to offer pay-it-forward self defence classes. For every paid position in the course, a position is offered to a survivor of domestic violence. I manage @GenderChat, a twitter account dedicated to conversation around various areas of gender. By engaging via twitter, we were able to overcome barriers and engage in conversation with people of all genders regardless of their location, physical abilities and more. I currently sit as a board trainee with YWCA Australia and am on the organizing committee for International Women’s Day for UN Women. I am also a member of the Australian Civil Society Coalition on Women, Peace and Security, which is currently working towards the new National Action Plan.”

Caitlin Figueiredo

 Caitlin Figueiredo is a proud multicultural Australian, an award-winning gender equality activist, and entrepreneur. She made history in 2017 by organising the world’s largest ‘Girls Takeover Parliament Program’ with the Australian Federal Parliament to promote democracy and girls’ leadership and increase female representation. In 2016, Caitlin won the Young Leader Category in ‘Australia’s 100 Most Influential Women’. She is also an Obama White House Changemaker for Gender Equity and Queen’s Young Leader. She represents 4.3 million young Australians as a Board Director of the Australian Youth Affairs Coalition. Caitlin is also the youngest United Nations Task Force members on Youth Development and Gender Equality. She is a small business owner of Lake Nite Learning and CEO of Jasiri Australia.  

“As an international Gender Equality advocate I work to establish more opportunities for women and girls and help to ensure they are able to access equal opportunities and grow up in safe environments. In 2016, I founded Arts for Peace in Pakistan, a program which utilises the creative arts to encourage peace-building and provides education and gender-inclusive career opportunities for 300 women and girls. That same year, I led an international task force of 50 people from 28 countries to develop a program to tackle the menstruation stigma with World Merit for the UN Secretary General. I sit on 3 UN Task Forces for gender equality and was instrumental on ensuring the inclusion of LGBTQIA+ rights within the CSW Youth Declaration for the first time. Last year, I Co-Founded the world’s largest Girls Takeover Program Parliament Program to increase female political representation and leadership. The program reached 10m people, secured over 30 commitments on gender equality on the local and federal level and established a partnership with the ACT Government to conduct a review of their uniform policy to ensure 15,000 female-identifying students were able to wear pants without repercussion. I also helped run a campaign against the period stigma which reached 160m people. In partnership with UN Women/ my social enterprise, Lake Nite Learning which upskills 600 young women a year, I launched Jasiri Australia – the world’s first pay it forward self-defence organisation on a mission to protect women and survivors from violence. Since we launched in December, we have trained 100 women in self-defence and provided 50 survivors with free leadership and self-defence training. As a Board Member of the Canberra Multicultural Women’s Form, I protect the rights of local multicultural women and this month I organised the Canberra Women’s March.”

Sanha Ramsing

Sanha Ramsing is a 19-year-old student studying a Bachelor of Creative Industries (Music and Animation) at the Queensland University of Technology. Through the years of 2013-2016, Sanha travelled to Darwin, Sydney and the United States of America to play the clarinet with the ‘Symphonic Winds’ band of St Peters Lutheran College. In 2016, she helped found ‘The Student Alliance,’ a social equality group that focuses on educating school students about social issues. She received a ‘Secondary Schools Citizenship Award Certificate’ by the Order of Australia, Queensland Division, for recognition of her contribution to the Australian Community.

“I believe education is a key factor in reducing bulling and discrimination, especially in a school setting. This is why when I was in Grade 11, 2015, I started the ‘The Student Alliance’.- the first equality group at St Peters Lutheran College. Its purpose was to educate fellow students about intersectionality and to provide a safe space for people to use during school hours. Through weekly talks at assembly and events, I, as the Captain, grew the group to 127 members from grades 9 -12, making it the schools largest social justice group. Every semester, our meetings were focused around different topics including: ableism, sexuality, discrimination and mental health. The Student Alliance would also fundraise for different foundations, depending on the focus of that semester. On record, the group raised $1350 for ‘Open Doors’ in one lunchtime. We also fundraised for ‘Headspace’, ‘Beyond Blue,’ and the ‘Hear and Say Foundation’. In conjunction, we attended different events around Brisbane to obtain educational resources for our school, such as the Refugee March and UN talks at The University of Queensland. One of our greatest achievements has been the uniform change movement. Over three years, The Student Alliance convinced the school board to change the school uniform to allow the choice for girls to wear pants. Students found wearing a skirt in winter impractical and that a dress in summer hindered movement, hence the changes. For the first time ever, in the school’s 73 years of operation, the new uniform codes have been successfully implemented and I could not be prouder. Girls can now choose to wear a skirt, dress or pants at any time of the year. The Student Alliance has grown since my departure from school, but I still provide information and help the club in any way I can.”

Maya Marcus

Maya Marcus is a young motivated individual with a passion for developing and supporting innovative solutions to societal issues. She is particularly interested in providing access to education opportunities to women, minorities, and those that have experienced disadvantage. She has been lucky enough to see the impact of education programs in Australia, Cambodia and Laos which has helped affirm her commitment to working in the education space and strengthened her desire to help students in all situations, and from all backgrounds, get an education. Maya has a Bachelor of Communication focused on Gender and Public Relations and a Graduate Certificate in Not for Profit and Social Enterprise. She is currently completing a Masters in Applied Policy at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). Maya works at UTS developing entrepreneurship education programs and increasing the aspirations of young women for tertiary education.   “Women make up approximately 50% of the world’s population, but aren’t represented in 50% of leadership roles, or 50% of board positions, or 50% of STEM jobs. Their business don’t receive 50% of funding. Women aren’t equally contributing to the decisions that are impacting the world’s future. They aren’t prominent in the industries that are the fastest growing and significantly impacting economic growth and innovation. Our population should not have decisions being made and solutions being developed for societal problems by groups that don’t reflect the diversity of our world. Women deserve a voice, and, for the security of the future of our globe, they need a voice. In 2014 I started working for the University of Technology Sydney’s (UTS) Women in Engineering and IT (WIEIT) unit, a group running programs to support women in some of the fastest growing industries – science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). This includes a mentoring program for approximately 50 women a year, a volunteering program to support women to develop important soft skills to enhance their university experience, and sending female role models to schools to inspire and support young women to pursue tertiary education. In 2016 I became the coordinator of WIEIT and then in 2017 I moved to the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Unit at UTS where I coordinated STEAMpunk Girls, a program supporting high school girls to develop transdisciplinary skills that will equip them to be active and informed participants in the 21st century workforce. I have presented key insights and findings based on these programs at two Australasian conferences and one international one. In February 2018 I led the team organising Sydney’s first female focused Techstars startup weekend with approximately 90 women attending to learn crucial entrepreneurial skills to equip them to lead successful ventures and tackle major societal problems.” 

Ivy He

 Ivy He is a civil engineering student majoring in Humanitarian Studies and Geoscience in the Bachelor of Engineering and Bachelor of Science (BEng/BSci) degree at the University of Sydney. Ivy seeks to empower other women who dream of thriving in the male-dominated Engineering field. She has a keen interest in the areas of humanitarian solutions, renewables and sustainability. She has a passion for learning and is always looking to extend and apply herself. Ivy loves to volunteer; through community service and coaches in the leadership camps that she has attended in the past, as it gives her a satisfying feeling of giving back to the community. “My name is Ivy and I am currently studying BEng/BSci at the University of Sydney. I completed schooling on the Gold Coast but decided to expand my network on receiving the prestigious Faculty of Engineering and IT Leadership scholarship at USYD. In school I was well known because I was College Vice Captain and participated in many extracurricular activities. I was determined to make a difference; to show up-and-coming students it was ok to try new things. For my efforts and impact, my peers and teachers helped me be awarded the Gold Coast Women in Business Award 2016 for “Empowering Young Women”. However, I didn’t want to leave leadership behind when I left school. I am now an active society member at university and am an executive member on multiple societies, most predominantly Women in Engineering. When I touch base back home with people outside of my main group of friends, the males are often surprised I pursued engineering. ‘But you didn’t do engineering in high school?’ So, I’ve now realised that engineering is a heavily male-dominated field, but my team and I are working hard to close the gap, to ensure female students don’t feel disadvantaged and feel safe. This year, we are introducing an industry mentoring program, amongst many other events to help build a strong support network around these young women. In my first year, I have worked with Engineers Without Borders, reaching out to local and regional schools. I think it is so important to share my passions of sustainability, renewability and humanitarian crisis with young girls; to let them know it’s okay to pursue engineering and it’s not as intimidating as it seems. Many of the girls I have spoken to are interested in environmental engineering, which is essential to the longevity of the planet.”

Lisa Marie Lewis

 Lisa Marie Lewis encourages others to reach self-acceptance and new heights through undertaking various leadership roles within the community. Lisa has been a selfless advocate for LGBTIQUA+ rights volunteering at IDAHOT, Mardi Gras and Queer Collaborations. She is a spokesperson who empowers women of colour and low- SES students, by creating awareness of issues through activism, distributing resources and promoting safe spaces to encourage healthy discussion. Lisa is a natural born leader who wants to use her platform as a platform to focus on expanding the definition of gender equality so it will encompass people outside the gender binary. Lisa is studying a Bachelor of Social Science (Sociology) at Western Sydney University.  “I am achieving gender equality because I feel grossly outraged by the occurrence of prejudice and discrimination based on gender identity. As a queer rights activist and queer officer for my university, I have an excellent understanding of the fluidity of gender identity and believe it would be advantageous for me to be apart of the honour roll because I will raise issues relating to under representation of people who are transgender or non-binary. In addition, I represent a large silent majority of women through my queerness, visibly brown skin colour and low socioeconomic status. It is important for young girls to have role models that look like them, sound like them and think like them. How – I am advocating in the streets in marches and protests, I am spreading awareness through student clubs and I am organising community events. The community events are helpful for connecting the oppressed populations with the oppressors and creating meaningful dialogue that can result in real impacts. I am advocating for the rights of not only women but people of all gender identities by speaking out about racism and explaining the sociology-economic factors that contribute to an unequal system. By vocally admitting I am a young queer woman of colour (from the Blacktown LGA) I am giving others the agency to step forward and share their stories without shame. I want to become a powerful role model for the next generation and prove that persistence and hard work can triumph over these social barriers, if given enough support.”

Nicole Gismondo

Nicole Gismondo is an undergraduate student currently completing her final two years of a Bachelor of Laws/International Studies at Western Sydney University. Throughout her time at university Nicole has shown a commitment to students through various club, collective and student representative roles, including the student newspaper, SRC, Debating, Women’s Collective and finally as a member of the university board. In her spare time, she umpires netball and adjudicates high school debates. “Gender equality is something that has the capacity to change whole lives. Even where the changes are small, the impact can still be empowering for many people. This is why I’m making a difference to gender equality when and where I can. I think that it only matters that you are making change in the areas that you are able, whilst always thinking of the bigger picture. For me this has taken the form of establishing a Women’s Collective at my university, where there was none before. The project began in 2015, with a mere one campus out of five represented. After tireless advocacy work, I developed a team of independent women’s officers to represent each of the five campuses. To this date, these campuses remain fledgling but with strong campus representation. These collectives have provided a space for the creative development of women with many art and poetry events and a space for discussion around women’s economic and political empowerment. I have backed this achievement up by being a strong student advocate in student representation, in whatever roles I can, culminating in my election as the undergraduate representative on my university board, a key area where gender diversity has been slow. These achievements may seem small in the context of the whole world, but have made a difference to many women at my university, and I hope that empowerment may lead to others having the capacity to enact their own change.” 

Madison Birtchnell

Madison Birtchnell embodies excellence in community service, volunteering since age 6. She is the 2018 Gold Coast Young Citizen of the Year, a finalist for the Volunteering Queensland & Mental Health Achievement Youth Awards and recently selected as Australia’s representative in Class of 2018 Women Deliver Young Leaders Program. She is passionate about mental health, inclusion, equality, social justice, youth engagement and empowering women. Madison’s proudest achievements include devising an International Women’s Week Conference, featuring The Hon. Yvette D’Ath, raising $1.2K Ovarian Cancer; along with Shadowing Director General DJAG Mr David Mackie, and being selected as the Law Spokesperson for 2017. Madison is only 17. She is passionate about continue to serve others and hopes to work for the United Nations in the future. Madison is studying a Bachelor of Business with Queensland University of Technology (QUT), majoring in Management, with the support of a QUT Corporate Partners in Excellence Scholarship. “I am absolutely honoured to currently represent Queensland and Australia as an advocate and young leader in the Class of Women Deliver Young Leaders Global Program for 2018 – 2019, an absolutely outstanding volunteer opportunity. This worldwide program enables me to be a catalyst for and enact real change, through conferencing via a global platform with fellow representatives and provides an opportunity to gain a global perspective on issues facing gender equality in various countries. Furthermore, this platform is able to elevate my work as a champion for gender equality and the health, rights and well-being of girls and women within Australia and globally. This two-year initiative shapes the programs and policies that affect the lives of young girls and women through consultations and awareness campaigns at both grassroots, national and ultimately global level. Through a 12-month intensive online learning tool, I am learning how to effectively implement the Sustainable Development Goals and lead social change. I first became involved in community service at 6 years through Girl Guides, twelve years later I aspire to serve in the United Nations, where I can have my most impact. Singlehandedly organised and implemented an International Women’s Week Conference, funded by State Government grant, with the intention of empowering and inspiring community members to pursue careers they had not previously considered. Through my support of Ovarian Cancer Foundation, Amnesty International, Open Minds, Lions and many local organisations, I mentor young leaders in the community, provide a positive platform for social justice issues and raise awareness about important issues like gender equality, mental health and inclusion. A follow up to this inaugural conference, I will be presenting as a panellist at 2018 Gold Coast International Women’s Day Breakfast to discuss further how we can achieve gender equality, in line with the theme, press for progress.”

Dimitrious Havadjia

Dimitrious Havadjia is a 21 year old Engineering/Law student from the University of Wollongong (UOW). He is currently a member of the executive of the UOW Debating Society and competes in both national and international debating competitions. He is also a part time Barista, YouTuber and Author, and mild gym fanatic. In all of these spaces, he actively encourages respect and empowerment of all individuals, regardless of their skill or knowledge level.

“As a cis white male, I’m hyper aware of taking up the space of women in feminist spaces and mainstream dialogue, so I make sure to create space and give platform to those most affected, rather than talk over or in the place of women. However, I have constantly used my privileged position to give voice to those often overlooked, whether that be in classes at University, by treating all opinions with respect, at work, where sexist jokes are shut down immediately and in popular culture, where I make active efforts to engage in a balance of films and media produced by different groups of individuals, rather than shouting down movies such as Star Wars and Wonder Women for embracing more diversity. I also strive to educate men (and sometimes even women!) on the harms sexism and patriarchy impose on them—from the expectations of violence to the suppression of feelings—both online and in community environments, such as when working with school age debating students, who often accidentally use gendered arguments in debates. In order to develop an appreciation of feminism and gender equality, I try to frame discussions around the individual. I believe that these discussions need to exclude the media and right wing hype about ‘gender bending’ and ‘men afraid to be men.’ It’s having these conversations with even just friends and family that is the start of truly making a difference to gender inequality.”