Head of Training

Maria is an education and gender equality advocate. She is currently the International Education Officer at Family Planning Australia. Her work involves curriculum design, developing teaching and learning resources, and facilitating teacher training workshops.

Maria is an executive committee member of the UNESCO-supported SDG4Youth Network, a group of a hundred young education activists shaping global education policies. As a youth delegate, she presented the Youth Declaration at the second Asia-Pacific Regional Education Minister’s Conference held in Bangkok, 2022. Maria recently co-led Action Track 1 on ‘Inclusive, equitable, safe and healthy schools’ for the United Nations Transforming Education Summit held during the 77th General Assembly.

She was previously a primary teacher for the NSW Department of Education and has experience supporting students with learning disabilities and difficulties as an education specialist. Maria is a past recipient of the Australian Government’s New Colombo Plan Scholarship, which enabled her to study and complete her teaching practicums in Vanuatu and Singapore. She holds a Bachelor of Education (Primary Education) and a Diploma of Project Management.

Facilitator

Clodia is currently studying a Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy and Economics (BPPE) at the University of New South Wales. She is extremely passionate about representation in politics, foreign and domestic policy and educating young people on the power and merit of their voices, ideas and values.

She has been a part of numerous leadership programs such as Max Potential, working with the company to build on leadership skills whilst helping to amplify the voices of others. Clodia has also published writing and poetry with companies such as Red Room Poetry, using her writing to discuss issues of climate change, gender inequity and mental health.

Clodia currently volunteers in her local member of parliament's office, hoping to better understand her place in the electorate, gain first-hand experience of how policy shapes constituents' livelihoods and to better understand the intricacies of the political system.

Facilitator

Manasi is a graduate of Law from the University of Sydney. Her passion for human rights led her to volunteer for various community legal centres such as Redfern; now currently doing her Practical Legal Training at Justice Connect in Melbourne.

Manasi joined as a facilitator in 2021 to expand her skill sets and work towards giving diverse people, especially women of colour, a platform in policy and politics in Australia.

Facilitator

Kira is studying a Masters of International Relations at the University of Melbourne and is broadly interested in policy areas which invite opportunity to create a more equitable, sustainable and just society. Having participated in youth activism initiatives including Victorian Youth Parliament and Local and Vocal, she believes in the value of educating young people about politics and empowering them to be informed citizens and advocates of change.

Kira volunteers with the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre and has contributed to digital campaign analysis, as well as organising events and fundraisers. She currently works in a public-facing communications role with Rail Projects Victoria.

Facilitator

Harper is currently completing secondary school alongside volunteering commitments. Having been involved with LGBTQ+ advocacy and social justice groups, they are committed to uplifting diverse and marginalised voices in politics.

They are passionate about civic involvement and education, and attended the National Schools’ Constitutional Convention in Canberra as a representative of South Australia. They regularly discuss issues like youth involvement in decision-making and menstrual justice as a member of the South Australian Commissioner for Children and Young People’s advisory panel.

They have extensively advocated for the voices of young people in South Australia and as a schools’ coordinator for the Australian Youth Climate Coalition and student debate adjudicator, and are incredibly passionate about educating young people. As a facilitator, Harper is dedicated to improving young people’s confidence in their knowledge and ability to meaningfully engage with political discussions.

UX Design & Accessibility

Finley is a qualified UX Designer and leads all online and training content accessibility.

Finley is a non-binary member of the LGBTQ+ community and motivated by a commitment to accessibility. They strongly believe that great design is the key to building a better world.

They run training sessions with the team, build content and run training and strategy meetings, coordinating with research, social media, branding and leadership teams to ensure our voice is diverse, inclusive and representative of our community.

“When we design for diverse needs we improve the experience for everyone.”