Plan International in Australia

 A better now for her. A better future for everyone. This is what we stand for. 

Plan International Australia is the charity for girls' equality. 

They tackle the root causes of poverty, support communities through crisis, campaign for gender equality, and help governments do what's right for children and particularly for girls. Part of the global NGO Plan International, they are a secular organisation with no religious or political affiliations. 

Plan International Australia believes a better world is possible. An equal world; a world where all children can live happy and healthy lives, and where girls can take their rightful place as equals. By standing with girls and supporting them to speak up, know their rights and lead, we can work towards a better, more equal world for all.

www.plan.org.au

We strive for a just world for all children, and equality for girls. We believe a better world is possible. An equal world; a world where all children can live happy and healthy lives, and where girls have equal opportunities.

Plan International works on some of the most important issues of our time – from gender equality, sexual and reproductive health rights, sexual harassment and safety, refugee rights, food security and action on the climate crisis. Advocacy is an important tool Plan International harnesses that helps address the systemic causes of poverty and discrimination in the world – including right here in Australia. Just some of this work has included:  
 
The Youth Activist Series (YAS):  
Each year, Plan International Australia works with around 10 inspiring young people who are passionate about fighting for gender justice. In the 12-month program, youth activists receive training in advocacy and campaigning, stakeholder and government relations, media and communications and youth-led research, to then go out into the world and tackle inequality head on. The YAS have addressed the UN, met with the Prime Minister of Australia, written submissions to Parliament and spoken in state political forums and met with social media companies like Facebook to advocate for online safety for young people. The purpose of the YAS is to give participants the chance to drive real change that is informed by their voices and solutions.  
 
Combatting street and sexual harassment in public places:  
Plan International Australia’s youth activists were involved in co-designing the Free to Be crowd-mapping tool, rallying participation in the research and adding girls’ voices to the national conversation about our right to live safely in our cities. Advocating for girls and young women’s safety, Plan International and the YAS engaged with numerous power holders and stakeholders to push for change and implement the recommendations they wanted to see from Plan International Australia’s Unsafe in the City research. Among other transformational outcomes, this campaign led to a new Women’s Safety Charter being adopted by the Greater Sydney Commission, Transport for NSW and the Committee for Sydney in 2020.  
 
Campaigning to make Australian politics safe, diverse and free from misogyny:  
Plan International has undertaken eye-opening research on how young women, girls and gender diverse youth feel about entering a career in politics – and what needs to change to make Australian politics a safe and equal place for all young people. Plan International Australia and the young people they work with have met with ministers and power holders across the political spectrum to make powerful recommendations, engaged in high profile media opportunities on the issue and contributed to an independent review into the culture of Parliament by the Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins.

Plan International Australia Youth Activists profiled below will be delivering the 5D training sessions in Australia, both virtually and in person.

Angelica

Angelica Ojinnaka is a researcher and advocate for gender equality and youth affairs. As a Youth Activist for Plan International Australia, Angelica co-authored a global youth-led report involving over 1000 girls and young women (from 99 countries) mapping out their visions for a more just and equitable post-pandemic world. Her activism has further involved roundtables on online harassment with bodies including Instagram and the eSafety Commissioner. Angelica has featured on SBS, ABC, and 9Honey covering the topics of harassment, calling for greater intersectional approaches to addressing the safety of girls and young women.  
 
Angelica was a presenter on SBS Learn’s ‘Connect with Respect' resource addressing topics including harassment, and a speaker for an intergenerational dialogue on youth participation in institutional decision-making processes with high-level UN leaders. Angelica received the 2021 NSW Premier’s Youth Medal in recognition of her gender and youth wellbeing advocacy, and featured on the United Nations 'List of Young People Leading Resilient Recovery in the Decade of Action'. Angelica's passion is to push for systemic change that ensures a world free of street harassment, discrimination, and inequity. 

Carla

My name is Carla S. Sieck (she/her). I’m a 26-year-old Mexican who is passionate about environmental sustainability and youth empowerment. I started my advocacy journey with Plan International in 2018 and it was one of the best decisions in my life. I’ve always felt drawn to learn about inequalities and stand up for the disadvantaged and Plan was a door opener to meet like-minded people. People who made me feel optimistic about the future and taught me that collaboration is key.  
 
Street harassment has (unfortunately) made its way through to my life whether I’ve experienced or witnessed it. And it is a tiring, infuriating, and unacceptable reality for many, many of us. I long for the day that I stop worrying if my friend made it back home safely. That I stop being on an alert mode when walking alone. But most of all I long that this won’t be the reality of my nieces, cousins, or daughters.  
 
People have the power to drive change, to deconstruct, and rebuild. Re-build new forms of behavior that create positive impacts in society and we should all be as actively involved as possible in these changes.  

Imogen

Imogen (she/her) studies politics and criminology at the University of Melbourne, planning on pursuing a career in law. She was a youth activist with Plan International in 2020, where she conducted research, co-authored and edited the Better Normal report, documenting girls’ visions for a better world in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was presented to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN General Assembly.  
 
She has campaigned for online safety against bystander harassment with Plan International, including speaking on radio and to government officials, as well as presenting to the UN Working Group on Discrimination Against Women and Girls on the power of youth activism. 
 
As an inaugural fellow in the University of Melbourne's Wattle Fellowship, Imogen is piloting a project to combat young people’s climate anxiety by increasing climate literacy, acknowledge their fears and listen to their dreams. She also sits on the Student Council and the Women’s Committee at the university. 

Libby

Libby Payne (she/her) is a youth activist from the Central Coast of NSW, a survivor of street harassment and image-based abuse, and 2021 UNiDAYS Student Woman of the Year. She has written articles for 9 Honey, and The Women’s Agenda, and been interviewed by The Sunday Telegraph and SBS on her experiences of sexual harassment and the need for societal change.  
 
In 2019 she was involved in the Free to Be project, advocating for safer cities for all, and conducted a chalkback protest on the Piermont Bridge in Sydney, calling attention to the dismissal of street harassment as “boys will be boys”. Passionate about the power of bystander intervention both in person and online she authored The Future Online report in 2021, using youth centred research to highlight the power of being an active bystander online in disrupting gendered violence. Currently working for LoveBites, delivering respectful relationships and consent education, she believes that survivor led education is key to stopping stop gender-based violence in all its forms. 

Ruvimbo

Ruvimbo is a young woman who is passionate about inspiring and impacting generations through her work as an; Author,  Creator, Speaker and Entrepreneur.  As Plan International’s Youth Activist alumni she has been able to make impact  when it comes to bringing awareness to the safety and well-being of women & young girls.  Gender based violence is an area where she believes more people need to be aware of and more people need practical steps to combat the issue.  Her goal is to see more people safe and less people’s lives destroyed  by any form of harassment especially sexual or street harassment.  This is why she’s joined the Stand up campaign to be a catalyst of change - in the hopes that real change is birthed! 

Varsha

Varsha is a 21-year-old student and social activist from Darug Land in Sydney. She has graduated with a BA of Politics, Philosophy, and Economics at UNSW and is currently working in Health and Wellbeing Public Policy. She has been involved as a Youth Activist for Plan International for 3 years contributing to gender-based projects, research, and the 'Free to Be' street harassment campaign.  
 
Her lived experiences have shaped the keen sense of enthusiasm she holds for equity, diversity, and inclusion in places where gender literacy, disability advocacy, and social innovation coincide. People are at the heart of what she does and she is passionate about creating dialogues and spaces for all and every experience of being human.