Youth Advisory Group

Tobi Adegbite

Meg Allan

Azima Dhanjee

Azima Dhanjee is a Child of Deaf Adult (CODA), Co-founder and CEO of ConnectHear, Board Member of the Social Enterprise World Forum C.I.C and a member of the National Youth Council (an initiative by the Prime Minister of Pakistan). She is a Diana Award winner and has been invited as a speaker on various platforms. She is an alumna of the Institute of Business Administration (Class of 2020), with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration.

Azima is raised by Deaf parents and Pakistani Sign Language (PSL) is her mother tongue. Growing up, she was always concerned by how simple communication was a challenge for the Deaf due to the language barrier. The lack of awareness and accessibility led her to start ConnectHear at the age of 19 with her high school friends. ConnectHear is a social enterprise that strives for sign language accessibility and Deaf inclusion by using technology.

Matthew Goldsworthy

Matthew Goldsworthy is a 24-year-old social impact leader from Aotearoa New Zealand, now based in London. He is the Founder of Youth Arts New Zealand (YANZ), a nonprofit social enterprise with a vision for every young person across Aotearoa to know the worth of their creative identity. Programmes range from creative sector internships and paid gig work opportunities to creative writing workshops in corrections facilities and community spaces. Matthew has also recently co-founded Goodness Digital, a tech-driven social enterprise empowering purpose-driven organisations to share their stories with the world. He is passionate about community-led development, the creative arts and youth leadership.

Bek Lasky

Vivi Lin

Vivi is a Taiwanese activist and civil society leader for period equity, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), gender equality and human rights with a decade of experience. She founded the non-profit With Red in 2019, impacting millions worldwide by advancing menstrual justice and youth empowerment. Vivi established the world’s only Period Museum dedicated to menstrual awareness. In 2021, she introduced Asia’s first university-level menstruation course at National Taiwan University, where she lectures, affirming her commitment to education and advocacy. Passionate about DEI and human rights, Vivi champions inclusivity and has been recognised with awards like the Diana Legacy Award and Tatler GenT. Her remarkable contributions have been spotlighted in renowned publications like Harper’s BAZAAR, Marie Claire, Tatler, Radio Canada, NHK and many more.

Ara Meniño

Ara Meniño, 19, from Argentina, is the owner and founder of Lately Café, a space dedicated to empowering young people. Ara saw the need for a bridge between the skills learned in education and the realities of employment. The purpose of Lately Café is to provide a welcoming and dynamic environment where young people, with no previous work experience, can acquire valuable hard and soft skills, fostering both professional growth and personal confidence. Ara’s goal is to grow her company and continue to generate work opportunities for young people in Argentina.

James Okina

James Okina is a social entrepreneur, who is currently Director of Design at Lynn University’s Watson Institute. At age 15, James founded Street Priests Incorporated, a youth-led movement with the vision to transform the lives of street children. Street Priests Inc. has impacted the lives of over 20,000 at-risk youth through rehabilitative programmes. James is a TEDx speaker and has earned numerous accolades including Global Teen Leader, Global Changemaker, Ashoka Youth Champion and Future African Leader. James has been a strategic advisor to the SAP Global CSR team for the past three years.

Federico Perez

Federico is a Colombian entrepreneur and conservation strategist committed to advancing holistic environmental solutions. As the Founder of Selvitas, he leads large-scale forest restoration and works to integrate smallholder farmers into global value chains. By innovating at the intersection of finance, policy and community-led conservation, Federico is driving systemic change for climate resilience. Federico is currently pursuing a fully funded joint Master of Environmental Management and Master of Public Policy in Global Affairs at Yale University. He brings expertise in economics and supply chain management to design scalable solutions for environmental and social impact. His leadership is recognised internationally: Federico serves as a board member of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation (Latin America), is an IUCN Young Changemaker, One Young World Ambassador, and U.S. Department of State Young Leader. As a National Consultant for the International Trade Centre, he has played a key role in strengthening Colombia’s entrepreneurship ecosystem and shaping national policy. His mission is to bridge science, finance and policy to foster sustainable leadership and create lasting, positive change on a global scale.

Gerlinde Schmidt

Joshua van den Hurk

Joshua van den Hurk, 28, from the Netherlands, founded Bamboovement driven by his love for ocean sports and a desire to tackle plastic pollution. Witnessing the effects of plastic on our oceans, he decided to act. Joshua works with top companies worldwide, leading the charge towards a more sustainable future. Through Bamboovement, he’s showing how simple, sustainable choices can make a big difference. Joshua’s story is one of passion turned into action, making waves in the fight against pollution.