At One Young World, we are building a fair and sustainable future by developing the world’s most impactful young leaders. Our Indigenous Strategy and Indigenous Advisory Circle are central to that mission. They strengthen Indigenous leadership, elevate Indigenous voices and ensure that our global Community is accountable to every community and ecosystem on our planet.
Indigenous leadership, to me, means leading with culture, purpose, and responsibility to community. I hope Indigenous young leaders in the One Young World Community feel empowered to bring their whole selves into every space, knowing their identity is a strength.
Explore our Indigenous Strategy and learn about our Indigenous Advisory Circle below.
Our Indigenous Strategy
One Young World’s Indigenous Strategy sets out a clear commitment: to recognise, respect and champion Indigenous leadership at the highest levels of global decision-making.
The strategy embeds Indigenous perspectives across our work. It ensures that Indigenous young leaders are represented, supported and heard within our global Ambassador Community. It also guides how we partner, programme and advocate, so that our approach reflects the lived realities, rights and leadership of Indigenous Peoples.
As an Indigenous Pacific leader, I measure leadership not by title but by the strength of my community, the health of our land and ocean, and the number of young people who rise to lead in their own place.
Through this strategy, we aim to:
- Increase access and representation for Indigenous young leaders within our Summits and programmes
- Strengthen accountability to Indigenous communities and ecosystems
- Embed Indigenous knowledge and leadership into global conversations
- Create meaningful pathways for long-term engagement and impact
This work is not symbolic. It is practical, structural and action-oriented. It reflects our belief that world peace and prosperity depend on leaders doing more and doing better, for every community.
Being part of a global network like One Young World has been transformative. It has given me a platform to amplify Pacific voices that are often underrepresented, while also allowing me to learn from young leaders across regions who are navigating different, yet interconnected, struggles.
Our Indigenous Strategy
The Indigenous Advisory Circle
The Indigenous Advisory Circle is a dedicated leadership body within One Young World. It brings together outstanding Indigenous leaders from our global Community to guide, advise and hold us accountable.
The Advisory Circle plays a vital role in:
- Advising on the implementation of the Indigenous Strategy
- Shaping Summit content and year-round programming
- Strengthening engagement with Indigenous communities worldwide
- Championing Indigenous leadership within and beyond One Young World
With their expertise and lived experience, we continue to strengthen how we lead, partner and deliver impact globally.
Hear from some of the members
Being part of One Young World's Indigenous Advisory Circle means contributing to Indigenous leadership moving from symbolic to structural.
My goal is to be there for emerging young Indigenous leaders so that they understand the value they bring to the rest of the world as they orient themselves in a world order that was not built with their interests and values in mind.
I'm proud to be part of the Indigenous Advisory Circle at One Young World, because of the positive impact that [it] had on me over a decade ago as an emerging leader. I want to be able to support other emerging Indigenous leaders to bring their voices and perspectives to tables that we haven't been welcomed to sit at in the past.
This role feels like a space to hold that shared tenderness: to honour the pain of displacement alongside the strength of survival. It is about ensuring our histories are not softened or erased, but carried with care into global conversations about dignity, identity, and the right to belong.
Together, we can ensure that Indigenous voices are not only included but are leading the conversations that shape our shared future.