Indigenous Council

At One Young World, we are committed to partnering, engaging and supporting Indigenous and First Nations young leaders worldwide. We believe that meaningful change must be co-designed and led with, not for, Indigenous communities.

That’s why we are proud to introduce to you our Indigenous Advisory Circle Members for 2025/2026 — 26 remarkable Indigenous representatives selected for their insight, leadership and commitment to Indigenous rights and community-led impact.

A core part of our mission is listening to and amplifying Indigenous voices — young leaders whose expertise, lived experience and cultural knowledge are crucial to shaping a more equitable future.

Along with our new Indigenous Strategy 2025/26, which sets out our approach to deepening our engagement with Indigenous and First Nations young leaders and partners across the world, their guidance will shape how One Young World works with Indigenous communities worldwide, ensuring cultural awareness and respect, sustainability and real influence across our Summit, programmes and platforms.

Meet our Inaugural Members

Prince Ahumuza Ignatius

Banyoro Tribe

Prince Ahumuza Ignatius

Prince Ahumuza Ignatius

Banyoro Tribe

Ahumuza Ignatius, a proud member of Uganda's Banyoro tribe, co-founded Art Planet Academy, now Agri Planet Africa. His vision centres on preserving and promoting the traditional farming wisdom of the Banyoro people.
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Alexis Rubiel Alfaro Jiménez

Tojolabal

Alexis Rubiel Alfaro Jiménez

Alexis Rubiel Alfaro Jiménez

Tojolabal

Alexis Alfaro collaborates with Ch'ieltik's, a civil society organisation that seeks through its intervention model “Fortaleciendo Jóvenes” cultivate the skills of the Mayan youth of Chiapas, Mexico, so that young people develop the necessary tools to play an active role in the transformation of their lives and communities, preserving their cultural richness.
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Diwigdi Rodrigo Valiente Abrego

Guna

Diwigdi Rodrigo Valiente Abrego

Diwigdi Rodrigo Valiente Abrego

Guna

They founded the Burwigan Project, an art collective that inspires actions against climate change and plastic pollution within the Panamanian population and Indigenous Communities.
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Lisa Rapley

Gumbaynggirr

Lisa Rapley

Lisa Rapley

Gumbaynggirr

Lisa empowers young Indigenous people through system disruption, capacity building, and ecosystem development. She is passionate about using systems thinking, Indigenous knowledge and co-design principles to address complex problems.
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Noor Azizah

Rohingya, Arakan State, Myanmar

Noor Azizah

Noor Azizah

Rohingya, Arakan State, Myanmar

Noor Azizah is the co-founder and director of the Rohingya Maìyafuìnor Collaborative Network, which is a women-led, Rohingya-led and refugee-led organisation working on Rohingya human rights issues, SGBV, education and trans-local solidarity with a focus on women, peace and security.
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Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts

Bundjalung Widubul Wiabul - First Nations

Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts

Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts

Bundjalung Widubul Wiabul - First Nations

Vanessa is proud Bundjalung Widubul-Wiabul woman, advocate, lawyer, writer and researcher at Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous education and research, and the Law faculty at the University of Technology dedicating her work to transforming the forced removal practices of First Nations child removal and empowering Indigenous self-determination and Justice for First Nations people and children both in Australia and globally.
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Kananish McKenzie

Spokesperson for the Youth Network of First Nations of Quebec

Kananish McKenzie

Kananish McKenzie

Spokesperson for the Youth Network of First Nations of Quebec

Kananish is a young Indigenous woman from the Innu Nation of Matimekush Lac-John, located in northern Quebec. She was elected as a spokesperson for the Youth Network of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador in 2023 and is actively involved in various councils and organisations.
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Martha Lidia Oxí Chuy

Co-Executive Director, MAIA Impact School

Martha Lidia Oxí Chuy

Martha Lidia Oxí Chuy

Co-Executive Director, MAIA Impact School

The MAIA Impact School, of which Vilma Saloj is Director, and Martha Lidia is Co-Executive Director, is an educational organisation in Guatemala led by Indigenous women that supports Indigenous girls' access to quality secondary education. MAIA began in 2008 by providing Indigenous girls the opportunity to attend further education through scholarships. The MAIA team founded the Impact School in 2017 with an original cohort of 50 Girl Pioneers.

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Meet our 2025/26 Indigenous Advisory Circle Members

Alexandra Biron

Alexandra Biron

Alexandra Biron

Alexandra is an experienced professional with a demonstrated history of working in the corporate and non-profit sectors.
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Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo

Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo

Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo

Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo is the founder of NightOwl AI, a mission-driven company using artificial intelligence to preserve endangered languages and fight digital exclusion.
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Belyndar M. Rikimani - Sina

Belyndar M. Rikimani - Sina

Belyndar M. Rikimani - Sina

Belyndar Maonia Rikimani holds a Bachelor of Law and a Professional Diploma in Legal Practice from the University of the South Pacific.
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Benson Saulo

Benson Saulo

Benson Saulo

Benson Saulo is a respected national leader whose career spans diplomacy, Indigenous economic development, social impact and public engagement.
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Brayden Sonny White

Brayden Sonny White

Brayden Sonny White

Brayden Sonny White is a community leader, consultant, and cultural advocate from Akwesasne with over a decade of experience in youth engagement, environmental advocacy, and Indigenous representation
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Emma Oliver

Emma Oliver

Emma Oliver

Emma Oliver is a dedicated environmental conservationist from Papua New Guinea with over a decade of experience working with Indigenous communities.
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Isaiah Bernard

Isaiah Bernard

Isaiah Bernard

Isaiah Bernard is an elected leader of Potlotek First Nation, a proud Mi’kmaw community in Unama’ki (Cape Breton).
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Jennifer Jerome

Jennifer Jerome

Jennifer Jerome

Jennifer Jerome is a Mi’kmaq First Nation professional from Gesgapegiag, Quebec, Canada, and a Principal Advisor in Cultural Competence at Rio Tinto.
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Joleen Ngoriakl

Joleen Ngoriakl

Joleen Ngoriakl

Ms. Joleen “Jo” Ngoriakl, a 2018 One Young World Ambassador and European Commission Peace Ambassador, is a Palauan leader in digital safety, social inclusion, and Indigenous rights.
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Lance Copegog

Lance Copegog

Lance Copegog

Lance Copegog is a proud Anishinaabe from Chimnissing (Beausoleil First Nation), Ontario, and a leading Indigenous youth advocate for mental health, governance, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
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Larissa Crawford

Larissa Crawford

Larissa Crawford

Larissa Crawford is a Métis and Jamaican researcher, policy advisor, and climate justice and anti-racism advocate with over 16 years of experience.
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Maricelma Fialho

Maricelma Fialho

Maricelma Fialho

Maricelma Fialho, an Indigenous Terena woman from Bananal Village in Brazil’s Pantanal biome
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Bugembe Nelson

Bugembe Nelson

Bugembe Nelson

Nelson Bugembe is a visionary youth leader and disability inclusion advocate
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Robert Mills-Lamptey

Robert Mills-Lamptey

Robert Mills-Lamptey

Robert Mills-Lamptey is a social impact leader dedicated to youth empowerment, climate action, and grassroots development in underserved Indigenous communities.
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Winnie Kiap CBE

Winnie Kiap CBE

Winnie Kiap CBE

Winnie Kiap CBE recently served as High Commissioner of Papua New Guinea to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from 2011 to 2022.
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Yodhikson Marvelous Bang

Yodhikson Marvelous Bang

Yodhikson Marvelous Bang

Yodhikson M. “Dicky” Bang, from the Matulelang Tribal group in Alor Island
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Zahra Al Hilaly

Zahra Al Hilaly

Zahra Al Hilaly

Zahra Al Hilaly is a human rights defender and proud Indigenous Palestinian dedicated to advancing gender equality in culturally diverse communities.
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