Investing in our shared future: understanding movement building and multi-generational change

Hear from experts working across international and domestic movements to demystify what movement building is and does, how we create multi-generational change, and how you can support youth-led organisations creating the next wave of leadership that carries our collective legacies and wins forward. 

Join us for a proactive workshop on how we build movements that change history - moving between literacy building, analysis and storytelling. Through an open discussion, we’ll dig into the provocations put forward by Joshua Amponsem through the Philanthropy Australia Conference main stage and  explore what is currently happening, and what’s working around the world. You’ll leave with practical solutions for how you can invest in movements leading with courage.

Speakers include international guest Joshua Amponsem from the Youth Climate Justice Fund, Widjabul Wia-bul woman Larissa Baldwin-Roberts from First Nations movement building organisation Common Threads, Noongar person Roxy Moore from the Foundation for Young Australians, Butchulla and Woppaburra woman Angel Owen from Seed Indigenous Youth Climate Network, and Grace Vegesana from the Australian Youth Climate Coalition.

Details

What: A proactive workshop run by international experts about how we build and sustain movements that transform generations.

When: 2:30 - 4pm, Thursday 10th September (during the Network and Collaborations session at the Philanthropy Australia Conference 2026).

Where: Room P7, Plaza Level, Philanthropy Australia Conference side room, BCEC, Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (Grey St, South Brisbane QLD).

Who: This event is suitable for funders, changemakers, and other ecosystem actors.

SPEAKER BIOS

Joshua Amponsem is the Co-Director of the Youth Climate Justice Fund and a trailblazer in the global climate movement. As the former Climate Lead at the Office of the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, and the Founder of the Green Africa Youth Organization, he brings a decade of impactful experience in youth-led climate action, disaster risk management, and resilience building. Recognised among the 100 Most Influential Young Africans, Joshua advises prominent international climate initiatives, including TED Countdown, UMI Fund, SilverLining, and Climate Resilience for All. Over the past two years, he has championed support for grassroots, youth-led organisations, advocating tirelessly for a shift in climate philanthropy towards youth and locally led initiatives.

Roxanne Moore (she/they/baal) is a Noongar human rights lawyer from Margaret River in Western Australia, currently serving as Executive Director, First Nations and Youth Action at the Foundation for Young Australians. Roxanne’s career in legal and human rights campaigning and advocacy has focused on First Nations justice and rights. Roxanne has held Board Director positions on the Grata Fund and the Institute for Post Colonial Studies, and currently serves on the Board of Philanthropy Australia.

At FYA, Roxanne has led the design and development of the Seeding Strength grants program, which funds projects, campaigns and movements led by young First Nations people. Seeding Strength is in its third year, and is self-determined and governed by FYA’s First Nations Governance Group. 

Larissa Baldwin-Roberts is a distinguished global leader in climate activism and First Nations justice. As a proud Widjabul Wia-bal woman from the Bundjalung Nations, Larissa’s connections to her country and heritage are deeply rooted. Raised in a family of political activists, she has been involved from an early age in advocating for land rights, Indigenous Rights, climate justice, and cultural heritage protection. This upbringing has enabled Larissa to build enduring relationships within First Nations communities and across civil society in Australia and globally.

Larissa currently co-founded and leads Common Threads, an Indigenous organisation focused on transforming the capability of First Nations social movements to usher in systems change through Indigenous approaches to campaigning and self determination.

Angel Owen (she/her) is a proud Butchulla and Woppaburra woman and the National Director of Seed Indigenous Youth Climate Network, Australia’s first Indigenous youth-led climate organisation. With over a decade of experience in grassroots organising, advocacy, and leadership, Angel has dedicated her work to protecting Country, building the power of young people, and amplifying First Nations voices for climate justice. She leads national campaigns, strengthens partnerships, and mentors young people to step into leadership.

Grounded in cultural strength and community care, Angel ensures Indigenous knowledge and solutions are at the forefront of creating a just and sustainable future.

Grace Vegesana (she/they) is the National Director of the Australian Youth Climate Coalition, and a 26 year old woman-of-colour who has been building youth power to end fossil fuel expansion since she was 17. Her legacy includes co-founding the People of Colour Climate Network, pioneering climate justice organising on Dharug Country in Western Sydney with AYCC, and mobilising 3000 Australian businesses to join the Climate Strikes. At the heart of Grace’s work is a fierce belief in a better, brighter, and more climate-resilient world for young people to inherit and thrive in - and a reminder that hope is not just a feeling, but a call to action.

Grace's commitment to justice extends beyond activism to governance, and she sits on the Boards of the Foundation for Young Australians and Cricket for Climate, as well as being one of the 10 young Australians who constitute the first International Climate Youth Advisory Council to the Australian Government on all matters UNFCCC & COP.