Lena Nabizada
(she/her)Young Leader 2026
Lena Nabizada is an Afghan-Australian youth advocate, student and international speaker passionate about creating a more inclusive and sustainable future. She is the founder of Strive Connecting, a youth-led initiative tackling racism and empowering young people through storytelling, dialogue, and community action.
Lena serves on several boards, including the Children and Youth Climate Alliance, a UNICEF and Plan International–supported initiative, the Australian Youth Affairs Coalition and the YWCA Young Women’s Council, contributing to national youth engagement and gender equality strategies. She is also a member of the inaugural Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) Youth Advisory Council.
She has represented Australian youth internationally in Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia, working alongside embassies, NGOs, and international organisations to advance youth inclusion in climate and policy spaces. As a Youth Climate Champion at the Australia–Pacific Youth Climate Dialogue, she engaged with ambassadors and high commissioners on regional cooperation and resilience.
Grounded in her lived experience, Lena believes that humanity is our greatest strength and that meaningful change happens when each of us takes responsibility within our hearts, homes, and communities to build a better world.