Representing young people at the United Nations

Janice (she/her) is Australia’s 2026 Youth Representative to the United Nations. As a youth worker, community organiser, and racial and gender justice advocate from New South Wales, she brings extensive experience in advocating alongside communities. Drawing on her lived experience as a young woman from South West Sydney, Janice further brings a deep understanding of how place, culture, and access shape opportunity, and a commitment to centring the voices of those most often excluded from power and policy conversations.

Janice currently works as a Youth Program Coordinator at the Western Sydney Migrant Resource Centre, supporting newly arrived refugee and migrant young people in their transition to life in Australia through community-led and culturally responsive programs. She brings governance experience through her role as an Advisory Board Member for Multicultural NSW, where she also co-chairs the Multicultural Youth Network, and sits on the Management Committee of CuriousWorks, a Western Sydney-based arts organisation dedicated to amplifying local voices and storytelling.

She has a strong background in racial and gender justice advocacy, having served as the NSW State Leader for Democracy in Colour, worked as a Youth Activist and facilitator with Plan International Australia, and contributed to international youth governance through Plan International’s Global Youth Reference Group. Janice has also represented Western Sydney on the Greater Cities Commission Youth Advisory Panel, co-leading work that centred the voices of First Nations young people in urban planning processes.

Janice is an experienced public speaker and media contributor, formally trained through the Economic Media Centre, and has appeared on ABC speaking on youth participation, representation, and social justice. She holds a Bachelor of Politics and International Relations from the University of Sydney.

As Youth Representative, Janice is committed to working directly with young people to co-create practical and intersectional solutions. She believes meaningful change happens when everyone has a seat at the table and young people are treated as leaders, collaborators, and innovators. Her goal is to turn ideas into action, ensuring youth perspectives shape policy, community programs, and Australia’s engagement on the global stage, because solutions are strongest when they come from those who live them.