Tell me about yourself.
At 17, I’m a student and advocate navigating my final year of high school while balancing community work and volunteering. My friends describe me as outgoing, creative, and the person to go to when they need support and reassurance. When I need an outlet, I turn to art and writing to process the world. Before migrating to Australia, I spent my childhood in Pakistan, allowing me to stay connected to my cultural identity and heritage. Visiting my home country is my favourite reset. At home, I’m surrounded by family, including my parents, three brothers, and the newest addition, an affectionate cat named Belle who can even fetch and shake paws.
What experiences led you into advocacy?
During high school, I faced significant barriers with my health and attendance due to an undiagnosed sleep disorder called idiopathic hypersomnia. It took two years for me to receive a diagnosis. During that time, I felt constant pressure to work twice as hard just to keep up, while facing assumptions that I was simply unmotivated or a bad student.
Throughout this time, I engaged with many different services to access support, and I noticed a major systemic gap, where support is often gated behind an official diagnosis, leaving young people stranded during the months or years it takes to get one. Even after receiving a diagnosis, accessing support remains a barrier if medications to manage symptoms are available. Recognising this cycle motivated me to seek out youth hubs and advocacy spaces. I realised my lived experience could help advocate to break down those barriers for others, which led me directly to my work with AFC.
Why do you do this work?
I want to help speak up for those who aren’t able to be heard. I’ve always advocated for myself and my peers in situations where we were harmed, but I worry for those who don’t have the opportunity or support to speak up against the system.
I do this work so that they won’t have to, so that they will feel comfortable and understand that the system is accountable to them, and they can decide what is best for them without feeling unheard or believing that speaking up would be futile. There are so many stories young people have shared of experiencing harm, and so many that go untold. I’m motivated to do this work for them, because it hurts to know that this is still an issue, and so many young people are being harmed every day.
I believe AFC as a collective is capable of creating this change, and I hope to help build the impact of this movement in my work.
How did you become involved with the Accountable Futures Collective?
I first discovered AFC when I attended their very first Community Gathering. Right away, I could tell how unique the space was. It was warm, welcoming, and intentionally built with young people at the center. The initial gathering focused on young people defining accountability, while the second centered on turning the initial report draft into actionable steps so the momentum wouldn’t fade after the launch.
Experiencing that environment motivated me to get more involved. I began attending online and in-person meetings, getting involved in various projects, and eventually I applied for the Impact Board so I could help drive that work even further.
What’s it like being on the Impact Board?
It’s empowering and exciting. What I appreciate most about being on the Impact Board is how we balance productivity with genuine care for each other. We accomplish a lot while maintaining a safe, supportive space to prevent burnout. If something comes up, we aren’t afraid to throw out the agenda and focus on what truly matters to us in that moment. A major strength of our board is that we bring lived expertise of the services and systems AFC is working to transform, so we deeply understand what’s working and what needs to change in order to build better, more equitable systems, not only for young people, but also for adults, decision-makers and generations to come.
In this role, we are a part of an intergenerational governance structure, guiding key decisions, approving partnerships, and setting the future direction for AFC. We have the unique opportunity to combine professional and lived experience, blending personal insight and research to make truly informed decisions. The outcomes are truly unparalleled when adults back young people and share decision-making power.
What does accountability mean to you?
To me, accountability starts with recognising that decisions made by adults have direct, real-world consequences, including the potential for harm. Holding ourselves and others accountable when harm occurs is vital if we want to break these cycles and prevent future generations from facing the same barriers we do. Accountability is dynamic and an ongoing process. It isn’t a checklist you complete once and walk away from. It requires continuous check-ins, and asking young people directly, ‘are we remaining accountable?’ because adults and young people perceive it differently, therefore accountability to young people must be defined straight from the source. Adults often view young people as lacking the experience or wisdom to speak on these issues, but the reality is that young people are already constantly advocating for themselves. We bring unique knowledge and skills that are different to that of adults, not less. If adults simply listened, they would find that young people often hold the exact solutions they’ve been searching for.
I believe it’s very important to use the wording of accountability rather than responsibility, because responsibility can feel like an optional duty or something you get rewarded for fulfilling, whereas accountability is an expectation.
Which theme from the report resonates most strongly with you?
I repeatedly emphasize the need for young people to be in decision-making rooms and hold real decision-making power.
There’s a constant pattern where young people open up and share deeply personal stories hoping for change, only for adults to step into a separate room and make decisions that were predetermined, completely disregarding what young people have to say. Adults would be held far more accountable if young people were at the table when those final decisions were being made.
That is what makes the Impact Board so different. Young people aren’t just invited to speak about what matters, we’re given real power to guide the decisions and shape how that change actually happens.
What gives you hope that change is possible?
Seeing how passionate people are about accountability.
Going into the report launch, many of us who had been working on it for a long time were worried it would feel like any other event, when we wanted to create as large of an impact as possible. But when people arrived, the feedback was overwhelming. Everyone kept saying how completely different it felt from anything they’d experienced before.
That difference came down to the fact that it was genuinely designed by young people. It reassured us just how critical it is to listen to young people, and to build a safe, intentional space. When people feel comfortable, energetic, and welcomed, the message resonates on a much deeper level.
What would you say to other young people?
You’re not alone. There’s so many young people who have experienced this harm, and you don’t have to bear that burden yourself.
There are so many different ways to get involved. Even if you don’t feel comfortable with public speaking or leadership roles, there are so many different ways you can engage with the work. You can draw, write, and meet one-on-one if you don’t like big groups, just to name a few.
If you’re interested in advocacy, I would definitely suggest starting. Even if you think that you don’t know enough, remember that this is a learning experience for everyone! Lived experience is far more valuable than anything that can be taught. In the first year of working with AFC, there was a huge shift in my confidence and understanding. Looking back, I’ve come a very long way.
The launch of the report is the perfect beginning of a new chapter in our journey to change systems, so if you’re a young person and the concept of accountability to young people spoke to you, join us!
