Moving from Zimbabwe to Maitland at five years old, Kupakwashe Matangira loved her Australian community but felt the weight of racism.
As a young teenager, Ms Matangira was disillusioned with the state of the world, and the injustice she saw.
So, she decided to create the change and the world she wanted to see.
"When you are presented with a pressing social challenge, the answer is not to disengage and give up," Ms Matangira said.
"The answer is to create change in whatever way you can and in whatever way is meaningful to you," she said.
In her 20s, Ms Matangira is now an accomplished human rights activist, social entrepreneur and intersectional feminist.
Working as a policy and research officer at the Australian Human Rights Commission, she is also a committee member for the Global Institute for Women's Leadership, and part of the Plan International youth activist series.
Ms Matangira won the NSW multicultural youth medal at the March 2024 ceremony, and was nominated for NSW young woman of the year.
In 2023, she attended the COP28 as a youth delegate with the Australian Youth for International Climate Engagement.
She is passionate about social issues including anti-racism, climate change, gender justice, and youth justice reform.
Young people's voices matter
Growing up, Ms Matangira never saw herself as an activist. She thought you'd have to be the prime minister or someone else in high repute to make a difference.
But then she realised that young people's voices do matter.
"I care about amplifying voices who are often shut out of decisions that shape our world, politically and socially," she said.
Ms Matangira said that too often society disregarded young people's opinions simply because they were young.
"Those in power need to listen to our voices much more often and more sincerely invest in our solutions," she said.
She said that young, multicultural people had ideas to alleviate social issues but they just needed to be heard.
It was not just about empowerment but recognising that young Australians were politically active and passionate about creating change.
For Ms Matangira change starts with "celebrating other cultures and the different lived experiences we all have".
What comes next?
Winning the NSW multicultural youth award has further cemented Ms Matangira's passion for fighting injustice.
"It means the work I'm doing in championing young people's rights to political participation is important," she said.
She was grateful to represent multicultural communities, particularly African Australians.
Ms Matangira will not stop advocating for young, multicultural people any time soon.
She said she would continue to bring young voices before decision makers at every level of government, and internationally.
In the future, she hopes to start a socially-focused venture capital that funds young people's social reform ideas.
"For me, it's about empowering young people with the skills but also investing in their solutions," she said.
