Moving from Zimbabwe to Maitland at five years old, Kupakwashe Matangira loved her Australian community but felt the weight of racism.
As a 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.
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.
"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.
For Ms Matangira change starts with "celebrating other cultures and the different lived experiences we all have."
Winning the NSW multicultural youth award has further cemented Ms Matangira's passion for fighting injustice.
