Meet The NewNow Young Leaders who are using systems thinking to accelerate their impact on a global scale.
What is The NewNow?
The NewNow is a One Young World programme, supported by Virgin Unite, that amplifies the voices of ten young leaders from the Global South who are taking bold action towards global transformation through systems thinking principles.
The NewNew Young Leaders will gain access to the One Young World Summit Munich, 2025, get a chance to contribute to global dialogues through high-profile media and speaking opportunities, and access the exclusive One Young World Global Leadership Programme and The NewNow Community.
What is systems thinking?
The biggest challenges humanity faces, such as climate change, social inequality, and global health crises, are deeply rooted in complex systems and structures. Addressing these challenges effectively requires more than surface-level solutions; it demands systemic change. For this change to be long-term and sustainable, leaders must adopt a systems thinking approach, which means looking beyond individual problems to understand the interconnected forces at play and leading change at every level of the system.
Creating meaningful change requires collaboration across sectors. Grassroots organisations, business leaders, educators, tech innovators, and policymakers must bridge divides and work together to drive sustainable solutions. Only by seeing the system as a whole and acting accordingly can we build a fairer, more resilient future for all.
The NewNow Young Leaders are using systems thinking to generate innovative, long-term, and sustainable impact.
Hadiqa Bashir, Human Rights Activist and Executive Director, Girls United for Human Rights
Hadiqa Bashir has been using systems thinking to fight for the rights of girls and women for over a decade.
When Hadiqa was a child, her grandmother tried to arrange her marriage. In Pakistan, where Hadiqa grew up, there are over 19 million child brides, the sixth highest number in the world, according to UNICEF. Luckily, with the support of her uncle, she managed to resist it, but the event sparked a passion in her to fight for young girls less fortunate than herself.
In her role as executive director of Girls United for Human Rights, Hadiqa campaigns for the end of child marriage in her community of Swat Valley, Saidu Sharif, and throughout Pakistan. Through a range of programmes, Hadiqa addresses the root causes of injustice, such as lack of education, unsafe communities, and traditional cultural practices. These programmes include engagement sessions that educate communities on the legal rights of girls and the impact of child marriage; advocacy sessions that engage local governments and push for developing girl-friendly cities; and campaigns such as Send Girls Back to School, to ensure girls are accessing high-quality education.
Hadiqa’s impact to date has been life-changing. She has delivered 85 community awareness sessions impacting over 2,500 people, protected six girls from child marriages through interventions, and ensured the installation of 14 street lights to increase the safety for girls walking at night.
“I am incredibly honoured to be selected as a The NewNow Scholar by One Young World,” notes Hadiqa, “this opportunity fuels my mission to dismantle harmful traditions and empower young girls to reclaim their rights. Together, we can build a future where every girl has access to education, freedom, and a life of dignity and possibility.”
Lilan Dayananda, Managing Director and CEO, Elzian Agro
Lilan Dayananda is transforming agriculture through his social enterprise Elzian Agro.
Using the latest technology, Elzian Agro collects real-time data on soil health, fertiliser quality, weather conditions, and crop performance, and develops tailored solutions that optimise limited resources such as water, fertiliser, labour, and farmland. This approach helps farming communities worldwide enhance crop yields and maximise resource efficiency.
As a social-tech entrepreneur, Lilan is committed to addressing the critical link between food security and climate action. Through Elzian Agro, he is promoting sustainable agricultural practices that both contribute to food security and empower farming communities.
“I am deeply committed to fostering rapid digital inclusion within sustainable development and systems thinking,” Lilan says. “I see the One Young World The NewNow programme as a pivotal platform for young social entrepreneurs like myself to scale initiatives, and it provides an unparalleled opportunity to engage with potential advisors, mentors, and industry specialists whose insights will help maximise the social impact of my enterprise and its innovations.”
Vishal Tolambia, Founder, Humanity Centred Designs, and Sustainability Researcher
Vishal Tolambia is disrupting the fashion industry through his organisation Humanity Centred Designs.
The fashion industry accounts for up to 10% of total global emissions, and the often inhumane conditions for workers, especially in the Global South, have been well documented. Through Humanity Centred Designs, Vishal is tackling the environmental impacts of textiles whilst empowering the people working within the industry. “I believe by empowering communities and focusing on sustainability, we can make a real difference in shaping a better future for all,” he comments.
Humanity Centred Designs transforms textile waste from apparel manufacturing factories in India into recycled textile materials, eliminating the need for virgin-based materials in fashion products.
To date, Vishal has recycled 35 tonnes of textile waste, saved 2,000 gallons of water, and reduced microplastics discharged into drainage in India by 13%.
“I’m truly excited and grateful for the opportunity to be part of The NewNow,” says Vishal. “This is a chance to collaborate with passionate leaders from around the world to create lasting change.”
Abobakar Sediq Miakhel, Co-Founder, AILEM
Abobakar Sediq Miakhel is breaking down language barriers for refugees through his app AILEM.
Abobakar is an Afghan refugee living in Brussels. In 2017, when he first arrived in Brussels, he immediately began studying in a Belgian public school where everyone spoke French, a language he did not know. As there was no beginners class for learning the language, Abobakar relied on memorising vocabulary from a dictionary and learning from a grammar book. “It was near impossible to connect with other students due to the language barrier,” explains Abobakar. “I found myself without a place in school and the wider Belgian society.”
Outside of school, Abobakar started to learn programming, alongside engaging in local refugee volunteering activities. In 2021, he co-founded AILEM, a free language learning and integration app that provides language education for refugees and asylum seekers to help them integrate into a foreign country. Users of AILEM can learn common phrases, play language games to practice grammar and vocabulary, and connect with other app users to share knowledge. To date, AILEM has been downloaded over 10,000 times.
“With The NewNow Young Leaders Programme, I am determined to bring together the intersection of innovation and systems thinking to empower Afghans and refugees worldwide,” Abobakar says.
Yasmina Benslimane, Founder, Politics4Her and Climate Sirens
Yasmina Benslimane is tackling gender inequality and the climate crisis by mobilising young leaders through her organisations Politics4Her and Climate Sirens.
Politics4Her is a youth-led digital platform and global movement that is advocating for an increase in women's participation in politics and decision-making spaces. Through a series of programmes, such as Digital Voices for Change, which teaches youth from marginalised communities how to use digital tools to create social and political change, and Women4Leadership, a project smashing social norms by educating young women on dismantling patriarchal stereotypes related to their sexual and reproductive health rights, Yasmina is mobilising women around the world, helping them to become catalysts for progress, change, and human development in society.
Through Climate Sirens, Yasmina continues to rally young women and girls, specifically from the SWANA region, to fight for climate justice. To achieve this, she focuses on three interconnected pillars: economic empowerment, technology and innovation, and sexual and reproductive health. Through these pillars, Yasmina addresses how climate change is disproportionately affecting women from the SWANA region and helps build resilient communities of young women who lead transformative climate action.
“I am honoured to join The NewNow 2025 cohort and represent young women leaders from the Global Majority. This is a powerful opportunity to amplify intersectional and decolonial feminist leadership to drive systemic change. Young women's voices must be at the forefront of decision-making to create an inclusive and sustainable future.”
May Asagba, Founder and CEO, CAIN Educational Foundation
May Asagba is fighting for educational equity in Africa through her organisation, CAIN Educational Foundation.
In Nigeria, over 10 million children aged 5-14 are not in school. This is often due to economic barriers and cultural norms that discourage, especially girls, from gaining an education.
CAIN Educational Foundation is on a mission to provide underserved communities in Africa with access to quality education. Through various community-driven programmes, such as ICT4U, which teaches digital literacy to 10-18-year-olds in Lagos, and the CAIN Daily Tutorial Programme, which tackles the overcrowding in public schools by providing high-quality tutorials in Mathematics and English, CAIN has directly impacted over 14,000 people. By 2040, they hope to educate and empower 1,000,000 children and youth with exceptional education.
“The complexities of today’s world require a holistic approach to drive meaningful and lasting change,” explains May, “I’m thrilled to join The NewNow network of young leaders, where diverse perspectives converge to refine our systems thinking and leadership skills, catalysing solutions that create enduring impact in the areas that matter most.”
Renata Koch Alvarenga, Founder and Executive Director, EmpoderaClima
Renata Koch is filling the gender and youth gap in climate action through her award-winning organisation EmpoderaClima.
“Systems change is needed to deal with big global challenges, which is why I have dedicated my advocacy to tackling gender inequality in the climate crisis for a more just and sustainable future,” Renata explains.
The climate crisis disproportionately affects girls and women because it exacerbates pre-existing gender inequalities, particularly in the Global South. Renata identified a lack of awareness and resources for young people in the Global South, which explains the interlinkage of climate change and gender inequality, and has led to the exclusion of young women and girls in climate decision-making spaces. To tackle this problem, she founded EmpoderaClima, a Brazil-based youth-led organisation with a multilingual database that includes original and curated content on gender and climate justice, made by youth for youth.
Alongside curating the database, EmpoderaClima hosts global events and talks on gender and climate action, both virtually and in person, and partners with public schools in climate-vulnerable regions around Brazil to present on gender and climate justice. It also designs advocacy strategies for gender-just climate policies at a global level through the UN Climate Negotiations, and empowers young Brazilian women to join the climate space through a pioneering capacity-building programme.
“Being part of The NewNow is a testament to the importance of intersectional action, with a systems thinking lens, to act on climate injustices. I am excited to become a The NewNow leader and support bold and transformative change.”
Foday David Kamara, Founder, Ecovironment
Foday David Kamara is creating sustainable jobs in Sierra Leone whilst tackling the climate crisis through his organisation, Ecovironment.
In Sierra Leone, 130,000 tonnes of plastic waste are generated annually, and only 5% is recycled. Ecovironment is turning plastic trash into DIY treasure by recycling it into floor dallets, bricks, decorating tiles, plaques and flower pots. To date, they have recycled over 450 tonnes of plastic and created over 30 sustainable jobs.
Alongside recycling pre-existing plastic, Foday is addressing the root cause of plastic pollution through education. In many communities in Sierra Leone, plastic products are used because they are cheap and durable. Foday and his team provide training sessions on recycling, environmental conservation, and waste management, in a bid to empower them to recycle their plastic. Over 100,000 people have participated in these sessions.
“Being selected as a The NewNow Young Leader is both a privilege and a call to deepen my systems-driven work,” says Foday. “I am ready to build and collaborate with fellow changemakers to reimagine solutions and lead a new wave of climate resilience across Africa and beyond.”
Janet Aguti, Executive Director, Totya Platform
Janet Aguti is fighting to break the silence on sexual violence in Uganda through her organisation, Totya Platform.
Janet kept her experience of sexual assault to herself for 17 years. It had a drastic effect on her mental health, self-esteem, and confidence. After confiding in a close friend, she received help from an online coach who helped her rebuild her confidence. Through this process, she realised the impact she could have on other girls and women in her community and founded Totya Platform.
Totya Platform has a three-pronged approach to combating sexual violence in Uganda. The first is prevention. Through engaging communities in awareness and education campaigns on the realities of sexual violence, Totya Platform helps challenge cultural stigmas and taboos that often lead to underreporting and continued victimisation.
The second is healing. Totya Platform provides emergency medical care and counselling to help survivors recover from the trauma of sexual violence.
The third is justice. Through collaborating with legal entities, Totya Platform provides legal assistance to survivors of sexual assault, ensuring that perpetrators are held accountable.
“No matter how many resources one has, they cannot achieve much relying on their own strength, we need to relate with others and cooperate to achieve a great impact. No man is an Island, the same goes for systems,” says Janet.
Memory Vanessa Banda, Founder, Foundation for Girls Leadership
Memory Vanessa Banda is championing children's rights in Malawi through her work as an activist and founder of the Foundation for Girls Leadership.
The Foundation for Girls Leadership empowers and defends the rights of children, especially girls, through promoting access to quality education, working to eliminate violence against girls, and improving sexual, reproductive, and mental health for girls. To date, Memory and her team have impacted over 10,000 children.
“As one of the One Young World The NewNow programme participants, I am looking forward to engaging with experts and joining a community that will inspire me to leverage emerging systematic approaches, and build on local innovations and emerging technologies to address urgent social and environmental issues affecting our communities,” says Memory.