Bringing Social Justice Messages to Your Community with Plan International Youth Representatives
Bringing social justice messages to your community with Plan International Youth Representatives
In this episode, Ciara sits down with Jessica Gill and Aoibhínn Nevin-Ginnetty, two passionate youth advocates from Plan International Ireland’s Youth Advisory Panel who took their COP28 experience and turned it into local action.
Fresh from representing youth voices at COP28 in Dubai, Jessica and Aoibhínn came home determined not to let the momentum fade. Together, they designed and delivered “Feminist Voices for Climate Justice” – a youth-led Dublin event that combined a powerful panel discussion on gender and climate justice with a hands-on upcycling workshop, where attendees turned donated t-shirts into tote bags.
The result? A hopeful, practical space where young people could explore climate justice through a feminist lens, pick up real advocacy skills, and literally make something together. In this conversation, Jessica and Aoibhínn open up about what it really takes to organise a community-level climate event – the nerves, the logistics, the safeguarding, the storm on the day – and the joy of seeing people leave more confident and fired up than when they arrived.
In this episode about bringing Social Justice Messages to Your Community, we talk about:
From COP28 to community action
How attending COP28 as youth delegates with Plan International Ireland inspired Jessica and Aoibhínn to bring their learnings back to Irish communities – with a focus on the intersection of gender equality and the climate crisis.
Designing “Feminist Voices for Climate Justice”
Why they chose a gendered lens on climate justice, how they selected speakers, and what it was like to host the event at the Carmelite Community Centre in Dublin on 6 April 2024. Panelists included:
Vanessa Conroy – National Women’s Council, Feminist Communities for Climate Justice
Jennifer (Jenny) Salmon – Ireland’s climate youth delegate 2023–2024
Kiera Carney – host of The Book of Leaves podcast, bringing the arts and storytelling into climate conversations.
Making climate justice feel accessible
The importance of talking about everyday issues like rubbish on the beach, public transport or fast fashion, instead of always framing everything as “climate change” – and how that simple shift can invite more people into the conversation instead of scaring them off.
The tote bag workshop: climate action with scissors and string
How donated t-shirts from Change Clothes Crumlin became upcycled tote bags – and why a creative, hands-on activity helped break the ice, build connection, and give attendees a skill they could take home and repeat.
Behind the scenes of youth-led events
The very real challenges of organising a social justice event when you’re also studying, working and volunteering:
- Safeguarding and risk assessments for youth events
- Finding an affordable, suitable venue
- Coordinating dates that work for students, speakers and the wider public
- Dealing with last-minute changes like storms and cancelled speakers – and why planning backup questions saved the day.
Breaking out of the “Dublin bubble”
Why it’s so often the same 10–20 young people at climate and gender events, and the ongoing challenge of reaching:
- Young people outside Dublin
- More marginalised communities
- More young men, who are often missing from feminist climate spaces.
Jessica and Aoibhínn share honest, practical advice for youth and community organisers on bringing social justice messages to your community:
Start smaller than your “dream event” and make it digestible
Ask for help – from NGOs, peers, potential mentors and previous organisers
Don’t obsess over numbers: even five people can be deeply impacted
Lean on your community – people in the youth climate space are usually delighted to support you.
Throughout the conversation, the team recommend three powerful reads that have shaped their thinking on climate justice and feminism:
Naomi Klein – This Changes Everything
A deep dive into why tackling the climate crisis means transforming our economic system, not just tweaking around the edges.
Leah Thomas – The Intersectional Environmentalist
A crucial introduction to intersectionality in environmentalism – exploring how race, class, gender and more shape people’s experience of the climate crisis.
Mikaela Loach – It’s Not That Radical
A hopeful, unapologetic call to action, showing how ordinary people can be part of transformational climate justice.
Meet the guests
Aoibhínn Nevin-Ginnetty
With an academic background in Politics and International Relations, Aoibhínn Nevin-Ginnetty has extensive experience in youth advocacy, with a particular focus on gender rights and environmentalism.
She joined Plan International Ireland’s Youth Advisory Panel in 2023 and went on to attend COP28 in Dubai as one of Plan’s first youth delegates. Alongside Jessica, she represented youth in Ireland and highlighted how deeply connected gender inequality and the climate crisis really are.
Aoibhínn also worked with Plan Ireland’s communications and digital marketing team, helping to amplify the voices of girls and young people around the world through campaigns such as Futures Girls Want, Generations in Dialogue and various fundraising appeals.
After COP28, Aoibhínn and Jessica co-organised “Feminist Voices for Climate Justice”, a youth event centring feminist climate leadership and hands-on action through an upcycling workshop. Before Plan, Aoibhínn worked with ECO-UNESCO as a youth advocate and facilitator, attending the Conference of Youth 12 through the Youth for Sustainable Development Programme and gaining frontline experience as a youth representative.
Connect with Aoibhínn on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aoibh%C3%ADnn-nevin-ginnetty-639060226/
Jessica Gill
Jessica Gill is a gender equality and human rights advocate from Ireland. She joined Plan International Ireland’s Youth Advisory Panel in 2020 and represented the organisation at COP28 in Dubai in 2023.
From 2022–2023, Jessica served as Ireland’s UN Youth Delegate, representing 1.3 million young people at the United Nations and championing gender equality and climate justice on the global stage.
Jessica holds a European Master’s in Human Rights and Democratisation from the Global Campus of Human Rights and a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Dublin City University. She is currently based in Jamaica, working as Gender Equality and Governance Assistant at the UN Women Multi-Country Office – Caribbean.
Connect with Jessica on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicagill259/
If you’re a young person wondering whether you’re “qualified” enough to organise something in your community, this episode is your sign: start where you are, with what you have, and invite others in.
