OCCA's Youth Governance Model
WHAT IS YOUTH GOVERNANCE?
Youth governance positions young people as active leaders with real decisionmaking power, rather than passive beneficiaries of climate initiatives. It embeds their lived experience, regional insight, and long-term perspectives directly into structures that shape strategy, operations, and accountability. In the climate context, this is critical as young leaders are already experiencing climate impacts while developing the skills, networks, and policy literacy to respond. Effective youth governance strengthens legitimacy, relevance, and long-term leadership beyond single events.
WHAT IS OCCA'S YOUTH GOVERNANCE MODEL?
OCCA’s model is interregional and leadership-focused, with equal representation from Oceania and the Caribbean. Through structured advisory and ambassadorial roles across age groups, OCCA ensures young people shape strategy, summit design, partnerships, and policy outcomes before and after the Youth Summit. Advisors guide governance while ambassadors lead outreach, creating a clear pathway from ideas to implementation and sustained interregional leadership. All Advisors and Ambassadors will work under the guidance of the Brisbane and Castries Global Shapers Hubs, initiatives of the World Economic Forum.
WHAT ARE OCCA’S YOUTH GOVERNANCE ROLES?
• Youth Advisory Council (18–24yrs): 10 members (5 per region), providing strategic and operational guidance and contributing to summit programming and the Youth Climate Statement.
• Professional Advisory Council (25–35yrs): 10 members (5 per region), offering professional expertise, policy insight, and implementation support.
• Ambassadors (18–35yrs): 6 members (3 per region), leading outreach, storytelling, and public engagement as the public face of OCCA.
The Core Team
Who We Are
Tarik Phillip
Co-Founder & Caribbean Project Lead
Tarik Philip is the Curator of the Global Shapers Castries Hub. He has a project management, youth development, and climate action background, with a strong focus on community-led and youth-driven solutions.
He works at the intersection of climate resilience, environmental protection, and social development, with particular attention to practical impact in small island contexts. He holds leadership, advisory, and volunteer roles across youth empowerment, environmental advocacy, and community development initiatives, translating global frameworks into locally executable action.
Contact: castrieshubglobalshaper@gmail.com
Jess Stone
Co-Founder & Oceania Project Lead
Jess Stone is the Curator of the Global Shapers Brisbane, and a Board Director at Global Shapers Community Ltd. Beyond the organisation, Jess manages SDSN Youth’s Asia-Pacific region, mobilising youth changemaker groups from India to Indonesia, Korea to Kazakhstan.
Jess is the Director of Podium at Future Forward Australia, an advisor to the U.S. Embassy in Australia, the National Association for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, the Daniel Morcombe Foundation, and Orygen. She sits on the Global Youth Board at the Dove Foundation for Global Change and is a global ambassador for Theirworld. Through her policy consulting, Jess has worked with state and federal governments, non-profits, and independent Commissions. She continues to promote youth participation in climate governance, and recently spoke at Australia’s AlterCOP conference.
Contact: brisbane@globalshapers.org.au
Prakash Koirala
North American Liason
Prakash Koirala brings a strong background in financial literacy, climate finance, policy advocacy, and community-based education to the OCCA. He is an internationally recognized policymaker, advocate, and author who has worked with central banks, universities, local governments, and more than twenty financial institutions to design financial literacy roadmaps, curricula, and climate finance outreach initiatives. Through this work, Prakash has helped impact over 200,000 people globally and has organized dozens of financial literacy and climate finance workshops in schools and community centres, including Australia. Prakash holds an academic background from the Harvard Kennedy School and has been recognized as a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree. Most recently, he was selected for the Governor’s Financial Literacy Award by the State of Wisconsin. His work is grounded in a values-based approach that focuses on reducing vulnerability, building resilience, and strengthening financial confidence across diverse communities.
Phoenix Potoi
Vice-Curator & Brisbane Project Officer
Phoenix is a sustainable development and global governance advocate based in Meanjin, deeply passionate about climate peacekeeping and peacebuilding. His professional experience spans multiple roles across not-for-profits and international affairs organisations, including the UN, the Australia-China Youth Association, and, most recently, The Global Shapers Community.
He advocates for deeper Australian engagement in the Indo-Pacific and for a climate-conscious security paradigm. Recently, he participated in the New Colombo Plan scholarship program and supported youth reengagement initiatives in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Isabella Dunn
Brisbane Project Officer
Isabella is a Brisbane (Meanjin) based climate advocate with a strong passion for Disability-Centred and intergenerational climate justice. She has held grassroots organising and advisory roles across the climate space, including with state and federal governments, School Strike for Climate, The Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as various organisations. She advocates for more inclusive, youth-led approaches to climate governance and action, and has recently attended the Murray-Darling Basin Leadership Summit as a youth representative and spoke as a panellist on disability and climate change.
R'Montay Regis
Castries Project Officer
With a strong background in youth advocacy and community engagement, R'Montay has consistently demonstrated leadership in initiatives focused on climate awareness, social development, and capacity building for young people. Their involvement spans grassroots organising, public outreach, and participation in youth-led forums aimed at shaping policy dialogue and strengthening regional cooperation on climate issues. R'Montay exhibits a deep commitment to empowering young people to take active roles in climate action, governance, and sustainable futures.
Huda Akhlaki
Brisbane Project Officer
Huda is an emerging performing artist and climate activist, bringing leadership and advocacy experience with cald communities into climate conversations. In 2025, she is working on a community leadership prototype and a creative project addressing domestic and family violence with the Good Shift and Thrive Logan. She serves as vice-president of the Future Leaders Advocacy Group and is a member of the QPASTT youth voice group. Huda has spoken at major conferences, including the 2024 trauma awareness conference and QFCC Youth Summit, and has participated in national youth leadership and wellbeing initiatives.
Zikr Devjee
Brisbane Project Officer
Zikr is an undergraduate at the University of Queensland, studying International Relations and a Diploma of Languages, and serves as Vice President of the UQ Latin American Student Association. He was recognised by The Courier-Mail as one of 33 Influential Youth under 25 for his contribution to major youth and climate forums with the Australian Youth Climate Coalition and the Australian Conservation Foundation. Zikr is passionate about youth advocacy, climate justice, and civic engagement. Outside of advocacy, he is a past TEDx speaker and a committed sportsperson pursuing professional pickleball, bringing discipline, leadership, and community-building into all aspects of his work.
