We Got This Lah: Malaysian Youth on Climate Advocacy and Cultural Resilience

'Ariff Amir Ali is an 18-year-old Malaysian A-level student, currently pursuing his studies through the prestigious Yayasan Khazanah Global Scholarship. He has a notable track record of achievements, having been a part of the UNICEF Young Leaders Program fellowship, where he presented a budget recommendation proposal for the 2023 National Budget, advised on the National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights, and co-directed the UNICEF World Children’s Day event.

Under this fellowship, he has worked on a variety of thematic areas such as governance, climate action and finally, education where his team received funding to create an English communication toolkit for students in low-income households. Prior to this, he interned at Arus Academy, where he created lesson plans for the World School Project portfolio, a digital platform for students in correctional facilities to learn and designed a Maker Space Lab for their KL office.

In addition to this, ‘Ariff has also co-founded a start-up called Thinker, which has been recognized globally, winning the 2020 Young Founders Summit and being shortlisted for the 2021 Norrsken Impact Accelerator. He also serves as the country director for the Malaysian chapter of YFS, where he occasionally runs entrepreneurship workshops for young people.

At his previous school, ‘Ariff was involved in teaching literacy to Orang Asli primary school students and created a storybook from the student’s anecdotes as the Vice President of the Peer Support Group. Currently, he is the Assistant Environment Director at Charisma Movement, Vice President for BASE Initiative, and an editor/podcast host at Youth United for Earth. Above all, ‘Ariff is a passionate advocate for youth empowerment and believes that young people everywhere deserve to be heard.

Nurfatin Hamzah is a vibrant advocate for youth involvement in environmental conservation and cultural preservation.

With a master’s in Biodiversity and Conservation, she co-founded Youth United for Earth (YUFE), where she sparks youth engagement in environmental issues through storytelling, grassroots campaigns, and advocacy work—all while connecting people to nature with her passion for climate justice.

She also co-founded Jejak Warisan Kampung Losong, a project supported by Youth Environment Living Lab (YELL), an initiative of UNICEF Malaysia and UNDP Malaysia. This initiative captures human-nature interactions in Losong, Terengganu, producing a booklet on local climate adaptation strategies and community resilience.

Nurfatin has been recognized for her commitment and leadership as a UNICEF Climate Champion, focusing on youth-driven climate advocacy and inspiring the next generation of Earth stewards.