Melati Wijsen is an international full-time changemaker and embodiment of youthful energy. With a passion for the natural world and a commitment to protecting it for future generations, she founded Bye Bye Plastic Bags with her younger sister in 2013 at the age of 12. A real grassroots organizer and movement builder, Melati and her community celebrated the passing of a ban on plastic bags, straws and styrofoam on the island of Bali after years of committed campaigning by many.... Read More
Melati Wijsen is an international full-time changemaker and embodiment of youthful energy. With a passion for the natural world and a commitment to protecting it for future generations, she founded Bye Bye Plastic Bags with her younger sister in 2013 at the age of 12. A real grassroots organizer and movement builder, Melati and her community celebrated the passing of a ban on plastic bags, straws and styrofoam on the island of Bali after years of committed campaigning by many.
She is an in-demand speaker on the global stage including opening for President Barack Obama at the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam and moderating National Geographic’s Sustainability Week in Bangkok; she has also given two TED talks and spoken at the UN headquarters in New York, all before turning 21.
Melati Wijsen has developed a passion for environmental education and policy change. This has led her on a path that took her to Davos in 2020 with the World Economic Forum as part of their first-ever official youth cohort as well as sitting on the inaugural Expert Advisory Panel for the Earthshot Prize. She premiered her film, Bigger Than Us, at the Cannes Film Festival in 2021.
Building on ten years of change-making, Melati continues to share all that she’s learnt in classrooms, boardrooms, and world stages through her company YOUTHTOPIA.
YOUTHTOPIA is a platform for young changemakers to learn from each other. This network brings together the experience and expertise of young leaders to shape programs and learning tools for more students globally.
Having dedicated more than half her life to creating a positive impact in the world, Melati has been recognized as a woman who exemplifies strength and grit. She has also been recognized by leading publications including being selected as FORBES’ top ten most inspiring women in the country, honored by TIME as part of the annual list of most influential teens in the world and been along with CNN Heroes Young Wonders & FORBES 30 under 30. Melati Wijsen will detail her remarkable journey as a young changemaker in her forthcoming book with Harper Collins, set for its release this September!