This month’s #YouthVoiceNews ‘profile and platform’ spotlights young campaigner, advocate and activist, Amelie Abass (23). An #iwillamabassador and award-winning speaker, she was recently shortlisted as a top 10 national finalist for the 2026 Undergraduate of the Year awards (specifically the Black Heritage award sponsored by Sky). In this interview, Amelie talks about her #youthvoice journey from adversity to advocacy.
Profile
Amelie Abass (23) is a campaigner, youth voice champion, and professional speaker whose journey from adversity to advocacy aims to inspire others to find their own voice and create social change. She is “committed to creating a platform for young voices and shining a light on their perspectives”
Amelie is currently a second-year university student studying Politics BSc at the University of Surrey. She is also an #Iwill ambassador, organiser for Your Party Southeast, Youth Ambassador for Make Votes Matter, member of the Speakers’ Collective, and award-winning campaigner: Young Campaigner of the Year (Inspiration Youth Awards 2025).
“I’m a single mother to Isaac. I was homeless during my pregnancy, nearly died from postpartum haemorrhage, and now campaign for safer maternity services for women of colour. Sharing this journey aims to foster empathy and understanding among the audience. I am from Woking in Surrey. I was born in London and grew up moving around Berkshire, finally landing in Woking at 18, where I have been ever since. Although I was born in the UK, I am also an Italian national and fluent in Italian.”
On youth voice and influence
How would you describe yourself?
“I started as a political activist, but today I am a professional speaker and youth advocate, inspiring young people to use their voices to advocate for themselves, a public speaking coach, and a political campaigner. Public speaking is very much at the centre of what I do at the moment, and I use my journey and hardships to shape my current work. Yes, politics is at the heart of what I do; however, I also speak about my lived experiences as a young mother, which is not inherently political, but it is pretty rare these days, so it helps me connect with my audience.”
What’s been your youth voice journey from lived experience to action?
“I would not be where I am today without my son Isaac. I will be honest, before Isaac, I was completely lost and had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. Being homeless for the duration of my pregnancy and being housed in social housing in September of 2025 led me into social action. Having nearly died at the hands of the NHS due to postpartum haemorrhage at 20 made me reconsider how much agency and voice young people do have nowadays, and I realised the answer to that question is: not enough. My mission is to change that. My journey with social action started with the Green Party and Make Votes Matter. Although I am now organising Your Party at a local level and no longer with the Greens, Make Votes Matter, and the whole team are still close to my heart. However, my career and how I define my social action have changed considerably in the past year.”
How would you sum up your approach to the influence of youth voice in public life?
“I would say that, first and foremost, the youth voice in public life is changing. Nowadays, most large-scale organisations have youth councils and young people on board, where ten years ago that would have been hard to find. I would say that, as a society, we are a long way from young people automatically being given spaces to have their say and advocate for themselves. From what I have seen, the young people who are being given these opportunities have worked hard for them or even fought hard for them. Having said this, the digital age has meant that having a voice and a say is a lot dependent on online presence. Technically, any young person can have a significant platform; they have to be smart about it and market themselves in a way that shows they know the audience they are trying to attract. Take me as an example: my audience is students, young mothers, working-class people, young people of colour, and people who are disillusioned with the current political system. But I deliberately do not broaden my audience, as I feel that would diminish the impact of my message.”
What has being a young person meant in your work – the challenges, opportunities, advantages and disadvantages?
“As a young woman of colour, I have felt as if there is an immediate bias in how seriously I am taken in the world of politics, but also as a mother. I have felt that one thing that has seriously helped in that regard is my speaking voice. I know that sounds wild, but my public speaking and my voice as a whole have got me far. Having said this, being a single mother of colour and a student, all the while, is rare, and I have had opportunities based on this from a lived-experience perspective. So naturally, there are two sides to every coin.”
Who inspires you?
“My biggest inspiration is my son, Isaac. When I was homeless and pregnant, I was living in black mould-infested rooms, and also moving heavy belongings up and down the country with only my ex-partner helping. There are some days when I did not manage to eat, or I was very malnourished. Despite all this, Isaac survived the pregnancy, even though I did not expect him to. That is why his middle name is Killian: it means ‘young warrior.’ Isaac literally fought my whole pregnancy to be here, and for that, he is my biggest inspiration.”
You have experience in political activism and campaigning with political parties. What has this been like? And do you have any advice for those considering entering politics?
“Working and campaigning within the political sphere has taught me so many valuable lessons. The first is that timing is crucial in politics. Some things may not work out for you simply because it is the wrong time, no matter how hard you work. The second is that not every organisation will value you, and that you should go where you are valued. The third is that if something does not exist where you want it to, for example, a group reflective of your beliefs or identity, create it. Political organisations rely heavily on volunteers’ time and effort, so if you want and can create a group or an event, the answer will likely be yes. The last lesson is that politics is about community. If you are feeling a certain way, there are definitely others who feel the same, so do not be afraid to say what you feel”.
For more information about Amelie, check out her LinkTree: Amelie Abass Public Speaking🎤 | Instagram, Facebook | Linktree