TEDxRiver Nile School Youth

Speakers

Speakers may not be confirmed. Check the event website for the latest lineup.

• Adongwot Manyoul

  Cultural Consultant

  Adongwot is Cultural Consultant and public speaker specialising in anti-racism, cultural safety, and cultural intelligence. She partners with organisations to strengthen leadership capability, improve workplace culture, review policy and practice, and build systems that support equity, accountability, and inclusion. Adongwot helps organisations move beyond performative responses by identifying risks, addressing gaps, and embedding practical strategies that support long-term cultural change, and is known for bringing both challenge and clarity to complex conversations. Through speaking engagements, workshops, and advisory work, she support leaders and teams to engage more thoughtfully with issues of race, bias, power, and culture — and to translate learning into action. At the centre of her work is a commitment to creating environments where people feel seen, respected, and culturally safe.

• Gulsum Jafari

  Youth Leader - Women's Rights

  Coming soon.

• Jiress Musafiri

  Youth Advocate | Social Work Practitioner | Youth Mentor | General Manager of Children, Youth and Family Programs at the Australian African Foundation for Retention and Opportunity (AAFRO)

  Jiress Musafiri is a youth advocate, social work practitioner, Youth Mentor, and General Manager of Children, Youth and Family Programs at the Australian African Foundation for Retention and Opportunity (AAFRO). Drawing on his lived experience of migration and education in regional Victoria, Jiress is passionate about supporting young people to feel connected, understood and empowered to create positive futures. Through his work with young people, families and communities, he focuses on culturally responsive practice, early intervention, mentoring and creating meaningful pathways across education, employment and community participation. Jiress is committed to building strong relationships with young people and creating spaces where they feel heard, valued and supported. He believes in the importance of belonging, positive role models and providing young people with the right opportunities to build confidence and reach their potential.

• Jonasi Eangano Singehebhuye

  CEO @ ARK-VIC Inc | Empowering Disadvantaged Communities | Young Citizen of the Year| Peace building Advocate| Youth Empowerment and Education| Community Connections

  As Chief Executive Officer of Acts of Random Kindness Victoria (ARK-VIC Inc.), he has spent more than 12 years creating opportunities for people and communities facing disadvantage and systemic barriers. His work spans youth development, community engagement and social inclusion, with a strong focus on supporting culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Previously working with Football Empowerment, he has helped design initiatives strengthening young people’s wellbeing, education and employment opportunities. His community leadership has been recognised through honours including Victorian Young Citizen of the Year and being named one of the 50 most influential African-Australians in 2020. Fluent in French and Swahili and proficient in Kirundi, he brings a multicultural perspective to his work and a strong belief in the power of opportunity, connection and community to help people thrive.

• Mursal Sadat

  AFG Women’s National Team Player | Founder @Parwaz_for_her | Co-Founder @Afghanistan United Inc | Coach | Human Rights Advocate | Storyteller | Youth Leader | Global Shaper | Youth Facilitator |

  Mursal Sadat is an Afghan international footballer, human rights advocate, entrepreneur and public speaker based in Melbourne. Her work sits at the intersection of sport, women’s empowerment, refugee experiences, youth leadership and social change. Following the fall of Afghanistan in 2021, Mursal was forced to leave her home and rebuild her life in Australia. While navigating displacement and separation from family, she found strength through football, community and advocacy. Today, Mursal is a member of the Afghanistan Women’s National Football Team and co-captain of Afghan Women United, using her platform to amplify the voices of Afghan women and displaced communities. Mursal is also the founder of Parwaz | پرواز, a social-impact jewellery platform supporting Afghan women through their handmade work. As a speaker, Mursal shares her lived experience of displacement and identity, and the role of sport in creating social change.

• Nyakor Paul Dhal Ayor

  Youth Leader - Stepping out of the shadows.

  Coming soon.

• Rita Askar

  Youth Leader - Aspiring pharmacist

  Coming soon.

• Sara Julieth Vela Jaimes

  Youth leader - Living without fear

  Coming soon.

• Shiraz Idris Mohamed

  Youth Advocate | Writer | Storyteller | Physiology Student

  Shiraz Idris Mohamed is a science student at the University of Melbourne majoring in physiology, with a strong passion in youth advocacy, community engagement and storytelling. Alongside her studies, she has been involved in a range of youth advisory, mentoring and community programs, particularly those focused on creating opportunities for young people from diverse backgrounds. She is also a writer and was recognised previously for her short story ‘What the Olive Tree Saw’ which explores belonging and the lasting impact of displacement inspired by her father’s story and Eritrean diaspora as a whole. Across her advocacy and creative work, Shiraz is particularly interested in the experiences of young people, the pressures shaping their lives, and how storytelling can bring conversations that often remain unspoken into the open.

• Vanerose Binti Tompa Kisimba

  Youth Leader - Dancer

  Coming soon.

• Yusra Eishak Abdulkarim

  Youth Leader - Anti-Racism

  Coming soon.