Amy Skipper

At 17, Amy is an inspired young woman and has begun to create her version of activism and social action which is so important to her. Throughout her teenage years Amy felt alone as she battled with her mental health. After struggling with anxiety and depression for years, she finally chose to speak out in 2021 against the broken promises of an underfunded and apathetic mental health system. As the 2022 Head of School at Kāpiti College, Amy has had the chance to make localised change. Now she wants to fight for the systemic change that she feels is necessary.

The fire in her was kindled by the failures that are evident within the current, crumbling system. Once she knew she was in a better place, Amy knew that something had to be done and began by presenting a petition to parliament. After gaining support from across New Zealand and gathering 1358 signatures, Amy now knows more than ever that she isn’t alone in this, and reinforces how important young people’s voices are in Aotearoa.

Unity, empathy and action are the words that guide Amy. From feeling so isolated with her struggles, she is driven to use her voice to share with others how they too are not alone and demand that in a system that breaks down those who are suffering, we can come together to bring change to the status quo.

Amy will spend her time on the big red dot unpacking the archaic notion that children should speak when spoken to. This is going to be an empowering one!