You Are That One Person It Takes to Start the Change - Melati and Isabel Wijsen (Indonesian Climate Activists)

Photograph Credits: Bye Bye Plastic Bags

We didn’t know how we were going to ban the bags but we just knew that we wanted to and had the passion to keep going and try to figure it out along the way. And that’s what we have done for 7 years - We just keep going and never give up.

1. Tell us about your background and journey & how did you come up with this idea? 

Me and my sister, Isabel, had a lesson in class about impactful world leaders and change-makers, such as Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Lady Diana, and others. We were 10 and 12 at the time. We went home that day thinking about what we can do living on the island of Bali as kids, that will make a difference? 

What can we do right now? We didn't want to wait until we were older to stand up for what we believe in, so we didn’t. We started to brainstorm all the issues Bali was facing and we chose garbage because that is what most impacted our daily lives. 

As we would play in the rice fields or walk on the beach we saw plastic bags clogging the gutters and piling up in the rivers, by the side of the road, and in the rivers. We saw this as a real problem we could tackle. 

Growing up on an island surrounded by the ocean we see the negative impact plastic has. There's no escaping it here. The plastic problem is SO in your face, and we thought "who's going to do something about it?" But that's just it, you often forget that YOU are that ONE person it takes to start the change. 

Also, we learned that so many other countries around the world had already placed a ban or tax on plastic bags so we thought - If they can do it, Bali can too! 

We didn’t start with any clear plan. We didn’t know how we were going to ban the bags but we just knew that we wanted to and had the passion to keep going and try to figure it out along the way. And that’s what we have done for 7 years - we just keep going and never give up. 

2. Tell us more about YOUTHTOPIA and its goals for the future? 

I am definitely most excited that after 7 years of hard work, and finally the ban on plastic bags on the island, I was finally able to launch our most recent project, YOUTHTOPIA. 

In January at the World Economic Forum in Davos, I shared YOUTHTOPIA for the first time in public! This is what I am working on most at the moment. 

We are in the process of web development, finalizing several YOUTHTOPIA Masterclasses, and planning real-life workshops that we had planned for Australia, Chile, Indonesia, and Europe before COVID-19 happened. 

We are also creating an end of year event; YOUTHTOPIA YOUNITE. Our first-ever global event for 17 consecutive days, based on 17 SDGs, with 17+ change-makers and real-world solutions. 

Follow us on IG (@youthtopia.world) to get the latest news and updates! And please sign up for YOUNITE: https://forms.gle/rMoX7wTtF5qM1JDh6

3. What has been your biggest challenge that you faced and how did you overcome that? 

One of the biggest challenges is learning to work with the government and large corporations. It’s been a challenge to understand the complexities within government systems and the many layers that come with them. 

We have had to learn to be patient and things take time. We call it dancing with the politicians. Sometimes it feels like one step forward and then 2 steps back. It takes time and works to create relationships that will result in long-term commitment from all levels of society: team, local authorities, national govt, partners, etc. 

Trying to ban plastic bags is a big job and being teenagers and students still at school, we have a lot of things going on, so motivation in the long term was always a challenge for us too. 

4. How do you define success for yourself? 

Personally, success means to have all aspects of life nicely aligned and delivered with purpose. 

5. What message do you have for young activists such as yourself? 

Be yourself! Be strong in your message and what you stand for. Remember to take care of yourself and have fun every now and then :) 

6. Who inspires you? 

All of the young people around the world who are standing up for something they believe in and creating positive change. There are so many of us! But for this specific article, I’ll say my team inspires me the most! 

They are an incredible group of young people, mostly Indonesian and female. And they are the backbone, driving the vision forward. 

Instagram Id - @byebyeplasticbags & @youthtopia.world

Photograph Credits: Jenya Kadnikova

Melati and Isabel Wijsen

Indonesian climate activists

Interviewed By - Sandeep Virothu