The Power of Youth Activism – Fairtrade: Cat Rayner, Sarah Brazier, Sia Janjua, Zoe Plummer & Aden Harris

Young people are leading the charge for a fairer, greener world. But how can we support and inspire even more of them to speak up, take action, and drive real change?

This panel will explore:
– How climate change is affecting people around the world, especially those who did the least to cause it.
– The power of youth activism to challenge injustice and influence big systems like global trade.
– How ethical choices, like what we buy and who we support, can help build a more sustainable future.
– How to stay hopeful, creative, and connected while fighting for change.
– The panel will look at both the impact of climate change on the people who did the least to cause it and how young people in the UK can stand in solidarity through activism, ethical choices, and storytelling. It will also explore how movements like Fairtrade and Climate Live are creating platforms for youth leadership and action.

This session is about turning awareness into action. The goal is to inform and to empower: to show that young people have the tools, creativity and platforms to make a difference, and that their voices are essential in shaping a more just and climate-resilient future.

Sia works in the Responsible Business team at the Fairtrade Foundation, managing partnerships with brands that sell Fairtrade-certified products in the UK, including Tony’s Chocolonely and Clipper Teas. Sia has been with Fairtrade for over four and a half years as both a volunteer and an employee, and is based in Manchester. Outside of work, Sia is doing a Master’s Degree in Global Development with a focus in Poverty and Inequality, and is a passionate advocate for social and environmental justice, and the systems change needed to deliver both.

Cat Rayner, Senior Partner Marketing Manager at the Fairtrade Foundation, has been with Fairtrade for 22 years, starting as a volunteer and never looking back. Throughout her career, she has worked with various commodities in account management and marketing roles, now focusing on hot beverages. Beyond marketing, Cat is passionate about Fairtrade’s campaigning work and often dons a banana suit for awareness events. As a mother, Cat shares her perspective on young people as well as reflecting on her experiences with engaging young people through Fairtrade’s schools and universities supporter schemes.

Zoe works as the Head of Marketing at the Fairtrade Foundation, leading the organisation’s external communications to engage the UK public in its trade justice mission. Zoe has spent her career crafting her skills in communications to create high impact, brand-building campaigns and content. Outside of work, Zoe is also a passionate activist who has organised and campaigned with numerous grassroots campaigning groups for more than a decade on many key issues including fair pay and labour rights (both in the UK and overseas), LGBTQ+ rights, opposing war and the arms trade, housing, the NHS and various other intersecting issues. Zoe has helped to organise some of the UK’s largest demonstrations with groups such as The People’s Assembly, working in coalition with a range of campaign groups, trade unions and politicians and also volunteered for several years as a campaigner within the Labour Party.

Aden Harris is Chair of LSE Labour and Campaign Coordinator at Climate Live UK, working at the intersection of youth-led climate activism and student politics. He focuses on building campaigns that push for social and environmental justice through both political and cultural action.