About Stories for Change

Program Goal

To create a global thriving community of youth environmental change makers whose engagements drive learning, leadership and impact.

Program Objectives

Create empowering and replicable communities of practice amongst youth active in grassroots environmental projects spanning across cultural, geographic, and economic divides.
Connect grassroots youth-led environmental projects with supporters across cultural, geographic, and economic divides.
Amplify grassroots youth-led environmental projects’ local impact.
Gather and disseminate knowledge about global youth environmental and ecological peace-building activities.

Dr Michael Chew

Project Founder

Dr Michael Chew is a sustainability educator, community cultural development practitioner, and photographer/designer with degrees in participatory design, social ecology, art photography, humanities and mathematical physics. He has a background in community-based sustainability programs in NGO and local government sectors and is passionate about the potential for creativity to empower and connect communities across cultural, economic and geographic divides. He co-founded the Melbourne Environmental Arts Festival in 2004, a multi-venue community arts festival, and has since coordinated various social and environmentally focused creative youth projects. He developed his international perspectives from involvement in grassroots global solidarity initiatives: co-founding the NGO Friends of Kolkata to coordinate international volunteer programs and teach photovoice; working in Bangladesh on community-based climate adaptation; and co-founding the Friends of Bangladesh group to continue climate justice solidarity activities. He has just finished a design based action-research PhD exploring how participatory photography can inspire youth environmental behaviour change across cities in Bangladesh, China and Australia, and is now developing a freelance consultancy practice.

District 9790 Class 30 Rotary Peace Fellow, Chulalongkorn University