All-One Activist: Angel Owen of Seed Indigenous Youth Climate Network

Dr. Bronner’s “All-One Activist” series profiles influential activists who are advancing the core causes that Dr. Bronner’s supports through its philanthropy and advocacy.

As part of our ongoing All-One Activist series, we are highlighting the organisations supported through the All-One Australia Initiative. Through this initiative, at a minimum, 1% of sales from participating international markets is donated annually to support local efforts focused on social justice, environmental sustainability, and animal advocacy.

Seed Indigenous Youth Climate Network (Seed) is led by and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people. Their movement is grounded in culture and guided by the strength of Elders and communities.

A major component of Seed’s impact work involves working closely with frontline communities to highlight the connection between impacts that extractive industries and climate change have on Country, culture and community; whilst celebrating First Nations-led solutions already held by these communities. Climate change is one of the greatest threats facing humanity, but Seed also knows it is an opportunity to create a more just and sustainable world.

Dr. Bronner’s has supported Seed through the All-One Australia Initiative since 2020. The organisation’s unwavering commitment and resilience in a challenging political and economic climate is a powerful story of hope and resistance. We had the privilege of interviewing Angel Owen, National Director of Seed, and asked her about the impact the organisation is striving for, its evolution, and how they overcome challenges.

What is Seed’s mission, and what work or programs bring that mission to life?

Seed is building a movement led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people to protect Country, culture, and communities from the causes and impacts of climate change. We bring this to life through four pillars:

1. Mobilising young people with training and pathways.
2. Leading campaigns that protect Country and push for a permanent nationwide ban on fracking, starting in the Kimberley.
3. Elevating First Nations voices through storytelling and public education.
4. Building our legacy with strong First Nations governance, safe culture for mob and allies, sustainable resources, and robust monitoring and learning.

How did Seed get started, and how did you come to work with them? What does the work mean to you personally?

Seed was launched in 2014 because there was no national platform for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices in the climate movement. I was 14 years old at the time, so it’s a huge privilege and honestly a bit surreal to now be talking to you as Seed’s National Director. This is the power of Seed and the power of our movement - we support and mentor young mob right across the country to grow, develop and protect country.

How has Seed’s work evolved during your time with the organisation? Are there any key milestones or shifts you’ve seen?

We have grown from a small group of young mob passionate about protecting country to a national grassroots organisation of 300+ volunteers, and a network of over 150,000 people leading campaigns to protect Country and fight for climate justice. Milestones include becoming our own independent organisation in 2021, scaling a grassroots network across the continent, and sharpening our campaign focus on ending fracking alongside a just transition, that is non-partisan and First-Nations-led. We have also formalised volunteer pathways, working on our schools program, frontline community consultation, and impact measurement so we can adapt to fast changing political and social contexts.

What are some of the biggest challenges Seed faces, and how do you work to navigate or overcome them?

Three stand out:

1. Structural power of the fossil fuel industry, including public subsidies.
2. Cultural load and the need to work in ways that are safe and appropriate for mob.
3. Sustained resources to plan beyond a three year window.

We respond by organising at a grassroots level, centering frontline communities, holding leaders accountable, and building non partisan support for a First Nations led just transition. Internally, we invest in governance, team culture, and evaluation so we can learn, adjust, and stay strong.

Are there other movements, organisations, or approaches you find especially inspiring or aligned with your vision for change?

We are inspired by First Nations movements here and globally that protect biodiversity and climate through cultural knowledge and community governance. We value approaches that combine grassroots organising, strategic campaigning, and storytelling. We also learn from networks that prioritise youth leadership, justice, and intersectionality, since climate impacts compound other inequities. Two organisations/campaigns stand out to us: ‘Our Islands, Our Home’ and ‘Pacific Climate Warriors’. Biggest shout out to them mob, we have so much love and respect for them and their movements!

Why is an interconnected or “All One” approach important to the broader work for social and environmental advocacy?

Climate justice is First Nations justice, social justice, gender justice, land back and more. First Nations peoples globally protect and care for 80% of global biodiversity, yet often face the worst climate impacts. An All One mindset recognises that solutions must be community led, culturally grounded, and fair. When we act as one across movements, we grow people power, shift public opinion and will, and win transformative change.

How can readers best support your work?

Three practical ways:

1. Follow and amplify our work so more people hear directly from frontline communities.
2. Back our campaigns to stop fracking and to resource adaptation, mitigation, and preparedness, especially in Northern Australia.
   
3. Invest in our training and leadership pathways so hundreds of young people can organise locally and contribute nationally.
   

To find out more, visit our website - https://www.seedmob.org.au/

How has Dr. Bronner’s support helped advance your work, and why is it important that companies like Dr. Bronner’s invest in social and environmental advocacy efforts?

The pool of ethical funding for organisations in the environment space is small, and even smaller for First Nations organisations in the environment space. Values aligned funding ensure that we can create long term impact. When companies invest in this kind of work they help shift power to those most affected, reduce reliance on short term project grants, and signal that climate justice and cultural survival are shared responsibilities. That partnership strengthens our ability to protect Country today and build a just transition for tomorrow.