Melati Wijsen

Melati Wijsen is an Indonesian/Dutch full-time changemaker. At 12 years old, she co-founded the "Bye Bye Plastic Bags" initiative in 2013 with her younger sister Isabel. This social and NGO movement, which has expanded to 60 locations worldwide, aims to reduce plastic bag use worldwide. After six strenuous years on the frontline, the official ban on plastic bags, straws, and Styrofoam was enforced by the Balinese government on June 23, 2019. Bali is the first Indonesian province to make the ban on plastic bags happen.

In addition to her work with "Bye Bye Plastic Bags", Wijsen is the founder of the people's movement "One Island One Voice", established in 2015, where over 500+ Bali-based businesses have united to say NO to single-use plastics. In 2017, she also founded Mountain Mamas, a social enterprise empowering women in the mountains of Bali. Wijsen graduated from Green School Bali in 2018, one year early, and has been a full-time change-maker ever since.

Wijsen is a seasoned public speaker, having taken to stages such as TED, the EU parliament in Brussels, and the United Nations headquarters in New York. Notably, she spoke at the United Nations World Ocean Day in New York City in 2017 and was part of the World Economic Forum's first official youth cohort in Davos in 2020. She also made an appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos as an invited speaker in 2020.

In recognition of her impactful work, Melati and her sister Isabel were named two of the 25 most influential teens of 2018 by Time magazine. She was also recognized by Forbes as one of the top ten most inspiring women in the country in 2017.

In 2019, Wijsen completed the filming of her first feature-length documentary, "Bigger Than Us", which was later released in 2021. The film travels the world to visit young changemakers and highlights Wijsen's environmental activism. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and has since captured global attention.

Wijsen's most recent project, "YOUTHTOPIA", is focused on empowering more young people to accelerate change by providing them with relevant skills and tools to create impact through peer-to-peer programs. This platform for youth empowerment offers workshops and training for young changemakers, extending Wijsen's influence and facilitating further positive global change.