Episode 1: The Youth Bulge with Thenu Herath CEO, Oaktree

‘Reimagining Development: Conversations on the new development policy’ is a joint initiative between Good Will Hunters and the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID), Australia’s peak body for the international aid and development sector. It is hosted by Rachel Mason Nunn, founder of GWH, and Jessica Mackenzie, Chief Policy Officer at ACFID.

In the first episode of our latest series of Good Will Hunters, the CEO of youth-focused NGO Oaktree, Thenu Herath, tells Jess and Rachel about why young people are special – and need to have special provisions in policy to reflect this. She also tells us about the benefits that young people bring to the table and how Oaktree is working to harness this.

“We need to work with the demographic dividend that we have, and with the youth bulge [in the Asia Pacific region],” said Thenu.

Is that happening? What needs to change to make it happen? Thenu answers these questions and more.

Thenu Herath is the CEO of Oaktree, a non-profit that supports young people champion sustainable development in the Indo-Pacific. Alongside her role at Oaktree, Thenu is also a Global Shaper at the World Economic Forum and was named a YAIA Young Woman to Watch in International Affairs in 2022. She has a degree in politics and international studies and is currently completing her Juris Doctor at the University of Melbourne.

https://www.oaktree.org