.jpg)
<aside> 🗣️
Award-winning activist, campaigner, and writer, specialising in gender equality, anti-racism, and youth voice and political participation
</aside>
<aside> 🎓
First Class Honours LLB Law graduate from University College London (UCL)
</aside>
<aside> 🌐
Find me on: LinkedIn | Instagram | Bluesky
</aside>
<aside> 🏆
Awards:
Amanda Amaeshi (she/her) is an award-winning activist, campaigner, and writer, specialising in gender equality, anti-racism, and youth voice and political participation. The 21-year-old British Nigerian is a First Class Honours LLB Law graduate from University College London (UCL), in which she critically engaged with the law’s role in advancing human rights and social justice.
Amanda’s commitment to social advocacy began early. In 2017, she won the Young Reporters for the Environment competition for her article on food waste in Scotland, exploring both the challenges and solutions. Her advocacy journey gained momentum as a Year of Young People 2018 ambassador, amplifying youth voices on rights and political engagement, and later as a member of the Girlguiding Advocate Panel 2019-2022 cohort, where she spoke out on issues affecting girls and young women through blogs, radio interviews, and speeches to audiences of CEOs, politicians, and other key decision-makers.
Amanda plays a leading role in shaping inclusive policy and practice by championing intersectional approaches and ensuring that underrepresented voices are meaningfully included in decision-making spaces. As a Council Member of Phase Two of the First Minister’s National Advisory Council on Women and Girls in Scotland (NACWG), she engages in collaborative intersectional policy scrutiny and provides the much-needed youth voice to ensure that NACWG’s work in holding the Scottish Government to account is helpful for girls and young women. She is also a Trustee for the Young Women’s Movement, providing strategic oversight and governance for Scotland’s national young women’s organisation. Other recent roles include Legal Trainee at the Council of Europe, Youth Project Assessor for the National Youth Agency, and Anti-Racist Education Ambassador and Young People Lead for Intercultural Youth Scotland.
An experienced communicator, Amanda has spoken extensively on podcasts and at live events, and has written guest articles for The National – one of Scotland’s leading newspapers – on the topics of meaningful political participation, gender equality in public discourse, austerity’s impact on youth work services, and the representation of young MPs in UK politics. Her work reaches a wide audience, including young people, third-sector professionals, senior politicians, civil servants, and the general public. Amanda aims to convey complex legal and policy issues and challenge dominant narratives with clarity, empathy, and purpose – always encouraging reflection and meaningful collective action against systemic injustice.
For her writing and campaigning work, Amanda was named on the Young Women’s Movement’s 30 Under 30 list for 2020 and the WOW Foundation’s Young Leaders Directory 2022. In April 2021 she was named the Glasgow Times Young Scotswoman of the Year 2020. In November 2024, she was named My Life My Say’s Next Gen: Changemaker of the Year.
My full CV can be found on my LinkedIn. Portfolio of published work, podcasts, and speaking engagements can be found below.
Photo credits: Wiktoria Orlicka
[Watch my acceptance speech for My Life My Say’s Changemaker of the Year 2024 here https://youtu.be/gBl0QcJ7kzU?si=CfMvIBkQPYRGw4i5 ](https://youtu.be/gBl0QcJ7kzU)
Watch my acceptance speech for My Life My Say’s Changemaker of the Year 2024 here https://youtu.be/gBl0QcJ7kzU?si=CfMvIBkQPYRGw4i5
Some recent NACWG reflections:
In reverse chronological order. N.B: If a webpage is no longer available, I’ve provided a Web Archive link instead – please allow a few extra seconds for it to load.
LinkedIn Article | Amanda’s 2025 Wrapped! | 17 December 2025
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/amandas-2025-wrapped-amanda-amaeshi-xerfe/
I reflected on my 2025 – a year of success and opportunities alongside fear and uncertainty regarding my next steps – sharing lessons on holding gratitude, rest, and action at the same time.
LinkedIn Post | Late November/Early December Update Post | 15 December 2025
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/amanda-amaeshi-78398a222_one-month-since-returning-from-france-a-activity-7406271881839923201-AJAa
I shared some work-related updates in the month since being back from France, including: the Young Women’s Movement’s Board Weekend; an interview for YWM’s ‘Young Women Remember’ project; a webinar on how the ECHR operates across the UK’s devolved contexts; supporting young women to share their views on the Scottish Government’s forthcoming Gender Equality Strategy; and my wider NACWG work.
LinkedIn Post | Personal note from me regarding Girlguiding’s trans exclusion announcement | 11 December 2025
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/amanda-amaeshi-78398a222_trans-exclusion-is-a-red-line-for-me-and-activity-7404917676336123904-EvCk