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Who are we?

I.Lead is a disabled youth movement led by youth, for youth. We aim to amplify the voices of disabled youth on any platform, at any table.

I.Lead started as the FIRST EVER Disabled Youth Conference in 2019, held in the Parliamentary Building in Wellington. Since then, it has evolved into a full-blown social change movement dedicated to amplifying the voices of youth with disabilities, while also upskilling them both personally and professionally to allow them to do the same for their peers.

On top of bi-annual conferences, we also provide workshops and opportunities for youth to not only have their voices heard, but to also gain skills in networking, communications and other essential skill sets that ready them for further employment, either with us, helping to run one of our many workshops and projects, or into other areas of interest.

Our bottom line – we provide a platform that holistically supports disabled youth to not only lead meaningful, fulfilling lives, but also speak out on how things can be made better!

I.Lead members, who are young disabled people from across the country aged 16 to 30 – volunteer their time to attend consultations, conferences, expos, and more to have their voices heard regarding the things that impact their lives the most. Common topics of interest among our community include Education, Employment, Health, Housing, Mental Health, Transport, Arts, Emergency Management, and Sport and Rec.  
By signing up, I.Lead members gain access to exclusive consultations, programmes and projects within their areas of interest. These consultations include meetings with government and local organisations. I.Lead members also gain access to abundant opportunities. With committees in Auckland, Waikato, Manawatū-Whanganui, Wellington, Dunedin, and more to come, I.Lead members who are interested in having a say in local initiatives can join their regional committee.

The Conference

The I.Lead Conference is a platform for disabled youth from across New Zealand to come together to find solutions to prevalent issues and barriers they face as disabled youth living in New Zealand. It is also a space of collaboration and innovation, being a platform from which we can identify solutions to these issues, as well as giving the opportunity to have them presented to high-level policy and decision makers.
The first conference, back in September 2019, invited youth from across the country to discuss key issues in Parliament. This conference focused on identifying a broad range of barriers in 7 key topics: Housing, Sport and Recreation, Healthcare, Employment, Education, Transport and Media. From these 7 topics came 27 recommendations of which formed the basis of I.Lead’s work with central government that followed in the next few years.
Our second conference in 2022 was completely virtual – the FIRST virtual conference for disabled youth. This year, we focused on 6 topics – Education, Transition, Transport, Employment, Sport & Recreation and Housing. We then delivered 16 recommendations to government officials!
Our third conference in 2024 was back in-person. More than 40 young disabled people were invited to Wellington to attend the event. Our eight ‘hot topics’ for the 2024 conference were Education, Employment, Health, Transportation, Mental Health, Sport and Recreation, Housing, and Emergency/ Crisis Management. One of the conference guest’s feedback stated “I was so impressed by the energy and dedication in the room. There was so much strength, and so much vulnerability… I hope that leaders listen to our young people.”
To keep up the momentum from our 2024 conference, we decided to have a conference in 2025! 60 rangatahi whaikaha from across the motu meet up once again in Wellington. We looked at the recommendations from the previous year, analysed the changes that had been made since, and reformulated our recommendations for each key topic. Some recommendations were completely new, while others stayed the same.
Our 8 topics this year were Housing, Mental Health, Transport, Health, Education, Employment, Sport and Rec, and Arts. This year the I.Lead National Committee decided to try something new. Arts was added to the list of conference topics for the first time. Naomi Vailima, Auckland Committee Chair and National Committee member, says “Art is important to me because it’s a form of expression. Sometimes I’m not really good at using my words, so I use dance to tell my story. I feel like there is a lack of representation of disability in the arts world.” 31 total recommendations were presented at this conference, spread across the eight key areas.

 

our goals

INSPIRE, MOTIVATE, DRIVE

HOW do we do this?

  • Run a Biannually, national conference
  • Work directly with government agencies on policy and legislation
  • Connect with young people across NZ
  • Run workshops, events and social activities 
Annual report 2

National I-Lead Committee

The National I.Lead Committee is made up of representation from around the country.

They meet monthly to discuss issues, policy, barriers and events. We are always welcoming new members to join the cause! When an opening becomes available on the I.Lead Committee, being an I.Lead member means you are eligible to apply for a spot on the committee!

If you are looking to make change through the telling of your story and lived experience of disability, CLICK HERE!