Sophie Weenink has been a social justice and environmental activist since 2019. Passionate about the environment since a young age, her first official event at age 13 was a beach clean-up that she posted on Facebook. Organising free food and drinks for volunteers on a budget of $0 dollars, she thought she might get ten people at the most, but 200 people came. The support of the community around her has driven her ambition for change. Since then, Sophie has organised large events such as beach clean-ups, river clean-ups, fundraisers and organised volunteers, all on a non-existent budget. She is currently studying at Pearson College UWC (United World College) in Canada and is about to start a new program called the 'Climate Action Leadership Diploma'. Studying with UWC means Sophie gains credits for university courses early by simply focusing on what she loves best.
Sophie has faced many challenges along the way due to her age and gender. She has only been taken seriously on some boards where everyone wants to hear a young woman's voice. However, on other boards, Sophie has been used to simply make others look better - like a token. Despite all the ups and downs, she has carried on and overcome these challenges in order to continue her work in areas she feels strongly about.
One of Sophie's major hopes for the future is that we will be able to preserve all our beautiful environments. She thinks people can often take what we have in NZ for granted, but a trip overseas can make us realise how beautiful it is here and why we must fight to protect our environment. We are truly lucky to live in Aotearoa and to be able to work in this environment.
Sophie's decision to become heavily involved in Giving Aroha was established way back during the start of her activism journey - her river clean-up. Unlike the other river clean-ups she had done before, they came across a tent and sleeping bags which belonged to someone; it was clear that whoever they were, they were living in very harsh conditions. This shocking discovery and the sad realisation that some people in NZ were forced to live this way inspired Sophie to find ways to help the homeless. She is a core volunteer for Giving Aroha, a community-led group. Since then, she has fundraised thousands of dollars to this volunteer-based organisation. The money has been put towards food, warm clothing, tents, sleeping bags and toiletries.
Sophie claims there are many issues in NZ, but the housing crisis and climate change are some of the major problems today, alongside the hundreds of intercepting problems that go into both of those issues. Through her work, Sophie has attempted to make an impact by finding solutions to these issues, but as they are such huge issues, she says it helps to find a community of people who want to make change as well. As a group, it is much easier to create collective change and create a huge impact. However, just one person can also make a massive impact… by just educating one person on one of these issues, it helps us to understand why we need to make a change and inspire them to make a difference rather than leave it to future generations.
Sophie's top suggestions everybody can do to positively impact the environment include:
- Being mindful of the products that you're buying, if you have the ability to buy sustainably, then she encourages shopping more locally. Sophie says going vegan is probably one of the biggest things you can do that will positively impact the environment, as dairy is one of the biggest polluters in NZ. It is also one of our biggest economic drivers, so she says we need to be looking at sustainable alternatives and being able to look at ways for the future that can also support people who are in these industries to start anew.
- Try to buy sustainable clothing or items. When buying, think about how often you are going to wear or use the item in the long run. Fast fashion is a huge polluter (with a majority of it being carelessly used and ending up in landfill), so rather than buying trendy clothing, purchase clothes that you love. Whilst fast fashion is the most affordable option for many, being conscious about what and how much you're buying will reduce waste.
- Changing your mindset. If you want to be part of the solution to protecting the environment or helping people, we need everyone to be 'doers' rather than people who are 'naysayers'. Align yourself with people who will uplift and support you rather than put you down or make you feel like something isn't cool or isn't worth your time.
- Joining community groups and volunteering with them. If you have the time to scroll on social media every night, you could use that time to volunteer somewhere for an hour a week. Sophie knows it can be the last thing anyone wants to do after a long day at work or school, but it can truly, positively impact someone's life or the environment.
Right now, Sophie is looking into Universities in Europe, and she plans on moving there next year; specifically, she plans to complete environmental science and sustainability degrees and or law. At some stage, she will likely come back and live in NZ, but for now, her studies in Canada have made her realise that she needs to see more of the world, experiencing first-hand solutions and impacts being made globally before she returns.
Sophie says being passionate and strong about what you're doing is crucial, as people often look to others who are stepping up first. Often they want to act themselves, but obstacles such as a lack of time or experience stop them from doing so. For people wanting to start taking action, she says just start small, doing grass root actions either in your personal life or your community.
One final piece of advice from Sophie is to not let what others say get in the way of what you want to do. It can be hard at the start, but once you achieve your first goal, take time to celebrate it and then start working towards the next one; you can achieve anything with some hard work and passion.