My name is Nalan Şahin. I’m a 20-year-old volunteer leader, campaigner, and advocate for change. Since the age of 16, I’ve led social initiatives focused on access to quality education, women’s rights, youth empowerment, and climate justice — both locally and nationally.
I work to create space for unheard voices, to empower young people, and to help shape a more just, sustainable world. I don’t simply support change — I organise it, live it, and strive to sustain it.
Growing up in a place where women were silenced, young people dismissed, and nature overlooked, I learnt early that injustice is not something we can wait to be fixed — it’s something we must confront. At times I felt alone. At times, I was silenced. But within me, there was always a quiet voice that said: one day, you will be the voice.
So I stopped waiting for change. I became it.
Through storytelling, campaigns, and workshops, I began raising my voice — for women, for young people, and for our planet. Each project I’ve led is not just a platform for action, but an invitation for others to discover their strength and speak their truth.
What brings me the greatest joy is seeing someone’s eyes light up with belief — that moment they realise, I can do it too.
My pride doesn’t lie in accolades, but in the lives I’ve touched. My dream is not only to raise my own voice, but to amplify every silenced one.
Because in this era, women are no longer waiting to be inspired — they are becoming the inspiration.