Beth Shaw has leveraged her youth representative role with the United Nations to advocate for change on a local level.
BETH Shaw has packed a lot into her 26 years – she is a practicing lawyer, has been a youth representative to the United Nations, and is now a director of three Western Australian not-for-profit organisations.
Ms Shaw has an agenda in life – social justice.
“Young people and gender and development and civic participation, they are thematically what I am about,” Ms Shaw told WA Business News.
At the age of 20, Ms Shaw left her hometown of Melbourne to complete a law degree at the University of Western Australia; it was her involvement in university guild groups that led to her role as chair of the Perth Youth Advisory Council, and ultimately her role at the UN.
“It was through that youth advocacy that made me think I might have a shot at being the Australian youth representative,” Ms Shaw says.
Having been accepted to present the opinions of Australia’s youth at the 2008 United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York, Ms Shaw quit her job and toured the country to consult with Australian youth.
“I recognised that young people don’t think the same way about certain issues and there is a diversity of view points that needs to be reflected,” Ms Shaw says.
The role was not, by any measure, a small one.
She not only addressed the general assembly when she got to New York, but also met with leaders inclusing Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith, and the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
“I think I did a great job as youth representative but, like with all big roles in life, there is a big element of luck involved,” Ms Shaw says.
Two years on, Ms Shaw has used the experience at the UN to leverage her involvement with WA not-for-profit organisations and to live out her passion for youth advocacy.
She is now a director of youth mental health and civic participation organisation, Inspire Foundation, and the Left Right Think Tank – an organisation focused on provoking young people’s involvement in public policy and debate.
And in case she finds herself lost for something to do, Ms Shaw last year opened the WA branch of international women’s advocacy organisation UNIFEM in Perth, which she hopes will achieve three main goals.
“To equip women with the skills, confidence and ability to be leaders; to raise awareness of gender and development issues; and to create a network of women and men dedicated to standing up for the advancement of women,” she says.
“I have always found it [volunteering] more fulfilling that sitting on the couch and watching TV. It is social and it is a challenge,” Ms Shaw says.
Philanthropy is the biggest drive in Ms Shaw’s life, but she’s unsure when this came about.
“I can’t pinpoint where it started but now it is so embedded with who I am, my identity, that I can’t imagine not ever being involved in the community,” Ms Shaw says.
“I know most people ask how I become that, but I almost look at it the other way and think, ‘how is everyone not motivated by that’?
“It is a pretty great privilege to work and know that your work is helping other people. It’s not an entirely selfless thing, it makes me happy and the volunteering I do increases my social connectedness it gives me great friendships.”
And she has a clear focus for the future.
“I can see myself oscillating between working for an NGO and working in public policy,” Ms Shaw says.
“Advocating for change and being unrelenting and dogmatic in my views and then getting burned out, thinking there is no way of changing it from the outside you have to change it from the inside, so working as a public servant trying to influence from within and burning out and flicking back, I can see that career trajectory.” Which five people (historical or living) would you invite to dinner?
Bobby Kennedy, Roald Dahl, Eleanor Roosevelt, Fidel Castro, and Angelina Jolie.
If you could change one thing about our society what would it be?
Increase the budget for healthcare to focus on prevention, particularly in terms of mental illness by increasing the focus on mental health and wellbeing.
Biggest career challenge?
Finding a way to balance my full-time job with all the exciting and important community projects I can’t help getting involved in.
Career highlight?
A standout experience was the opportunity to represent Australia as the 2008 youth representative to the UN, and present during the General Assembly in New York. However, I think my greatest achievement has been leveraging off this experience and turning it into a more permanent advocacy role.
Words to live by?
“If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” I’m very lucky to have some amazing people in my life that have helped me see further.
