October People Powered Bulletin

20 October 2026

Amnesty's Youth Justice, Climate Justice, and International campaigns, activist resources and other updates!

Welcome to the October edition of the People Powered Bulletin! Dates are at the top of the bulletin to help keep you organised and informed. Check out our Events page for what's happening near you or online.

11th-18th October: National Carers Week
21st October: International Pronouns Day
25th-31st October: Asexual Awareness Week
26th October: Uluru Returned
26th October: Intersex Awareness Day
2nd November: International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists
6th November: International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and in Armed Conflict
8th November: Diwali
8th November: Intersex Day of Solidarity
13th-19th November: Transgender Awareness Week
16th November: International Day for Tolerance

OCTOBER BULLETIN

• Kids Need Better
• Climate and Human Rights
• Write 4 Rights
• Activist shoutout
• Upcoming trainings
• Activist support contacts

Kids Need Better

Yaama, Rach here! I'm the Campaign Organiser on Amnesty's Indigenous Youth Justice campaign, Kids Need Better (KNB).

As we approach the upcoming state election in Victoria on 28 November this year, it is really important for us to show solidarity for kids in prison there and send a message to decision makers that we demand change - including implementing enforceable national minimum standards across youth detention in this country. There are resources in the Kids Need Better Campaign Kit that you can use to help us show people power and take collective action, including a printable poster and petition to take out into your community.

For folks in Vic, it's not too late to email Sonya Kilkenny, the Attorney-General of Victoria, by clicking this link to the form before 3 November. It takes less than a minute to send your own email - and every one that lands on the Attorney-General's desk makes this harder to ignore.

Collective Action in 2026

We are so proud that Amnesty action groups right around the country have been doing incredible campaigning and activism work for the KNB campaign this year - and we would love to be able to celebrate this. But we need your help!

Did you have a bunch of keen beans attend your letter writing workshop? Did a whole group of new people have a yarn with you at a market stall and sign the KNB petition? Did your action group host a cultural learning session, or have Elders and First Nations community members get involved in an action?

We need you to share photos and stories with us so that we can celebrate all of this amazing work, by submitting an event evaluation form and sending the pics to activism@amnesty.org.au.

Kids Need Better Activist Awards

Our movement is full of extremely passionate folk who are dedicated to campaigning for a better future for First Nations kids, and this year we'd also love to celebrate activist volunteers who have done incredible work in 2026. If you know someone who should be celebrated for their hard work, use this form to submit a nomination for the Kids Need Better Activist Awards.

January 26 - Invasion Day/Survival Day

January 26 is a key milestone moment in the KNB campaign, as this is a time of year that lots of the general public show interest in Indigenous rights and events are shown in the media. As this year is rolling so quickly to an end, this is a reminder to start discussing Invasion Day/Survival Day plans within your local Amnesty Action Group.

Will you organise an Amnesty contingent at the local rally? Is there a community festival where it might be appropriate for your group to host a market info stall or walk around collecting petition signatures? Now is the time to start reaching out to the local First Nations community to find out what their plans may be, and yarn about what may be an appropriate way for your local group to support them.

If you're not sure how to go about planning, see info below about upcoming Events and Tactics Training (online).

Kids Need Better moving into 2027

I recently travelled up to Larrakia Country with Shivani from the Community Organising and Engagement team, where we connected with local First Nations mob and the Darwin Amnesty Action Group in preparation for the Kids Need Better campaign focus moving to the NT in 2027. We met with Darwin Action Group leaders to support the development of leadership and campaigning skills and provide info about upcoming training opportunities. The next day we hosted a workshop for the wider group to provide a space for relational connections and new faces to join our campaign, mapping of First Nations communities and partners we can collaborate with, and brainstorming campaign action ideas in an NT context.

It was also a privilege to be invited to a Justice Not Jails meeting by local Elders, and find out what their group is working on, and how we can continue to support each other's work in the future.

Climate and Human Rights

You can be involved in creating a future free from coal and gas where people around the world are protected from human rights harm caused by climate change. We're launching this new campaign next week in Brisbane and shortly after you'll see new content on our website on climate justice and, in coming months, a full toolkit for working on this campaign.

In the meantime, is your action group interested in running a stall, event or action for the climate campaign? I'd love to connect with you and discuss your ideas!

Here's some resources to get you started:

1. Generic Campaign posters for printing
2. Market Stall Conversation Guide
3. Hard copy petition

Can't wait to connect with you on climate justice and human rights! If you want to chat 1:1 or have me speak at your local group meeting on the campaign schedule a call with me here: Book time with Inari Saltau.

Climate Leaders Needed!

We have an ambitious plan to get out in strategic electorates across the country and talk to thousands of Australians ahead of the 2028 election. We'll change the national story and shift minds in key seats that the Federal Government has their eye on to put the pressure needed to win BIG on Climate Action.

We need leaders around the country to join our brilliant groups already started. Sign up to our National Climate Justice Network to get involved:

- Inari, Campaign Organiser on the Climate Justice campaign.

Write 4 Rights

Our annual Write 4 Rights campaign is launching in November. This year is the 25th anniversary of the world's largest letter writing marathon that changes prisoners of conscience's life.

Write 4 Rights in Australia is being delivered to schools across the country and to Activist groups. Below is Activist Support + Administrator Kayla preparing the school packs!

For our registered schools, excitingly, this is the first time that students will be able to also write letter for our ongoing campaign for First Nation youth, Kids Need Better. Stay tuned for updates about the campaign!

Activist shoutout

We want to give a shoutout to the Gaza representatives and all of the other Activists across the continent who helped organise actions or contingents on the 11th of October to display solidarity with Palestinians on the Global Day for Gaza.

Upcoming trainings

Love hosting events but confused about choosing the right event or tactic to meet your activism goals? Unsure how to make budget requests and what supports are available to you and your group? Interested in knowing how you can evaluate your events and provide event feedback to us? Join us for a 2-part series, held online over consecutive Thursday evenings:

29th Oct: Planning Effective Events and Tactics

Strategic planning is about asking the questions: What is the purpose? How does this fit with the campaign strategy? What resources do you need? How will you mitigate risks? How will you follow up with those in attendance?

We will breakdown the jargon - is there a difference between an action, an event, and a tactic, and how do you choose the right one for your group? We will introduce the concept of action sessions and how you can incorporate these into your event planning.

AIA's campaign organisers (Rach, Inari and Ashra) will also be joining this session, and there will be a breakout activity to discuss your events and tactic ideas for the different campaigns with the organisers!

5th Nov: Event Logistics 101

In this session, we will unpack Amnesty's logistics together - from promotion and coordination to evaluation. We will talk through the different processes and supports available for you and your group to deliver your next successful event.

P.S: Please make a note of the session start time for your location as Daylight savings is in effect: 6pm AEST (QLD); 7pm AEDT (VIC, NSW, ACT, TAS); 5.30pm ACST (NT); 6.30pm ACDT (SA); 4pm AWST (WA)

Our values & behaviours

As a movement of people who stand for equality, justice, freedom and human dignity, we abide by this Values & Behaviours charter so that everyone belongs, is safe, and together achieves impact.

Activist support

The Amnesty team is here to support all activists. Here's who you can contact:

Your Regional Activism Leadership Committee Presidents for regional support to members, activists and action groups -

• [email protected]
• [email protected]
• [email protected]
• [email protected]
• [email protected] - for strategy, training and development, event support, and membership information, or if your region is not represented above.
• All other enquiries can go to Supporter Care or 1300 300 920.

Being a member of Amnesty International Australia is an effective way of getting involved with our work.

For a small, once-yearly fee of $22, you can stand for board positions, join committees and vote on important resolutions. Click here to learn more.

Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 10 million people who take injustice personally. We are campaigning for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all - and we can only do it with your support.

Act now or learn more about our human rights work.