Learn more about Sabrina's pathway to becoming a Campaigns Facilitator.
Video transcript
[Video shows an aerial view of Auckland’s suburbs]
My first example would be my family. That's where I saw love, acceptance, and having a safe environment to challenge thoughts and have open conversations. Respectfully, of course! [Laughs]
When it comes down to it, we defend human rights because we all deserve to love and be loved, and to accept and be accepted, and to safely and freely live and express ourselves.
So that's why I do what I do.
[Music plays]
[Video shows Sabrina sitting on a sofa and speaking]
So, talofa, kia orana, my name is Sabrina Manū.
I am the campaigns facilitator for youth and climate here at Amnesty International, Aotearoa New Zealand.
My background, I'm a proud Pasifika woman, Samona, Cook Island all the way. I hail from South Auckland. Two seven five Mangere, That's me. [Laughs]
I'm loud and proud. So, yeah, I've always been passionate about serving my community, paying it forward, but in a creative way too. So creative arts, performing arts have always been a side vision, so sort of putting together that creative side and then that community aspect.
And I think it wasn't until high school when I joined extracurricular groups, community groups volunteering, that my character started to blossom.
And then I really became aware that you know, my desire to pay it forward to my community and help others aligned with human rights.
Being a brown Pasifika woman living in a community that's very often racially profiled, misrepresented in the media, gentrified, it creates this sort of anger and frustration, you know.
So why not put that energy into some sort of mahi like this?
[Video shows Sabrina working in an office}
Doing better speaking up and taking action, being surrounded by people who want to do better and be better, and want to seek justice for our people, our whenua, you know.
[Video shows Sabrina sitting on a sofa and speaking]
And most of all, in the youth space are seeing that light-bulb moment. You know, when young people realise there's just this moment when you're having talanoa with them and they realise:
Oh, like, my existence is powerful, you know. My actions can make waves and can make really meaningful change.
Pacific people, I feel like capability is in our genes. We come from a linear job, people who navigated oceans, you know. We're loud and proud.
Our hyena laughs, our sidelines support, from the churs and the lessssgos, you know.
We show up and we show up good.
And we have the duality as young Pasifika people, of having that cultural knowledge, but also having the experience of living in an era of technology.
So, I think it's really powerful that we use our culture and our experiences here to make cool change and to do cool things, you know.
And yeah, we talanoa, we create, and I think the list is endless. So I don't think there's any one pathway. I think it's the moment when you decide to make change, is when change starts happening.
And being in the human rights space, it's all about passion, it's all about drive and it's all about just jumping and swimming, getting things done.
There's no one pathway to pursue a human-rights or social-justice-based career. But if I were to talk on similar subjects that could benefit, I would say, social sciences and high school statistics,
That's also super important in understanding how issues impact us and our communities. I would say if there's any sort of subjects around politics or sustainability, that'll be beneficial to be more aware of.
But other than that, I would really encourage extracurricular groups and any space that allows you to build relationships with others. And to talanoa and to speak, and just to learn about what's going on in the world.
Talofa lava, kia orana, my name is Sabrina Manū.
I'm from the villages of Tula in Samoa, and Mapumai in the Cook Islands.
I live in South Auckland and I went to Onehunga high school. And I'm a Pacific Climate Warrior, a daughter to an amazing father, anime lover, a creative, and this is how I became a campaigns facilitator for youth and climate at Amnesty International Aotearoa, New Zealand.