Right now, there is a pivotal window to develop climate and environmental leadership in Australia. Over the next three years WELA’s impact depends on resourcing for leadership development, connection and influence as interconnected parts of a single strategy. Each element of WELA’s three-pillar strategy; EMPOWER, CONNECT and INFLUENCE, reinforces the others—turning individual leadership into collective power, and collective power into systems change. We will:
EMPOWER
-By 2029, 200+ women and gender-diverse leaders supported annually through our National Leadership Program, Leadership Intensives and online workshops
-Strengthen leadership pathways for First Nations and culturally diverse leaders, embed First Nations leadership and knowledges across programs with accessibility, flexibility, reciprocity and dignity at their core
CONNECT
-Launch a national alumni program supporting lifelong leadership, host inclusive in-person and online gatherings that build belonging and momentum
-Amplify the voices of women and gender-diverse leaders through events, media, podcasts, partnerships and digital storytelling
INFLUENCE
-Build and grow national networks including Women Leading on Climate and the Gender, Climate and Environmental Advocacy Network
-Develop research and policy grounded in lived experience and bring an intersectional gender and climate lens to decision-makers
-Advocate for meaningful change led by those most impacted
-Hundreds more women and gender diverse leaders are confidently stepping into their leadership for climate and environmental action—equipped with skills, confidence and networks to collaborate, influence systems and drive change.
-By 2029, a connected national alumni network of over 1,000 leaders, is supported by an engaged digital community of over 40,000.
-Engagement across WELA’s growing community and networks deepens and grows.
-Hundreds of organisations and individuals connected, resourced and mobilised for systemic change.
-Greater visibility and influence for diverse leaders, and a broader public understanding of what effective leadership looks like.
-Greater understanding of gendered climate impacts and solutions among policymakers and the public
Influential decision-makers drive change for those most impacted by climate and environmental challenges.
Supporting these elements as an ecosystem will enable us to:
-Support women and gender-diverse leaders at critical moments in their leadership journeys
-Strengthen national networks and movements that rely on continuity and trust
-Respond strategically to fast-moving political, environmental and social contexts
-Invest in organisational resilience, learning and growth—so impact compounds over time
WELA brings a clear strategy, a growing national community and a proven approach. We invite you to invest with us in a more hopeful future for our communities, our environment and our climate.
-WELA solicits regular feedback from partners, beneficiaries and stakeholders both formally and informally
-WELA conducts program evaluation and through surveys we gather rich and comparable data on individual experience and cohort outcomes from each WELA leadership program
-WELA is undertaking a longitudinal impact report of our leadership programs in 2026 which will be shared publicly
-Measuring engagement and reach of WELA community events, storytelling and digital platforms provides insights on what is working and why
-Enabling greater engagement of more women and gender diverse people from different backgrounds, sectors and location across the country remains a priority for WELA and be measured throughout our work both quantitatively and qualitatively
-WELA regularly feeds back the impact of our Alumni and community and the ecosystem of our work in our newsletter, storytelling series, social media channels and annual impact report
Australia is at a critical crossroads. Fossil fuel expansion continues, biodiversity loss is accelerating, and climate impacts are being felt most acutely by those who have contributed least to the problem. But this isn’t just an environmental crisis — it’s a leadership crisis. At Women’s Environmental Leadership Australia, we’re changing who leads and challenging outdated power structures. We are building the leadership and influence of women and gender-diverse changemakers so that together we transform Australia’s response to our environmental and climate crises.
