Isabella.
Top 25 Under 25 in Business • TD Scholar

Mobilizing people around ideas that matter.

I combine research, storytelling, partnerships, campaigns, and community-building to help ideas grow into collective action.

Featured in

CBC • National Observer • Plan International Canada

Isabella Wen

Community Builder & Public Speaker

Creating spaces where people belong and ideas grow into movements.

As Featured & Recognized By

CBC NEWS TD SCHOLARSHIPS PLAN INTERNATIONAL CANADA NATIONAL OBSERVER CIVL RADIO TIKTOK SHE LEADS TOO THE VANCOUVER GUARDIAN EDUCATION NEWS CANADA NATIONAL YOUTH CLIMATE ACTIVISM AWARD CBC NEWS TD SCHOLARSHIPS PLAN INTERNATIONAL CANADA NATIONAL OBSERVER CIVL RADIO TIKTOK SHE LEADS TOO THE VANCOUVER GUARDIAN EDUCATION NEWS CANADA NATIONAL YOUTH CLIMATE ACTIVISM AWARD
1,000+
Reached via Climate Journalism
300+
Youth Public Speaking Attendees
60+
Global Guests Hosted
1M+
Media & Social Interactions
500+
Educators Reached
Core Philosophy

"Hope without action is fragile. Action without hope is unsustainable."

I believe people can't change systems they don't know how to access. My work focuses on making opportunities visible, creating spaces where people belong, and helping grassroots ideas grow into lasting movements.

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Research & Evidence

Turning community voices into evidence that influences policy and systems decisions.

🎤

Public Speaking

Helping organizations rethink leadership, youth engagement, and social impact.

📱

Impact Storytelling

Creating branding guidelines, content strategies, campaigns, and analytics reports that help organizations communicate their impact and inspire action.

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Movement Building

Connecting people, ideas, and opportunities into sustainable, action-oriented communities.

Opportunity Access

Making leadership grants, scholarships, and fellowships accessible to thousands of youth.

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Partnership Development

Mobilizing local and global partnerships to transform ideas into collective action.

Keynote Speaker & Facilitator

Helping people find their voice—and use it.

Public speaking is one of the most common fears, but also one of the most transformative skills to learn. Knowing how to speak means taking back your narrative, owning space, and opening doors that were never built with you in mind.

Through workshops, conferences, and 1:1 coaching, which I refer to as the Loudly Together series, I’ve supported 300+ youth across the globe in public speaking and beyond. I bring the same energy to connecting people with opportunities and resources that align with their passions, helping them take the next step forward with confidence.

Board & Leadership Roles

RB Jumpstart Mentorship & Youth Leadership Training Society: Elected to the Board of Directors in September 2025 (served 1 year).

Langley Arts & Culture Association: Coach on contract (2024–2026).

Isabella speaking on stage
Isabella up-close keynote speaking

Guest Speaker Highlights

2026
Panelist, Digital Culture & Media Literacy Lab: ECHOFORM
Guest Speaker, Report Card 20 Webinar UNICEF Canada
Guest Speaker, Built By Her at Zonta International UofT
Guest Speaker, Speaking for Youth
Guest Speaker, CIVL Radio
Speaking for Collective Action, United Way and Low Entropy Foundation
Youth-Designed Digital Literacy, TikTok Internal
2025
Panelist, UNICEF Canada
Guest Speaker, CBC The Current
Guest Speaker, Speaking for Youth
Crafting Your Story, Outlier Fellows
When a Trend Becomes a Movement, TikTok Summit
Social Entrepreneurship, Raise Them Queens Africa
Intro to Public Speaking, Afghanistan Online Academy
Panelist, STEM Buddies Canada
Guest Speaker, UN CSW69 parallel event
Panelist, Women Rising Seminar: Advocating for Social Change
Keynote, Surrey/Delta/White Rock girl’s career conference
Future Leaders of Surrey
TEDx Langley
2024
Intro to Public Speaking, Beacon of Hope: Afghan Girls' Education Program
Panelist, Close the Gap USA: Women in Leadership
Guest Speaker, Canadian Friends Service Committee
2023
Guest Speaker, Ripple Foundation National Conference
2022
Panelist, Ripple Foundation's National Conference
Featured Ventures

Selected Projects

Rose Tinted Ceilings
Media Org & Podcast

Rose Tinted Ceilings

Feminist media organization breaking glass ceilings through 100+ podcast episodes interviewing 60+ global female leaders. Recognized in Top 30% of Video Podcasts on Spotify 2024.

Let's Change Confidence
Plan Canada Fellowship

Let's Change Confidence

Mixed-media publication and activation series celebrating authentic representation. Disseminated across schools and therapist offices, reaching over 500+ educators.

UBC Health Together
Editorial & Campaign Lead

Inside Nyéléni Series

Led the development, communications strategy, and contributor delegation for an international interview series using storytelling to amplify grassroots voices in food sovereignty and climate justice. Developed media analytics reports to evaluate audience engagement and campaign performance.

Strategic Evidence

Research, Policy & Strategy

Program Design

Generation Mental Health

Led participant recruitment and stakeholder engagement for the co-design of a North American mental health learning hub. Developed outreach strategies that generated more than 150 applications, conducted participant selection, and synthesized community insights to inform program design and strategic planning.

Professional Development Lead (North America)
Health & Equity Research

UBC Health Together Research

Conducted a literature review exploring the experiences of BIPOC healthcare workers, supported semi-structured qualitative interviews for a fertility education research project, and contributed to research presentations for GreenCoWell, a sustainability initiative in collaboration with the Harvard Innovation Labs.

Academic Research & Synthesis
Policy Report

Reimagine Playbook 2025

Co-authored public policy recommendations centering youth perspectives on global citizenship and systems change.

View Publication (PDF) ↗
Product Strategy

Youth Media Literacy Synthesis

Facilitated focus groups and synthesized youth perspectives on platform safety and digital literacy to deliver strategic product recommendations for the TikTok Trust and Safety team.

Internal Strategy Report
Qualitative Study

SFU Youth Climate Anxiety

Facilitated youth focus groups and conducted thematic analysis mapping emotional resilience to community climate action.

SFU Research
Grant Writing

UNITI Community Grants

Co-designed grassroots initiatives and authored grant applications securing significant funding for inclusive community programs.

Community Funding
Civic Engagement

Downtown Surrey BIA Civic Reports

Organized accessible all-candidates meetings to foster democratic engagement and published strategic reports on civic participation, community safety, and urban placemaking.

BIA Advocacy
Public Policy

Vancouver Park Board Recommendations

Facilitated youth focus groups and synthesized qualitative data into actionable policy recommendations highlighting key youth priorities for Park Board candidates.

Youth Consultation
AI Ethics

Gender Equity & AI Deepfakes

Researched emerging AI ethics, designed curriculum on synthetic media risks, and facilitated course modules for youth.

Course Curriculum
Advisory

Dixon Transition Strategy

Formulated event business plans, risk mitigation models, sponsorship packages, and marketing content calendar frameworks.

Strategic Framework
Press & News

Media Highlights

Built By Her

Spotlight Feature on Youth Leadership and Social Impact

Read Article ↗

CBC News • The Current

Parents Saying No to Smartphones & Youth Perspectives on Emerging Tech

Listen to Segment ↗

Canada's National Observer

Amplifying Climate Change Voices Through Storytelling & Journalism

Read Opinion Piece ↗

Surrey Now Leader

Surrey Students Awarded National Fellowship for Community Leadership

Read Article ↗

Changeworker Profile

Changeworker of the Week: Isabella Wen on Youth Advocacy

Read Profile ↗

Behind the Scenes

Quick Facts

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Currently Reading

Books on systems thinking and community organizing.

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Current Playlist

SZA, Shakira, and Olivia Rodrigo.

Coffee Order

Matcha all the way!

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Current Curiosity

How can we create spaces for interdisciplinary collaboration that bring together diverse perspectives to tackle increasingly complex global challenges?

Isabella as a child
Our Shared Purpose

Why I Do This

Growing up, I experienced firsthand how access to opportunities, supportive communities, and people who believe in you can shape the course of a life.

Those experiences continue to shape the questions I ask and the work I choose to pursue. Whether I'm building a campaign, conducting research, or bringing people together through events, my goal is to create spaces where more people feel seen, connected, and empowered to make an impact.

At the heart of my work is one simple question:

"Who isn't in the room yet?"