A dedicated advocate and founder of Away From Keyboard (AFK), Sarah Barnbrook has been awarded Volunteer of the Year and honoured for Youth Impact at the prestigious Women Changing the World Global Awards, held in London this week.
Barnbrook was recognised for her outstanding dedication to ethical technologies, youth empowerment and digital safety.
“Standing among so many phenomenal changemakers was a reminder that when we lead with purpose, impact ripples beyond what we can imagine,” Barnbrook said about the award, which spotlights individuals leading powerful change for women and girls around the world.
Her organisation, AFK is a not-for-profit that supports kids and adults to get away from screens and adventure with others in-real-life and engage in face-to-face activities, reducing social isolation.
Barnbrooks advocacy in this space continues to grow, as she champions ethical artificial intelligence, digital literacy and safeguards against technology-facilitated gender-based violence.
“Girls aren’t just our future- girls are now. We need them at the table, helping plan and design the systems around them, because when girls lead, communities thrive,” Barnbrook said in her acceptance speech, emphasising the importance of STEM education and the urgent need to include girls and young women in leadership and planning processes.
Barnbrook is a committed volunteer across local, state, national and international platforms.
Here in Australia, she is the Chief Revenue Officer of Women 4 STEM, a not-for-profit dedicated to increasing the participation and progression of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Her work promotes digital literacy, inclusion, and safety—especially for marginalised and regional communities.
Internationally, Barnbrook is an active member of the Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW), where she has championed international resolutions on critical issues affecting rural women, including digital equity, safety, and access to education. Her advocacy work has contributed to the global dialogue on empowering women in remote and underrepresented communities.
She also serves in roles with organisations including Soroptimist International Melbourne, the Soroptimist International Australia Advocacy Committee, and as a delegate to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) for Soroptimist International South East Asia Pacific (SISEAP).
Along with this, she is a proud member of the United Nations Association of Australia (UNAA) Status of Women Committee, and a Board Member with Satellite Projects Inc., contributing to arts governance in regional communities.
While making international impact, Barnbrook currently lives in regional Victoria, where she is a live-in carer to my ex-husband, an incomplete quadriplegic and their three neurodiverse children.
At the award ceremony, Barnbrook said she was able to converse with Her Royal Highness The Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, who expressed interest in collaborating on a global Youth Impact initiative to support digital empowerment for young people.
Barnbrook described the conversation as “inspiring”, and said “we both share a deep commitment to helping young people thrive in a world shaped by technology, and I look forward to the possibility of working together to bring that vision to life.”
As for the award itself, Barnbrook said she felt “deeply honoured” by the recognition as it “reflects the power of collective action and the incredible work being done every day by volunteers, educators, and advocates to uplift women and girls. I’m proud to play a part in that movement.”