That's the message from Women's Health Loddon Mallee this International Women's Day.

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To mark the day, the WHLM has featured and celebrated young, local female change makers from the region through a series of short videos.

The videos aim to spark discussion and encourage climate change leaders to include young female representation in their crisis planning and mitigation.

WHLM chief executive Tricia Currie said without gender equality, a sustainable and equal future remains beyond reach.

"We need to recognise the strengths and expertise of young women in our region, while fostering their growth and leadership," she said.

"So they are fully equipped and supported in taking action for our climate."

Ms Currie said young people in the region face a diverse range of issues, challenges and ideas for engaging other young people in conversations around climate change.

"To ensure that our local and regional crisis mitigation and planning is meaningful and effective we need to have everyone at the table, including young women, First Nations women, women from migrant and refugee backgrounds, and women with disabilities," she said.

Throughout the series, 'Ask Us' is echoed by many young women in the region who want to be heard when it comes to the effects of climate change.

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Castlemaine climate activist Niamh O'Connor said watching women in her community taking a stand is why she stepped up and started.

The 20-year-old said seeing other women step up was admirable.

"Seeing other women step up...and knowing that you're not alone and that everyone around you is helping, is incredible to see," she said.

Bendigo woman Yammani Shah is also featured in the series.

The 18-year-old is a youth facilitator for Regional Victorians of Colour (RVOC) and thinks getting young women involved in the climate effort is the next step.

"Right now everyone's talking about what to do in terms of climate change - there's a lot going on," she said.

"Starting something and building a community that's inclusive that can make change is the first step."

Ms Shah says in the Bendigo region, she feels like climate change isn't spoken about as much as it should be.

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"Especially in cultural groups," she said, "and I want to expose my friends in Bendigo to all of that."

The activist says young people have a lot to offer climate movements.

"We have a completely different perspective, looking at history, these conversations have been dominated by old white men and what's comfortable for them," she said.

"But if you focus on women of colour it's a whole new perspective with new ideas and issues and ways to solve them that other people wouldn't have thought of."

Ms Shah has always pushed the boundaries of what young women of colour can achieve - and she won't be stopped with the climate crisis.

"It started with doing lots of sport - because women weren't really doing that in high school," she said, "then I did a lot of different things dominated by men, like the IT sector or engineering."

"And now I found RVOC and it's an amazing opportunity to expand my skills and experiences and really create some tangible change."

For young women, Ms Shah would encourage them to think about their end goal and work backwards.

"If your end goal is to make change, then build a community that wants to do that with you," she said.

The video series can be viewed on the Women's Health Loddon Mallee YouTube channel here.

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