‘Just put yourself out there’: The Future Council story
When she was 13, Ruby Rodgers made a quiet but life-changing decision: she applied for a global documentary project… without telling anyone.
That decision led her to Future Council – the incredible, moving, critically acclaimed 2024 film that follows a group of passionate young people from around the world as they travel across Europe on a biofuel-powered yellow bus, meeting with corporate leaders and challenging them to do better for the planet.
What began as a ‘future field trip’ became something much bigger: a platform for youth voices, a shared space for climate anxiety and hope, and a reminder that young people are not just inheriting the future - they’re actively shaping it.
Now 16, Ruby is a music artist and advocate, continuing to use her voice in new ways, blending music, storytelling and activism to connect with others and push for change.
Ruby joined Future Super in Sydney during Climate Action Week in March, at a film screening of this incredible doco, Future Council, that sparked a global youth movement. Future Super We thinks the film is awesome, and the advocacy it’s enabled is inspiring.
Watch Future Council on YouTube or Prime Video
Interviewed by Project Planet’s Tegan Lerm, Ruby reflects on what it meant to step into that experience at just 13, the fear and connection that came with it, and why she believes the path forward isn’t about blame, but collaboration.
Why did you apply to be in Future Council?
I’ve always been someone who cares so much and feels everything really deeply. You see things on the news, you hear things… you’re young, but you can still feel it and understand it. Even if you don’t completely understand, it gets ingrained in everything you do and affects your day-to-day life.
I saw this opportunity come up for the Future Council film… it was originally called A Future Field Trip. Damon [Gameau, the director] wanted to take eight kids from around the world to Europe to speak to CEOs and people in positions of power, and really get our opinions across. It was a learning experience and an outlet.
Without really telling anyone, I decided, okay, I’m going to apply – this is my shot. I just put all my cards down and threw myself into it. If I hadn’t done that, none of this would be happening. I wouldn’t be here, I wouldn’t be pursuing my music career, and I wouldn’t be speaking to the people I get to speak to today.
Just getting yourself out there is so important. You don’t know what’s going to happen. I’m so grateful that everyone made this possible for me – and that people show up to things like this. It’s what keeps it going.
What was the scariest part of the experience?
It’s going to sound ridiculous, but even though I was one of the oldest on the trip, getting there and meeting everyone was terrifying. I was close to tears. I thought, “Oh my gosh, they’re going to hate me.” I was stressed that I wouldn’t know enough or be able to contribute enough; that I was behind and not doing enough.
I was 13, with other kids aged 10 to 15. It’s not a scary demographic, but at the time it felt like it. I got there absolutely terrified.
But in the first meeting we had, we spoke, and I immediately felt at ease. It switched so quickly. When you’re in a space with people who support you, who feel the same things and want the same future, it just clicks.
‘When you attack people, they stop listening.’
Finding that community – where you feel comfortable and safe to be vulnerable – is everything. Those are the really special moments in the film. I especially love the circle at the end, where everyone expressed their gratitude.
Young people are doing such amazing things, but sometimes older generations might think, ‘It’s all good, the young people have got this.’ What do you think about that mindset?
One thing I really care about – especially through my music and storytelling – is not attacking people. I don’t want to make anyone feel guilty or ashamed, like they haven’t done enough. It’s not one individual’s fault.
Those conversations can be hard, because I don’t believe blaming people gets you anywhere. It brings people down and creates negativity, and then they don’t want to engage. When you attack people, they stop listening.
So I try to frame it as: maybe we haven’t done enough up until this point, but we can start now. That applies to anyone, at any age.
“There isn’t just one way to create change. There is so much you can do.”
We all need to listen to each other – older generations to younger people, and younger people to those older than us. I just want to say: don’t be stubborn. Listen. You don’t know what could come from it.
It’s not about blame. It’s about working together now, not leaving it for later. If you’re consciously making a difference every day from this point forward, then you are doing something. The past matters, but we can change the future – that’s what we’re trying to do.
Since the film came out in 2024, Future Council has become a charity and an ongoing movement, involving young advocates across the world. How is it all going?
One thing I absolutely love about the Future Council – especially since the film came out – is that it’s created a platform for other young people to join. People can be part of conversations, get into rooms, and have their opinions heard.
What’s most exciting for me as an artist is that there isn’t just one way to create change. There are so many different paths in the climate space.
For me, it’s music and the arts. For others, it’s fashion. People like Aurvi and Skye [who also appear in the film] are incredible with spoken word. Hiva is an amazing photographer who connects deeply with land and wildlife.
When you bring all those different passions together – using everyone’s strengths for the same purpose – that’s when you see real change. You’re not coming at it from one perspective, but from all sides.
That’s what’s so exciting about the Future Council. It allows young people to follow what they love and apply it to climate action – to do what they care about, but more sustainably and more collaboratively.
If you take anything from this, it’s that there isn’t just one way to create change. There is so much you can do.
You wrote a song about the experience. Can you tell us about it?
Hits the Heart was my debut single. I started writing it while I was still filming, finished it when I came back and released it in 2024.
You’ll understand once you hear the lyrics, but it was so inspired by the other young people and the conversations we had. It comes from real experience and real life.
I wasn’t trying to write it; it just came to me. That’s the most beautiful part. I feel so privileged to be able to sing it and perform it, and I’m so grateful it’s out there for people to listen to. It’s really about the story of the Future Council.