Alifiandi Rahman Yusuf is a communications specialist passionate about making sustainability more accessible through impactful storytelling. He has worked on development programmes funded by the UK and Australian governments, focusing on sustainable forest governance and rural poverty alleviation. He led the #FutureFarmers media campaign, which reached over two million people and promoted climate-smart agriculture among smallholder farmers. He also contributed to Indonesia’s national timber verification system (SVLK) by developing a communication strategy that integrated sustainability principles to enhance global market appeal. Alif holds a BA in International Relations from Universitas Gadjah Mada and is especially interested in bridging the knowledge–action gap in the southeast Asia to shift narratives toward systemic change.
“Completing my fellowship with the Club of Rome has been a deeply formative experience, both professionally and personally. Entering the programme as a communications professional from Indonesia, I was seeking ways to make complex issues such as climate change more meaningful and accessible.
What I found was not a fixed set of answers, but a community that approaches systems change as a deeply human and relational process. Through digital communications work, collaborative writing projects and member interviews, I learned how ideas gain strength when they are shaped through dialogue, trust and shared ownership.
The fellowship’s global and remote culture challenged me to work across differences with patience and openness, reinforcing the value of listening as a core communications skill. Opportunities such as the communications workshop in Switzerland and close collaboration with fellows from around the globe strengthened my sense of responsibility and belonging. Above all, this fellowship showed me that effective communication is less about perfect messaging and more about creating conditions in which understanding, connection and collective action can grow.“
