The 25th annual Brower Youth Awards celebrated six youth environmental leaders on October 8, 2024, in Berkeley, California. The ceremony featured special videos and speeches highlighting their significant accomplishments.

This year's theme, "Currents," emphasized how these young leaders energize environmental action. Despite facing existential threats like the climate crisis, their urgent solutions and dedication propel change for a healthy, equitable planet, demonstrating remarkable resilience.

A flagship event of the New Leaders Initiative, the Brower Youth Awards has honored outstanding youth environmental leaders since 2000. The national award is presented by Earth Island Institute. Learn more at broweryouthawards.org.

Nineteen-year-old artist Austin Picinich founded Save Our Salmon through Art (SOS) in 2021. This nonprofit uses public art to educate and empower communities to protect local salmon-spawning streams, many of which are blocked by urban culverts. Picinich was inspired after only three salmon returned to spawn in Juanita Creek near his home.

SOS hosts interactive mural painting events. Picinich designs salmon-themed murals, which volunteers and attendees complete during "SOS Community Days." These events have engaged nearly 750 painters and over 3,000 attendees, raising more than $28,000 for stream restoration and reaching almost a million people through awareness efforts.

Raina Maiga delivered a speech at the Brower Youth Awards ceremony.

The event took place on October 8, 2024, at the Freight & Salvage in Berkeley, California.

Yuki Qian delivered a speech at the recent Brower Youth Awards ceremony.

The event was held at the Freight & Salvage in Berkeley, California, on October 8, 2024.

Raina Maiga, 16, an asylum seeker, ensures youth voices influence policy, driven by her experience of powerlessness. As Executive Director of Confront the Climate Crisis, an Indiana youth environmental organization, she leads legislative efforts.

Under Maiga, the group co-wrote and lobbied for two state bills (2022-2023) creating a climate solutions task force. They also held Statehouse events, educating youth and fostering legislator discussions. Maiga secured $20,000 yearly grants, removing financial barriers for student attendance.

Though state bills didn't pass, Confront the Climate Crisis now helps students enact local climate resolutions with city councils, adding to ten youth-written resolutions in Indiana, advocated for with Earth Charter Indiana.

Frustrated by the inaccessibility of climate action for young people, Vishruth Dinesh founded The Green Therapy in late 2022. At eight, he realized options like EVs or voting were out of reach for youth, making effective environmentalism seem a privilege. His grassroots organization aims to anchor young people in the climate movement.

The Green Therapy empowers youth through sustainable gardening, which reduces waste, preserves biodiversity, and combats pollution affordably. It partners with 14 San Francisco Bay Area schools, establishing environmental courses and garden programs. These initiatives equip students with practical skills to protect the planet, fostering a lasting connection to nature and building a growing school garden network.

Yuki Qian, 17, addresses Pittsburgh's high radon levels, a radioactive gas causing 21,000 U.S. deaths annually. Her family's financial struggles with home health renovations inspire her to use technology and knowledge to overcome socioeconomic barriers, aiding vulnerable communities.

In 2023, supported by Pittsburgh Phipps Conservatory, Qian founded RadONRadOFF. This project distributes free radon test kits, low-cost remediation info, and safety education to local, lower-income areas. Partnering with state authorities, mitigation companies, and YMCAs, she also advocates for policies to close public health disparity gaps. Aerial footage courtesy of @almosafir: https://www.youtube.com/@almosafir.

Amelia Southern-Uribe, 21, grew up in environmentally vulnerable Southern communities, recognizing early on that environmental justice is linked to the liberation of marginalized groups. In 2019, they founded Arkansas’s first Zero Hour chapter in Fayetteville, which became a model for climate activism across the state.

Addressing Arkansas’s educational disparities, which exacerbate injustice, Southern-Uribe co-founded Roots magazine in 2022. Roots amplifies BIPOC Southern voices and environmental knowledge, providing free art supplies to artists. In its pilot year, over $7,800 was raised to distribute the magazine statewide.

In 2022, aspiring marine biologist Asa Miller, with deep roots in Cuba, learned about coral restoration efforts in the country's Matanzas Province. Recognizing that developing nations like Cuba disproportionately suffer from global coral loss and often lack resources, Miller launched `¡Viva el Vivero!` (Long Live the Nursery!) in 2023. This international campaign to restore Cuba's stunning coral reefs has since won multiple conservation awards.

During visits to Matanzas, 17-year-old Miller interviewed divers and scientists, analyzed coral nursery data, and mapped restoration sites. Back in New York, he founded a high school marine biology club to raise funds for planting coral fragments. Miller also produced an award-winning documentary showcasing his team's restoration methods, serving as a primer for other developing countries.

Ishanvi Shetty, a 15-year-old 11th grader from GEMS Modern Academy in Dubai, presents a thought-provoking talk on combating the climate crisis through AI.

An avid public speaker, debater, and philosophy enthusiast, Ishanvi is deeply committed to youth empowerment and environmental advocacy. She actively participates in sustainability initiatives, volunteering, and entrepreneurial ventures, focusing on the intersection of climate change and AI.

This talk was presented at an independently organized TEDx event. Learn more at ted.com/tedx.

Earth Island's New Leaders Initiative hosted a virtual Eco-Anxiety Panel on September 12, 2024. Climate psychologist Leslie Davenport moderated the event, which featured Brower Youth Awards Alumni.

Alumni Rachel Barge, Mackenzie Feldman, and Hamid Torabzadeh shared insights into eco-anxiety, offering coping strategies and discussing ways to overcome its challenges.

Join our "Women in the Workplace" 10-year anniversary panel event, celebrating a decade of progress and the path ahead for women in the workforce. We'll reflect on gains and setbacks across industries, looking forward to new opportunities.

Drawing from the 2024 "Women in the Workplace" report by McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.org, this discussion will analyze real-world data on equitable policies, talent pipelines, equal representation, and pay parity. Our panel, featuring Sukhinder Singh Cassidy (CEO, Xero), Padmasree Warrior (Co-Founder & CEO, Fable), and moderator Alexis Krivkovich (McKinsey & Company), will share authentic experiences from the C-suite to entry-level roles.

Dr. Rim Belhassine-Cherif, Chair of the Network of Women (NoW) in ITU-T, will explain the initiative. She also serves as Chief Innovation and Strategy Officer for Tunisie Télécom, Tunisia.

Her presentation will detail the Network of Women's purpose, mission, and objectives.

"The Influence of Environmental Activism on Gen Z Voting" featured four environmental leaders discussing activism's impact on youth turnout and civic engagement. Part of UC Berkeley's Creating Citizens Speaker Series, this event aimed to inspire future voters and citizen leaders.

The series, a partnership with The Commonwealth Club and others, offers students and community members opportunities to engage with leaders in politics, media, and education. The Commonwealth Club, founded in 1903, is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum, hosting over 500 annual events.

Join our Email List! https://www.commonwealthclub.org/email
BECOME a MEMBER: https://www.commonwealthclub.org/membership

Katherine Martínez Medina, 21, grew up on Vieques, Puerto Rico, an island contaminated by decades of US Navy bomb testing. This toxic environment, coupled with high food costs and import reliance, spurred her early environmental activism.

In 2020, Medina joined La Colmena Cimarrona, a women-led agriculture initiative formed post-Hurricane Maria. It seeks food sovereignty, a solidarity economy, and fights displacement in Vieques. As a link between organizations, Medina helps shape the farm's efforts, building hope.

Drone Footage Vieques:
https://www.youtube.com/@thetravelingdrone
https://www.youtube.com/@OneManWolfPack

Additional footage:
https://www.youtube.com/@aljazeeraenglish
https://www.youtube.com/@AssociatedPress

Maanit Goel, 17, from Washington State, learned about the critically endangered Southern Resident orcas. Only 75 remain in the Salish Sea, threatened by declining Chinook salmon, their primary food source, in the Snake River-Columbia River system.

In 2021, Goel founded the Washington Youth Ocean & River Conservation Alliance (WYORCA) to mobilize youth. WYORCA advocates removing four lower Snake River dams, impeding salmon migration and harming orcas. Goel argues renewable energy shouldn't sacrifice a keystone species. With 30 volunteers, WYORCA educated over 6,000 students, held 20+ congressional meetings, and coordinated events. The group earned Congressional recognition and an EPA award; Goel also spoke at the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15).

After Hurricane Irma flooded Miami in 2017, Will Charouhis founded We Are Forces of Nature, a youth-led climate group. It focuses on providing climate adaptation and mitigation strategies for coastal areas, particularly through mangrove conservation.

The group launched A Million Mangroves, an initiative that cleans, plants, and researches mangroves to improve restoration success. Charouhis, 17, also pioneers research at Miami's Seaquarium on mangrove species resilience to ocean acidification and warming.

He has shared his findings at UN climate conferences, aiming to increase global restoration efforts. His organization has educated 2,500 youth in 16 countries and is involved in collaborative mangrove restoration in Central Africa.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, 16-year-old Riya Chandra discovered a passion for hiking but noticed a lack of girls of color in outdoor spaces. Research revealed historical non-inclusivity and systemic barriers preventing families of color from accessing nature, validating her own experiences.

To address this, Chandra founded HYPE: GIRLS (Hiking Youth Program for Equity: Girls) in 2021. The program organizes hikes, nature walks, and lectures for teenage girls of color in New York's Westchester and Yonkers areas. HYPE: GIRLS fosters a safe, inclusive community, promoting nature interaction for coping and self-discovery. It aims to inspire young people to protect our environment and become role models for future generations.

The 24th annual Brower Youth Awards ceremony, a flagship event of the New Leaders Initiative presented by Earth Island Institute, was held on October 17, 2023, in Berkeley, California. The evening celebrated six outstanding youth leaders for their accomplishments in the environmental movement, featuring special videos and speeches from the awardees.

This year's theme, "Moving Forward Together," underscored the power of teamwork and diverse contributions, inspired by the proverb: "If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together." The awards, which have recognized environmental youth leaders since 2000, highlight how young leaders are redefining traditional leadership roles. For more information, visit broweryouthawards.org.

Angelina Xu delivered a compelling speech at the annual Brower Youth Awards ceremony. This prestigious event celebrates young environmental leaders and their impactful contributions.

The ceremony took place on October 17, 2023, at the Freight & Salvage, a renowned venue located in Berkeley, California.