Special Collections:
The Future: Our Kids
While at Eckerd College, Alexandria Gordon significantly boosted voter turnout through Florida PIRG. Inspired by this success, she launched a campaign to address plastic pollution on campus. Her efforts led Eckerd to become the nation's first college to sign the "Break Free From Plastic Pledge," committing to eliminate nonessential single-use plastics.
Gordon now works with campuses nationwide to adopt similar pledges and advocates for a federal Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act. Learn more at Brower Youth Awards.
Artemisio Romero y Carver co-founded Youth United for Climate Crisis Action (YUCCA) in 2019. This youth-led nonprofit advocates for climate policy, holding officials accountable for the planet and BIPOC communities through protests, lobbying, and voter education.
As a YUCCA steering committee member and spokesperson, Romero y Carver also served as policy director in 2021, helping pass three key climate bills. A 2020 Youth Poet Laureate, her art empowers the disempowered.
Observing climate change framed as a future crisis rather than a present issue disproportionately impacting communities of color, 21-year-old Alexia Leclercq co-founded Start:Empowerment (S:E) in 2019. This environmental justice nonprofit bridges education and action, collaborating with activists, educators, and community members. S:E creates spaces for environmental justice education and action, championing abolition, transformative justice, and mutual aid.
S:E has reached over 500 students across five schools, implementing lessons and supporting student-led environmental and food justice clubs. Additionally, S:E established a micro-grants program to support youth pursuing community-based justice projects. Learn more at Brower Youth Awards.
Amanda Gorman, the 2017 Youth Poet Laureate, delivered a poem at President Joe Biden's inauguration on January 20, 2021, in Washington, D.C.
National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman performed her original poem, "The Gathering Place."
She presented it at the 2017 Social Good Summit, held at the 92nd Street Y in New York City on September 17.
Wolf Joe is a new animated series following the daily adventures of Joe, a young First Nations boy. Alongside his two best friends, Joe explores his Indigenous culture, heritage, and identity.
Inspired by The Seven Teachings Wheel, the series premiered on January 8, 2021.
Wolf Joe is a new animated series following Joe, a young First Nations boy. Inspired by the universal values of The Seven Teachings Wheel, Joe and his two best friends explore Indigenous culture, heritage, and identity.
This 46 x 11-minute animated action-adventure series is a TVOkids Original. It was created in collaboration with the Turtle Lodge, Media Rendezvous, and Amberwood Entertainment.
The 21st annual Brower Youth Awards, a two-part virtual event, celebrated six inspiring youth leaders in the environmental movement. The "Meet-the-Winners Q&A" explored their passion and purpose, reflecting the event's core theme.
These award recipients are thought leaders and environmental activists, dedicated to making the world a better place and galvanizing others towards environmental mobilization. The Brower Youth Awards, the flagship event of the New Leaders Initiative, has recognized outstanding youth leaders since 2000. It is hosted by the New Leaders Initiative and presented by Earth Island Institute.
Learn more at broweryouthawards.org.
While volunteering at a Warrenville, Illinois juvenile detention center, Isabella Wallmow, 20, realized incarcerated youth needed healing, not just punishment. Inspired by permaculture agriculture, she conceived a gardening program. With support from the Resiliency Institute and detention staff, she launched the Seeds for Change Garden Program in 2019.
Seeds for Change creates a safe, healing space, equipping youth with marketable skills. The program empowers them to lead all aspects of gardening, from planting to harvesting, addressing food insecurity and providing valuable health education.
Alexandra Collins delivered a speech at the 2020 Brower Youth Awards.
The ceremony was held virtually on October 15. For more details about the awards, visit the official website: Brower Youth Awards.
Danielle Boyer delivered a speech at the 2020 Brower Youth Awards.
The event was held virtually on October 15. For more information, visit the Brower Youth Awards website: broweryouthawards.org.
Haana Edenshaw delivered a speech at the 2020 Brower Youth Awards.
The event was held virtually on October 15. Further details about the awards are available at broweryouthawards.org.
Isabella Wallmow delivered a speech at the 2020 Brower Youth Awards, which took place virtually on October 15.
Further details about the awards are available on the Brower Youth Awards website.
Chander Payne delivered a speech at the 2020 Brower Youth Awards.
The event was held virtually on October 15. For more details, visit the Brower Youth Awards website: www.broweryouthawards.org
Ojibwe youth Danielle Boyer, 19, founded The STEAM Connection to combat disparities in quality STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) education. Her early experiences highlighted how unequal access disadvantages low-income students and impacts our planet's future.
The STEAM Connection prioritizes Indigenous and other communities of color, offering free classes and events on recycling, innovation, and sustainable design. Danielle helps children realize their potential as environmental innovators and fosters interest in STEAM careers.
Through initiatives like robotics kits made from recycled materials and mentoring 35 youth teams, Danielle has reached tens of thousands of students globally.
Haana Edenshaw, 16, a Haida Nation member and seasoned activist, is one of 15 Canadian youth suing the federal government for its role in the climate crisis. Her deep commitment to environmental and Indigenous rights, rooted in ancestral knowledge of land stewardship, has seen her organize climate strikes, speak with Greta Thunberg, and address the UN.
The lawsuit argues that Canada's continued support of fossil fuels violates the youth's rights to life, liberty, security, equality, and public trust. This action is part of a global youth movement, supported by Our Children’s Trust, holding governments accountable for climate change. Learn more: Brower Youth Awards
At 16, Alexandra Collins discovered Sterigenics had emitted levels of ethylene oxide (EtO), a known carcinogen, near her Hinsdale, Illinois, community for decades. Her neighborhood's high cancer rate (nine times the national average) spurred Alexandra to cofound Students Against Ethylene Oxide (SAEtO) to ban EtO emissions near schools and homes.
SAEtO educates the public, advocates for safer sterilization, and organizes campaigns. Alexandra's advocacy, with allied groups, led to the 2019 closure of the Sterigenics facility near her home. She also launched EtO-Free, a project whose all-girl team created a website reviewing EtO-free beauty products, empowering women to demand manufacturing transparency.
Learn more at broweryouthawards.org.
Eighteen-year-old Diego Arreola Fernández founded Green Speaking after learning about plastic pollution at the 2019 Ocean Heroes Bootcamp. His campaign uses in-school engagement, social media, and motivational videos to encourage Mexican children, schools, and businesses to combat plastic pollution through habit and policy changes. He also delivers talks to diverse audiences, from young children to business leaders, and postponed a 2020 conference to 2021 due to Covid-19.
Despite Mexico's challenges with violence, poverty, and inequality, environmental awareness is crucial. Diego aims to transform Green Speaking into an environmental organization. Its mission will be to cultivate more leaders, empowering them to advocate for the planet and inspire a sustainable future.
In 2016, 18-year-old Chander Payne addressed his school's fresh produce shortage by connecting its food pantry with a local farm, delivering 20 pounds weekly. Inspired by regenerative agriculture, he founded Urban Beet farm in his high school courtyard. He invited youth from the Washington DC–based Homeless Children’s Playtime Project to grow vegetables, and his team partnered with True Food Kitchen to provide 20 children with farm-fresh meals.
Urban Beet has since provided 2,500 pounds of produce to underserved families and people experiencing homelessness, replicating its model nationwide. During the pandemic, they also donated 200 Free Little Farms—windowsill planters complete with soil, seeds, and support notes. Learn more at Brower Youth Awards.
Diego Arreola Fernández delivered a speech at the 2020 Brower Youth Awards. This prestigious event celebrates young environmental leaders.
The awards ceremony was held virtually on October 15. For additional information about the Brower Youth Awards, please visit their official website: www.broweryouthawards.org.
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The Thinking Game | Full documentary | Tribeca Film Festival official selection
“The Thinking Game” is the inside story of DeepMind's groundbreaking AI research, culminating in the Nobel Prize-winning AlphaFold breakthrough. Filmed over five years by the award-winning team behind "AlphaGo," this documentary explores co-founder Demis Hassabis's lifelong pursuit of artificial general intelligence and the rigorous scientific journey from mastering strategy games to solving the 50-year-old protein folding problem.
Following its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival, "The Thinking Game" is now available to watch for free. For those interested in hosting a screening for a classroom, community, or workplace, visit: rocofilms.com/films/the-thinking-game/.
