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Our Youth Speak Up

Our Youth Speak Up
Jade Sweeney, Brower Youth Awards 2018

Jade, an 18-year-old from North Carolina, is actively combating Colony Collapse Disorder and promoting bee conservation. Through her Pollinator Initiative, she establishes apiaries and pollinator parks in local schools, aiming to replicate her successful high school model across the area.

She has secured grant funding and organized students to become certified beekeepers with local support. Since April 2017, bees introduced to the White Oak area have been maintained pesticide-free. Jade's efforts highlight the importance of honey bees in the ecosystem and educate students about declining bee populations and beekeepers.

Tina Oh, Brower Youth Awards 2018

Tina, a 21-year-old from New Brunswick, is a prominent student climate activist. She organizes a nationally recognized fossil fuel divestment campaign at Mount Allison University and serves on the steering committee for RISE 2019, a national climate convergence focused on training young people in direct action and anti-oppressive organizing.

Recognized as one of Canada’s Top 25 Environmentalists Under 25 by Starfish Canada, Tina also acts as interim Coordinator for the Canadian Youth Delegation (CYD). She previously represented CYD at UN climate change negotiations (COP 22 and COP 23), advocating for Canadian government accountability on climate justice and the Paris Agreement.

Valeree Catangay, Brower Youth Awards 2018

Valeree, a UCLA senior, co-founded the Environmentalists of Color Collective (EOCC) to challenge mainstream environmentalism and amplify the voices of communities of color. She is dedicated to fostering dialogues on environmental justice and racism, notably co-organizing a Climate Justice Forum that launched EOCC's work.

As a Carbon Neutrality Initiative Fellow for the University of California, Valeree engages students in the UC system's goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2025. She aims to integrate sustainability and environmental justice values into corporate systems.

Accepting Responsibility: Why We Need More Male Feminists | Henry Taylor |

Henry Taylor, a 12th grader at Pioneer High School, enjoys spending time with friends, watching movies, researching politics, and reading. A passionate advocate for the feminist movement, Henry believes everyone, regardless of gender, should embrace feminism.

He sees a TEDx talk as an impactful platform to share this message. Next year, Henry will attend American University in Washington D.C., studying Communications, Law, Economics, and Government (CLEG). This talk is for TEDxYouth@AnnArbor.

Generation C: Consumers by Sarah Milner

Sarah Milner, a senior at Huron High School, is passionate about sociology and writing. She plans to study organizational studies, aiming to become a consultant who helps future business leaders enhance ethical practices, diversity, and leadership skills within their companies.

Outside academics, Sarah is active in JSA, DECA, and leads her own music club. This marks her debut as a speaker at Ann Arbor's independently organized TEDx event, TEDxYouth@AnnArbor.

Brown Girl | Spoken Word Poetry | Veronica Mentor |

Veronica Mentor, a University of Florida student and powerful spoken word poet, shares her personal journey. Her work explores the struggles and experiences of growing up as a brown girl.

This compelling talk was presented at TEDxUF, an independently organized event following the TED conference format.

Tiffany Carey, 2014 Brower Youth Award Winner

Tiffany Carey, an environmental studies major, believes community involvement is vital in research. For her University of Michigan project, she partnered with Detroit's Western International High School students to study urban pollen levels, a key factor in asthma and allergies.

Over three years, ninth and tenth graders placed pollen collectors, confirming vacant lots were rich in allergy-causing ragweed. Carey then explored solutions like urban reforestation and mowing. She also noted the project's positive impact, as hands-on citizen science made ecology relevant for the high schoolers.

Arielle Klagsbrun Acceptance Speech, 2013 Brower Youth Awards

Arielle Klagsbrun received a Brower Youth Award in 2013.

She was recognized for her work mobilizing communities to create a healthy future, free from dependence on coal.

Amira Odeh Acceptance Speech, 2013 Brower Youth Awards

Amira has been honored with a prestigious Brower Youth Award.

She received this recognition for her significant work in fostering sustainable water consumption practices at the University of Puerto Rico's Rio Piedras campus.

Tsechu Dolma, 2014 Brower Youth Award Winner

During an ethnographic research visit to Nepal, Tsechu Dolma learned that Geling villagers in Upper Mustang were struggling with food and water insecurity due to erratic climate patterns. Upon returning to the US, she consulted with Nepalese expats and academics to devise strategies for climate resilience among the region's subsistence farmers.

With funding from the Rubin Foundation and Columbia University, Dolma returned to Nepal to study past development projects. She proposed building a community greenhouse using local materials, an idea unanimously supported by the villagers. To address youth disengagement caused by civil war and environmental degradation, the greenhouse would be built in a school, fostering intergenerational sharing and collaboration.

Dolma hopes the Geling greenhouse will serve as a global model for climate resiliency and local ownership in rural communities.

Sean Russell, 2014 Brower Youth Award Winner

Native Floridian Sean Russell developed a passion for marine conservation through 4-H and an internship at Mote Marine Laboratory. At 16, he founded the "Stow It-Don't Throw It Project." This initiative repurposes tennis ball containers into fishing line recycling bins, distributed by youth who educate anglers on proper disposal to protect marine wildlife from debris. The project now operates in 10 states.

In 2011, Russell launched the Youth Ocean Conservation Summit at Mote Lab. This annual event equips young people with skills to start their own conservation projects, inspiring hundreds nationwide. Satellite summits are now expanding its reach, beginning with the National and Seattle Aquariums.

Jackson Koeppel, 2014 Brower Youth Award Winner

After a 2011 march against strip-mining, Jackson Koeppel became committed to exploring alternatives to an extractive economy. That same year, he found his cause in Highland Park, MI. The Detroit-area city had lost 80% of its population, and in 2011, 1,000 of its 1,500 streetlights were decommissioned due to a $4 million municipal debt, leaving residential streets in darkness.

In response, Koeppel co-founded Soulardarity. This community organization is installing 200 solar streetlights and forming a cooperative of residents, businesses, and institutions to maintain them through annual dues. These affordable, eco-friendly lights foster community resilience and sustainability discussions.

Xerxes Libsch, Brower Youth Awards 2016

Inspired by his childhood summers at Muscoot Farm, Xerxes Libsch spearheaded a restoration project to show gratitude for the rare animal breeding camp.

Leading 25 volunteers and partnering with organizations like the Audubon Society and Cornell Lab of Ornithology, his team installed 22 birdhouses, cleared 800 square feet of invasive species, and created a half-mile nature trail.

They also prevented two tons of animal waste from contaminating a reservoir and erected an environmental learning center, transforming the farm into an inspiring educational wild space for its 135,000 annual guests.

Jess Grady-Benson, Brower Youth Awards 2015

Driven by witnessing the connection between injustice and environmental degradation, Jess Grady-Benson co-founded the Claremont Colleges Fossil Fuel Divestment Campaign in 2012. She led the campaign to a victory at Pitzer College in 2014, securing fossil fuel divestment.

Post-graduation, Grady-Benson continues building the youth climate justice movement through the national Fossil Fuel Divestment Student Network. As a coordinating committee member and Director of Training, she plans strategic direction, designs leadership programs, and trains young organizers nationwide to advance divestment and a just transition.

Celeste Tinajero's Acceptance Speech at the 2015 Brower Youth Awards

Celeste received a prestigious Brower Youth Award.

She was recognized for making impactful and lasting changes by greening her high school campus.

Dyanna Jaye's Accepatance Speech at the 2015 Brower Youth Awards

Dyanna was honored with a prestigious Brower Youth Award.

This recognition celebrated her dedicated work in mobilizing a civically engaged environmental youth coalition.

Her impactful efforts extended throughout Virginia and beyond.

Jess Grady Benson's Acceptance Speech at the 2015 Brower Youth Awards

Jess received a prestigious Brower Youth Award for her impactful contributions.

Her work centered on fostering fossil fuel divestment campaigns across college campuses, primarily achieved through comprehensive student training initiatives.

JP Viñals, Acceptance Speech at the 2015 Brower Youth Awards

JP received a prestigious Brower Youth Award.

The award recognized his impactful efforts in the Bronx, where he energized a campaign for urban green spaces through dedicated youth engagement.

Kate Weiner, Acceptance Speech at the 2015 Brower Youth Awards

Kate received a prestigious Brower Youth Award.

She earned this recognition for establishing an alternative space dedicated to environmental media.

This initiative was realized through LOAM, a student-run arts collective.

Ryan Camero, Acceptance Speech at the 2015 Brower Youth Awards

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Ryan was honored with a Brower Youth Award.

He received this recognition for his creative storytelling, which chronicled a fragile delta and successfully engaged its surrounding communities.

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— Dr. Elena Rivera
Environmental Scientist and Advocate
 

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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/.

 

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The Thinking Game | Full documentary | Tribeca Film Festival official selection