The 22nd annual Brower Youth Awards, a two-part virtual event, celebrated six young environmental leaders. The Q&A with winners was held virtually on October 19, 2021.

The 2021 theme, "Our Power," highlighted the unique strength of this generation to mobilize environmental activism and drive cultural paradigm shifts. These leaders embody the ability to create significant effect during environmental peril.

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

Alexia Leclercq delivered a speech at the 2021 Brower Youth Awards, held virtually on October 14.

For more information about the awards, visit broweryouthawards.org.

David Baldwin delivered a speech at the 2021 Brower Youth Awards. This virtual event took place on October 14.

For more details, visit the Brower Youth Awards website: www.broweryouthawards.org.

Artemisio Romero y Carver delivered a speech at the 2021 Brower Youth Awards. This virtual event was held on October 14.

For more information about the awards, visit the official website: Brower Youth Awards.

Alexandria Gordon delivered a speech at the 2021 Brower Youth Awards. This virtual event took place on October 14.

For more information about the awards, please visit broweryouthawards.org.

Peter Pham delivered a speech at the 2021 Brower Youth Awards, a virtual event held on October 14.

For more information about the awards, please visit the official website: broweryouthawards.org.

Sonja Michaluk delivered a speech at the 2021 Brower Youth Awards. This virtual event took place on October 14.

For more information, visit the official Brower Youth Awards website: broweryouthawards.org.

Eighteen-year-old David Baldwin, inspired by the Everglades, developed a passion for Florida's ecology. At 14, he joined the Everglades Restoration Ambassadors, a nonprofit dedicated to removing nonnative plants. He also educates elementary students using his own modules.

Baldwin's educational programs stem from his research, which began in 2017. Interning at Florida Atlantic University, he studied Caesar's weed, investigating its germination and spread. His findings led him to theorize land-management practices, including hands-on removal and prescribed burns, to control this invasive species.

broweryouthawards.org

Sonja Michaluk, 18, has secured significant environmental victories, including modifying a national pipeline project to protect wetlands and conserving over 50 acres in Central New Jersey. Her dedication to aquatic environments began at age six, fostering a passion for rigorous citizen science.

These achievements are driven by her 2017 Conservation Communities Initiative. This project encourages people to monitor and protect local aquatic habitats, advocating for data-driven environmental decisions. The initiative operates a microbiology and genetics lab, utilizing Michaluk's genetics-based bioassessment method to identify threatened, endangered, and nonnative species from trace samples.

Brower Youth Awards

Peter Pham, an organizer with Turnout4Transit, champions environmental and transit justice. Motivated by a two-hour bus commute to community college, he advocates for improved public transit in the San Jose metropolitan region, aiming to reduce emissions, ease congestion, and increase access to opportunities.

Pham recently helped pass a three-county ballot measure generating $100 million for rail services. Despite pandemic-related revenue decreases, he also successfully pushed the Santa Clara transit agency to limit bus service cuts, ensuring continued access for underserved communities.

http://www.broweryouthawards.org/

The 22nd annual Brower Youth Awards, a two-part virtual event, celebrated six inspiring youth leaders in the environmental movement. The Awards Ceremony, held virtually on October 14, 2021, featured special videos and speeches from the awardees.

The 2021 theme, "Our Power," highlighted this generation's unique ability to mobilize environmental activism and drive a paradigm shift during a time of ecological peril.

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

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.

http://www.broweryouthawards.org/

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.

Climate change disproportionately affects racialized women, who are often marginalized in solution-making despite suffering its gravest consequences.

Harnessing women's untapped power and achieving gender equality are crucial for systemic climate action. Sociologist Anne Karpf argues that gender inequality fueled the crisis, and gender equality is vital to solve it. She highlights women as powerful agents of change, not just victims, showcasing inspiring leaders building gender-inclusive movements worldwide.

For more, follow RSA on Twitter, like RSA Events on Facebook, listen to podcasts, and see behind the scenes on Instagram. #RSAclimate

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.

http://www.broweryouthawards.org/

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.