Climate & Activism of the Year 2000

Alondra Fraustro should be on the Future Minds Under 35 list due to her impactful work with her startup, Ciencia Mágica. Through Ciencia Mágica, over 30,000 individuals have directly benefited from initiatives focused on science and environmental education. This includes children and young people in Mexico who have gained invaluable knowledge and skills in these crucial areas.

Ciencia Mágica provides significant support by offering guidance on practical sustainable practices. Beneficiaries learn how to cultivate their own food, implement recycling programs, and adopt other eco-friendly habits that enable them to actively contribute to environmental care. Furthermore, they develop skills to produce their own ecological products, directly contributing to the reduction of their carbon footprint.

A key component of Ciencia Mágica's impact is the distribution of environmental education kits. These kits have empowered individuals to learn how to start gardens from scratch and build biofilters for water reuse. The tangible nature of these resources fosters hands-on learning and encourages active engagement with environmental stewardship.

The initial success of Ciencia Mágica was significantly bolstered by a 2021 funding through Vital Voices and P&G, which enabled the production of the first 200 environmental education kits. Additionally, a social impact grant from the Rajendra Foundation facilitated the implementation of STEAM workshops in underserved schools across Mexico. These workshops have been instrumental in inspiring young boys and girls to engage with and learn about science, laying the foundation for a future generation of environmentally conscious and scientifically literate individuals.

Alondra Fraustro should undoubtedly be included in the Future Minds Under 35 list, not only for the impactful work of Ciencia Mágica, but also due to her significant prior recognition. She was honored as a UNCCD Land Hero in 2020 and recognized as a Young Champion Defender of the Climate in Belo Horizonte, Brazil 2025. These accolades underscore her exceptional leadership and unwavering commitment to environmental stewardship, further highlighting her impressive trajectory and dedication to creating a sustainable future.

UNICEF finds only 5% of young people who enter multilateral climate policy spaces feel confident in raising their voices and only 50% of youth who have heard of climate change know how to address it. I was one of those statistics. Growing up around climate deniers and being told women should ‘stay out of politics,’ my commitment to environmental action clashed with skepticism around me. For years, I struggled to see a path forward. It wasn't until I attended COP25 as a student representative where my worldview changed. I couldn’t believe there was a space where young people could not only do something about climate change, but work collectively together to create the future that we deserve. At COP25, I was also introduced to Care About Climate, and now, as its leader, I do the same for others as the international youth community did for me: I break barriers for women and young people to shape climate policy. In my short  few years as a climate advocate, I've learned that having access to a climate policy spaces is useless if we don't have the skills to navigate it. That's why I created the International Climate Policy and Advocacy course, available in seven languages, that includes 40 videos on how young people can engage in climate negotiation, reaching 1500 youth in  three years and an additional 4,000 through related workshops. If our data doesn't include all of us, then solutions will continue to ignore those most vulnerable. That's why I also supported the creation of the NDC Equity Tracker, which as trained nearly 200 young feminists to analyze and create over 400 unique recommendations delivered to 80 governments on improving gender, ambition, and intergenerational justice in their climate plans. Findings from NDC Equity Tracker have contributed to multiple in country NDC consultations and the development of a Youth in NDCs Clause being adopted in country’s NDCs right now! Both of these projects were recognized by countries in the adoption of best practices in the 2023 and 2024 Action for Climate Empowerment Reports adopted at COP29. Further, my advocacy led to the adoption of numerous updated policies on youth inclusion, climate ambition, and gender justice across the UNFCCC system, including the establishment of the annual Youth Forums and Youth Climate Champion role. Beyond the impact of my projects, I have fundraised $200,000 to support and empower over 100 volunteers and 125 delegates to climate negotiations, uplifting primarily women and non-binary people, in engaging with the work at Care About Climate and beyond. Additionally, recognizing that climate action starts at home, I also spearheaded the launch of the Local Conference of Youth USA, which has brought together 450 youth across three years to develop National Youth Climate Policy Statements delivered to the White House, State Department, and Congress. I shared my connections with the federal government with the US-youth community, organizing over 20 meetings with young leaders to push their policy priorities and share their stories, and including their first ever round of consultations for the US NDC that included young people. Though the US NDC failed to adopt youth components, it did include a number of gender-based recommendations from the analysis of the NDC Equity Tracker! Being an advocate is only part of my life! In my full time job as a Climate Adaptation Specialist, I created intergenerational and gamified climate adaptation workshops to inform the development of Honolulu's Climate Adaptation Strategy, faciltiated a heat-ready state-wide coalition, and brought in a million dollars to launch a community climate champions program. As my country enters a period of turmoil, I am reminded of where I came from and the fact their turmoil has always existed in my country. I am taking my advocacy to the next level, working with young leaders and advocates to support our democracy and provide updates on actions/resources for others to do so too.

Amanullah Porag stands as a bold, strategic, and deeply committed changemker whose leadership is actively shaping the future of climate governance in Bangladesh and beyond. As the founder and Executive Director of Youth4NDCs, Porag has pioneered the country’s first youth-led, multi-stakeholder platform dedicated entirely to integrating young people into the processes around Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)—the climate action plans each country submits under the Paris Agreement.

Porag’s work exemplifies both systemic impact and transformative innovation. Where climate policy has long been inaccessible to youth, Porag has built a mechanism through which young people, especially from marginalized and climate-vulnerable backgrounds, can meaningfully engage, critique, and co-author national policy. Under his leadership, Youth4NDCs produced the NDC (YOU)TH Review, the first-ever youth-led analysis of Bangladesh’s NDC, launched a national campaign declaring 2025 as the ‘Year of People’s NDC’, and led over 50 youth-led organizations through technical and strategic support to participate in climate action planning.

Porag belongs on the Future Minds Under 35 list not only because of the scale and influence of his work, but because he represents a powerful vision: one where youth are not tokens in climate discussions, but respected stakeholders and co-creators of national climate ambitions. His leadership is reshaping what climate justice, governance, and youth power look like in South Asia.

How many people were impacted? And who were they?

Amanullah Porag’s work through Youth4NDCs has directly impacted over 20,000 individuals, with a strong emphasis on inclusion and equity. These individuals include young climate activists, university and school students, local organizers, indigenous and ethnic youth, rural climate-vulnerable youth, and members of civil society organizations across Bangladesh.

The organization’s External Support Program alone has directly supported more than 50 youth-led and youth-serving organizations through tailored coaching, technical assistance, and access to policy-making platforms. Each of these organizations represents its own network of young constituents, multiplying the reach of Porag’s impact across districts and communities.

Moreover, through nationwide consultations, digital campaigns, and national media coverage, Porag’s work has reached tens of thousands more indirectly—educating the public on the importance of inclusive climate action and demonstrating how youth can hold institutional power.

How were they supported?

The support offered through Youth4NDCs under Porag’s leadership is multi-layered, strategic, and rooted in long-term empowerment. Young people and organizations were supported through:

• Capacity-building workshops and policy labs that trained youth on climate negotiations, NDC structures, and policy advocacy;
• One-on-one technical assistance for grassroots organizations needing help with research, proposal writing, and campaign development;
• Access to national and international policy platforms, including opportunities to speak in front of government representatives, submit policy recommendations, and attend UN climate conferences;
• Knowledge products, including the NDC (YOU)TH Review, toolkits, infographics, and explainer documents that demystify complex policy processes;
• Advocacy mentorship, pairing young activists with experienced policy mentors to guide their involvement in climate justice movements.
  

This approach ensured that youth were not merely consulted, but truly equipped and empowered to lead—creating a new generation of climate policy leaders in Bangladesh.

How much money did you raise?

Under Amanullah Porag’s leadership, Youth4NDCs has raised and mobilized over  USD in direct funding, alongside substantial in-kind and institutional support from partners such as UNICEF Bangladesh, Global GreenGrants Fund, EARTHDAY.ORG and development agencies, and civil society alliances.

These funds have supported a wide range of initiatives, including:

• Nationwide consultations and stakeholder dialogues across different regions of Bangladesh;
• The production and launch of the NDC (YOU)TH Review;
• Capacity-building trainings for youth and community organizations;
• Grants for exceptional youth and youth-led ideas
• Media and communications campaigns to raise awareness around youth engagement in NDC processes;
• The "Year of People's NDC" campaign, launched in partnership with 12 other organizations.
  

What does this mean for the people you work with?

For the youth and communities who have worked with Amanullah Porag and Youth4NDCs, this work has been nothing short of transformative. It has democratized access to climate policy, turning an opaque and elite-driven space into one where young people can see themselves as legitimate and capable contributors to national and international decision-making.

This work has provided a sense of ownership, recognition, and power to young people who have historically been excluded from the policymaking space—especially those from indigenous, coastal, and rural backgrounds. It means they are no longer passive recipients of climate decisions; they are now actively shaping the policies that affect their futures.

Beyond immediate empowerment, it has created pathways for professional and civic growth—many of the young people trained or supported by Youth4NDCs have gone on to lead their own initiatives, participate in government dialogues, or join international networks. The community Porag has nurtured now acts as a living movement: resilient, strategic, and united by the pursuit of climate justice.

Explain a case study.

Case Study: The NDC (YOU)TH Review

One of the most impactful examples of Porag’s leadership is the development of the NDC (YOU)TH Review in 2024. Recognizing the absence of youth voices in Bangladesh’s updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), Porag mobilized over 1,200 young people and stakeholders through regional consultations, digital surveys, and policy labs to gather input on what an inclusive, youth-centered NDC should look like.

The result was a professionally produced, data-driven, and deeply human document that exposed critical policy gaps—such as the complete absence of references to children, youth, or intergenerational justice in the existing NDC. With support from UNICEF Bangladesh, the report was launched in a high-level forum attended by government ministries, international development agencies, and civil society leaders.

The NDC (YOU)TH Review has since become a national reference point for inclusive climate policymaking and is being used to shape conversations ahead of Bangladesh’s NDC 3.0 submission in 2025. More importantly, it has inspired similar youth-led reviews in other countries, demonstrating the potential of Porag’s model on a global scale.

Lester Dellosa deserves to be recognized in the Future Minds 35 Under 35 list for their trailblazing work in environmental artivism through CICCADA, a creative platform he founded in 2022 that has championed climate storytelling and ocean advocacy through fashion, film, and community collaboration.

Through CICCADA, Lester has worked with two coastal communities in the Bicol region, building a mermaid-led movement that merges myth, media, and environmental justice:

• In Year 1, CICCADA launched Sirena sa Sayong, a 2-month artivism campaign led by an “angry mermaid” calling out ocean pollution. The campaign reached 300,000+ individuals, igniting youth conversations about marine protection.
• Year 2 followed with Sa Puro, a sequel film featuring three beauty queens as mermaids swimming through the polluted coast of Puro, Legazpi City. Created in partnership with SK Puro (Sangguniang Kabataan) leaders and local youth, the film became a community tool that catalyzed action. It directly contributed to the city mayor approving and installing a waste filtration system in the nearby river - a clear example of storytelling leading to policy change.
• In Year 3, CICCADA transformed its campaigns into educational tools, repurposing materials from the mermaid series into academic references, immersion kits, and ocean conservation workshop modules now used by student researchers and educators. From friends in the local scene to activist friends working in Greenpeace Philippines, the mermaid0led modules has made a significant splash.
• In Year 4, CICCADA is expanding its impact with a campaign in Masbate Island, in collaboration with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Masbate. This time, the mermaids serve as symbolic resistance against extractive mining practices on one of the most exploited islands in the region.

Beyond the mermaid trilogy, Lester also partnered with Sustainable Ocean Alliance Philippines to roll out 7-week ocean learning programs across Palawan, Bicol, and Negros Oriental. Since 2024, the program has trained 50+ young ocean leaders, building youth capacity in environmental advocacy, storytelling, and community engagement.

Lastly, CICCADA is now behind ASEAN’s first-ever comic book on ocean conservation and deep-sea mining, which was created in collaboration with SOA Philippines. The book has completed 5 successful advocacy tours across Luzon and Visayas, and its digital webtoon adaptation has begun reaching wider audiences online.

Since starting in 2021, Youth Climate Save Canada has amplified youth voices for food system transformation as a climate solution. We have met with over 20 Members of Parliament on food policies and gotten 3 MP endorsements for the Plant Based Treaty. We have grown a network of over 1800 youth across Canada, connecting them to opportunities to share their voices and perspectives. Our volunteers have published over 30 educational videos on food and climate topics, spoken on over 50 panels, and served on meetings as part of coalitions including the Canadian Climate Action Network and Coalition for Healthy School Food.

Why should this person be recognized as a youth sustainability leader?

Nika Moeini is a visionary changemaker reimagining Canada's food systems through youth-powered climate action. As the founder of Youth Climate Save Canada, she leads with intersectionality, decolonial values, and systems-thinking to advance sustainable, plant-based solutions. From grassroots events to international panels like COP28 and COP29, Nika elevates youth voices and pushes for climate justice at every level. She’s met with 22 Members of Parliament, reached over 100,000 people online, and mobilized a national network focused on food, climate, and equity. Her leadership empowers youth to see themselves as agents of systemic change.

What tangible impact has this person made on advancing a sustainable economy?

Nika has directly reached 60+ youth through national workshops on sustainable food systems, and over 116,000 viewers through viral educational media. In one campaign to promote the Plant Based Treaty and implementation of Canada’s food guide, she led outreach to 336 Canadian MPs and secured meetings with 22 to advocate for plant-based policy solutions. Her coalition work includes partnerships with 5 organizations and coordination of national youth actions for sustainable food campaigns. She’s represented Canadian youth in 55 policy events and conferences, shaping narratives around food, climate, and justice. Her advocacy contributes to long-term climate mitigation through food system transformation.

Have raised $290,000 across 5 years for Youth Climate Collaborative. We support youth, ages 35 and under, to get involved and sustain their involvement in the climate movement, and advance their action. We are working on our exact impact metrics, but we have run 15 climate mental health workshops in person and online, led two leadership trainings online, trained three organizations to lead climate mental health workshops, provided free/affordable housing to over 120 youth during various climate events, provided badges/free tickets to numerous youth to attend events, developed a desktop app called Jaali to connect changemakers advancing the SDGs with each other, resources, and opportunities, share 300+ opportunities per month via our whatsapp groups and social media, and more. We provide technical support to our hubs, plan and host events, are doing research on intergenerational governance models, have helped youth attain life changing opportunities, connect youth with media opportunities such as films, magazines, and speaking gigs, and much more. We will work to quantify our efforts soon.

I am also a co-founder and now board member of the Entertainment + Culture Pavilion.

As the founder and executive director of Moo-vement for a Change, I’ve built a passionate team of young advocates dedicated to fighting for animal rights in the meat industry and advancing environmental sustainability. What began as a personal passion project quickly grew into a movement—I’ve recruited and led a team of high school and college students who now manage outreach, education, fundraising, and social media efforts. Together, we’re driving meaningful change in our community by challenging the status quo and speaking up for the voiceless.

We’ve directly impacted over 500 people through workshops, digital campaigns, school presentations, and community events that shed light on the unethical practices of factory farming and its devastating effects on the environment. Our advocacy encourages more mindful eating, sustainable living, and a broader cultural shift toward compassion. In addition to our local work, we’ve extended our impact globally by donating to cow sanctuaries in India and Africa—supporting rescue efforts and providing resources for the humane care of animals in regions where they are often neglected or mistreated.

In recognition of this work, I was honored to be selected as a Riley’s Way Call for Kindness Fellow, chosen from hundreds of applicants nationwide. This fellowship is helping me expand Moo-vement’s reach and sharpen my skills as a leader.

Beyond Moo-vement, I’ve continued using my voice to advocate for systemic change. I was proud to serve as South Carolina’s Youth Speaker of the House, where I led legislative sessions and mentored younger delegates. I was also selected as a delegate to the Conference on National Affairs (CONA), where I brought my passion for animal rights and environmental policy to a national platform—introducing peers from across the country to the cause and encouraging youth-driven policy solutions rooted in empathy and sustainability.

Case Study: One of our most impactful campaigns, Music for a Moo-vement, paired the art of music with action. I organized and hosted a live community "concert" that brought together musicians, students, and families to raise awareness about animal rights and the environmental harm caused by industrial farming. It created a space where advocacy felt approachable, creative, and inspiring. For many attendees, it was their first exposure to the realities of factory farming—and several left committed to changing their habits. The success of this event proved that activism doesn’t have to look one way; it can be joyful, artistic, and still drive real change.

Through this work, I’ve learned that kindness is not passive—it’s active, bold, and deeply needed. I’m proud to be creating a "moo-vement" that speaks up for animals, challenges unsustainable systems, and empowers young people to lead with purpose.

Over the past three years, my work has directly impacted over 3,000 young people across Rwanda, Nigeria, and other parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. These include secondary and tertiary students, youth in refugee camps, and early-career professionals. My mission has been to bridge the gap between talent and opportunity through initiatives focused on education, energy, and technology.

I co-founded the Tangaza Fellowship, a hands-on, project-based training that empowers local underprivileged students with entrepreneurial and technical skills. In partnership with Carnegie Mellon University Africa and a team of volunteers, we designed curriculums targeting problem-solving, prototyping, and pitching—skills often inaccessible to underserved groups. We engaged over 450 students in the pilot, many of whom have gone on to secure internships and launch community projects of their own.

Through my leadership roles with YOUNGO, the youth constituency to the UNFCCC, I’ve helped amplify youth voices in energy transition spaces. As Co-Chair of a UN Youth Office working group on Critical Energy Transition Minerals (CETM), I facilitated dialogues between African youth and global energy leaders, impacting over 2,500 participants through workshops, policy briefs, and advocacy campaigns.

In total, I have raised over $18,000 in direct and in-kind funding to support these initiatives through fellowships, academic support, and donor engagement. This funding enabled us to cover training materials, provide internet access for refugee participants, and support community-driven projects.

For instance, during a Tangaza Refugee Outreach Program, we trained 60 youth in digital literacy and public speaking. One participant, who had never used a computer before, is now interning remotely with a Kenyan tech startup. This transformation is a testament to the power of targeted investment and human-centered education.

What this means for those I work with is possibility—a future where their dreams are not limited by geography or circumstance, but fueled by community, access, and belief.

Ayadi has been the co-leader for multiple LCOYs in India impacting over 1000 yoith through her work. As a researcher and student in CTARA, IIT Bombay, she has worked with 5 villages impacting countless families and farmers for Agro-Forestry and Water conservation/use techniques in use. Through the current projects underway with IIT-B she has written proposals and raised over 10 million for fighting against climate extremes with her research group.

Through Enact and her co-leads, Ayadi has been working on your groups and their financing for South Asia and piloting the climate andental health campaign called kindness with clime (in Hindi).  Through working with a small team of 8, she is founder of a startup working on waste to energy systems in India for the underprivileged.

Eunice Adewusi, also known as Climiradi, is a gender equity and climate justice activist who has empowered 57,000+ youth (primarily girls and young women) in Nigeria, Rwanda, Kenya, and beyond. Through her nonprofit, the Climiradi Roberts Foundation, and its flagship initiative Nexo Girls, she equips underserved youth with STEAM education, digital skills, and mentorship, addressing both poverty and gender inequality.

She launched this foundation during her gap year after secondary school, without initial funding, yet has gone on to secure partnerships and support from Mastercard Foundation, STAND (Ireland), The Survivor Project (US), WeTech Nigeria, African Leadership University (Rwanda), etc.

Her journey into climate advocacy began after witnessing firsthand the devastating impacts of rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and environmental degradation in her home city, Lagos, and throughout Nigeria. The last straw that broke the camel's back was the 2023 Bayelsa floods that caused immense loss and displacement for its inhabitants. Flood-induced deaths, destruction of properties, and washing up of corpses in the cemetery were recorded. This experience fueled her determination to advocate for climate-resilient solutions and empower others to take action.

Her climate advocacy focuses on urban climate resilience through green infrastructure and integrating gender justice in climate action, ensuring that the voices and needs of women are integral to sustainable solutions. In this regard, she launched Project Ayika, the climate-tech arm of the Climiradi Roberts Foundation, creating pathways for young African women to develop climate technologies rooted in local knowledge. Since January 2023 when she started advocating for climate change, Eunice has served as a delegate at the Conference of Youth on Environment and Climate (COYEC) 2023, spoke on gender inequalities and the need for gender-sensitive climate policies, volunteered as a polyglot session recorder at Global Youth Coalition in collaboration with the University of Oxford for the 13-week Global Youth Climate Training program, contributing to knowledge sharing and capacity building among 4,500 participants, garnering 56k+ YouTube views, volunteered as an observer at GLF Nairobi 2023 Hybrid Conference on landscape restoration and sustainable land management and participated in a Green Digital Skills program by INCO Academy in collaboration with LinkedIn & Microsoft.

As the Student Lead of the ALU Rwanda Gender Forum, Eunice pioneered and scaled the #16DaysLoudItQuotes campaign during the UN 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, which reached 74,283 people across 18+ countries over two years. She also launched and led the 2024 Women’s History Month Campaign, reaching 7,500 participants through hybrid advocacy, creative events, and inclusive programming. With the support of 14 volunteers and student-led NGOs, the campaign reshaped narratives around women in history and innovation and recognised amazing women on the campus (staff and students). She has now transitioned from a campaign manager to mentor for the 2025 edition which engaged 332 students on campus and reached 12,674 people globally.

As a UN Foundation Engine Room Changemaker in 2024, Eunice advanced climate ambitions by contributing to the Road to 2100 initiative, shaping gender-responsive climate policies. She also moderated a session with a UN Foundation senior advisor, amplifying African perspectives on the disproportionate impact of climate change on communities that contribute the least to global emissions.

Eunice's work means young women from local communities now see themselves as technologists, activists, and problem-solvers. Eunice isn’t just raising awareness, she is building replicable, youth-led systems that transform lives and make gender equity and climate action accessible, tech-powered, and community-driven.

Grace Magny-Fokam belongs on the Future Minds Under 35 list for her groundbreaking work leveraging AI to fight food insecurity and climate challenges. She is an AI researcher, award-winning technologist, and UN ambassador pioneering the use of artificial intelligence to solve global challenges. She is the founder and executive director of Folia Technologies, a nonprofit research organization creating AI-powered solutions for agriculture, climate resilience, and equitable innovation. Grace leads the development of FoliaNet, a deep learning-driven device that detects early-stage crop diseases with high accuracy, helping farmers prevent losses from the 125 million tonnes of crops destroyed annually by fungal infections. Under her leadership, Folia Technologies has secured over $70,000 in research funding, partnered with Google Research, Microsoft, USDA, UNESCO, and UN Climate Change, and engaged 20,000+ youth in AI innovation.

Grace has been recognized globally as the youngest-ever and first American Land Hero to the UNCCD, a Top 50 Global Student Prize Finalist, and a National Computer Science Hero. She is also a UNA-USA Global Goals Ambassador and a former advisor to Girls Who Code, championing equity in STEM and mentoring diverse young technologists. An AI researcher and UN consultant, Grace has spoken at leading institutions, including the UN Science Summit, MIT, and the FAO, sharing insights on AI ethics, machine learning accessibility, and AI for good. Her mission is to build scalable AI solutions to address systemic inequities and drive meaningful global impact.