Social Impact of the Year 2000

At just 14 years old, Riyaa Sri Ramanathan founded the Alzheimer's Youth Outreach Campaign (AYOC), a global nonprofit working to transform Alzheimer's education from isolated awareness campaigns into a sustainable component of formal education. Through AYOC, she developed #BringInYouth4ALZ™, the world's first youth-developed Alzheimer's curriculum adopted by a Department of Education body. Rather than creating another awareness initiative, Riyaa built a research-informed educational model that equips schools to teach neuroscience, cognitive health, caregiving literacy, and dementia awareness long before families experience crisis. That shift, from reactive education to preventative education, is why she belongs on the Future Minds Under 35 list.

AYOC was founded after Riyaa watched her grandfather battle Alzheimer's disease and realized that despite dementia affecting millions of families worldwide, most people first learn about the disease only after someone they love is diagnosed. Research has shown that Alzheimer's-related brain changes can begin decades before symptoms appear, yet schools rarely teach students about brain health or cognitive aging. Rather than accepting this educational gap, Riyaa spent nearly two years designing an evidence-informed solution capable of addressing it at scale.

That solution became #BringInYouth4ALZ™, the flagship educational platform of AYOC and the world's first youth-developed Alzheimer's curriculum adopted by a Department of Education body. Developed through a research-to-implementation philosophy, the curriculum combines neuroscience education, dementia literacy, caregiving preparedness, educator resources, structured assessments, AI-supported implementation, multilingual accessibility, and offline deployment into a complete implementation framework that enables schools to deliver high-quality Alzheimer's education regardless of their size, funding, or technological capacity. Rather than offering standalone educational materials, it provides educators with everything needed to sustainably integrate cognitive health literacy into existing learning environments.

Scientific content was informed by population-level data from the National Center for Health Statistics and developed in alignment with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and United Nations Statistics Division frameworks. Educational architecture was strengthened through collaboration with the Alzheimer's Association and refined through guidance from educators, professors, researchers, and contributors affiliated with institutions including Cornell University and the National Institutes of Health. Every component was intentionally designed to move students beyond short-term awareness toward lasting scientific understanding, empathy, caregiving literacy, and civic engagement.

Today, through AYOC, this educational model serves more than 785,000 youth across 450 U.S. regions and 38 countries, with an estimated 4.8 million global reach through educational programming, partnerships, and public engagement.

The campaign's growth has been driven through public-sector collaboration rather than traditional startup funding. Campaign partners and collaborators include the New York State Department of Education, Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), Microsoft Entrepreneurship for Positive Impact, BOLD Community, We Make Change, the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, the United Nations Major Group for Children and Youth, the United Nations Development Programme, the International Science Council, and numerous Alzheimer's, education, and scientific organizations working together to strengthen youth cognitive health education.

AYOC's international recognition reflects an exceptional level of institutional confidence for any initiative, let alone one founded by a teenager. UNESCO officially endorsed #BringInYouth4ALZ™ as a Project of the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development (IDSSD 2024–2033), selecting it as one of only 39 initiatives worldwide during its Third Call for projects and the only youth-led project chosen for an official decade-long partnership. Through the Decade, UNESCO recognizes initiatives that leverage scientific knowledge to advance long-term social, economic, and environmental sustainability at scale. Riyaa was also selected among the top 1% of applicants worldwide as the youngest Knowledge Network Partner within the BOLD Community, an international innovation network established by the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKO) that connects and accelerates globally promising solutions aligned with public-sector innovation and economic development priorities. Her selection positioned AYOC alongside internationally recognized founders, researchers, and innovators addressing complex global challenges, further validating that a youth-developed educational system can earn the confidence of governments and leading international institutions.

These partnerships do not, by themselves, prove educational effectiveness. Rather, they demonstrate that experienced educators, policymakers, and international organizations independently recognize both the need for youth-focused Alzheimer's education and the strength of AYOC's approach. That confidence is reflected in external evaluations. The Deputy Director of Generation Unlimited at UNICEF described the initiative as "an incredible and noble program and curriculum advancing youth-led global awareness and social impact," while the U.S. Department of Education recognized it as "a new frontier in education." Together, these endorsements reinforce that the initiative is being recognized not only for its scientific credibility, but also for its potential to strengthen education and public health at a global scale.

Riyaa's leadership has additionally been recognized by the United Nations, the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. House of Representatives, and the New York State Senate. AYOC has also been featured twice by Forbes (5 months into product rollout) and was named to Change 100's "World's Top Impact Startups to Watch in 2026," where it was the only youth-led impact startup/program shortlisted. Riyaa was also named a Young Woman of the Year Finalist in the Women Changing the World Awards, selected as one of just 17 finalists from more than 1,500 nominations spanning 97 countries, and the youngest to be picked.

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Alanna is the CEO and founder of HOPE (Helping Our Planet Earth), a youth-led non-profit organisation which she uses to make mental health support available to young people internationally through mental health education, peer support and youth leadership training.

AlDhabi AlMheiri is the youngest Emirati publisher, columnist, and founder of the Rainbow Chimney Bookstore and Publishing House. A multi-Guinness World Record holder, she leads initiatives like Books from Children to Children and the Eco Club, promoting youth empowerment and sustainability. At Rainbow Chimney, I have positively impacted the lives of over 15,000 children, from infants up to age 13. This includes children with diverse needs like autism, ADHD, dyslexia, Down syndrome, and visual impairments.I have supported these children and their families in a number of ways. First, I run an initiative called books from children to children and through this initiative I published 52 books for children all for free to empower their writing and drawing and reading as-well. I have distributed over 7,000 specialized books, toys, and educational aids that cater to their unique learning styles and developmental needs. These resources have been essential in fostering inclusion, improving academic performance, and building life skills.

Anoushka is the founder of Anupam Foundation. She started her journey by organizing campaigns at local NGOs, at the age of 12 she began working as a radio jockey and ran three seasons of her own radio show aimed towards children in rural India. She has impacted over 50,000 youth across the world with the primary audience being in India.

Fourteen-year-old Avye started Girls Into Coding from her bedroom in 2018 after noticing that she was a rare girl attending STEM and robotics workshops, much less a young girl of color. Since then, her network--of which she is the only full-time employee--has reached 1,000 girls with its custom workshops on coding, robotics, physical computing and 3D printing. She raised 70,000 pounds in funding from major brands including Red Hat, SSE and Octopus Energy. In 2021, she brought in 70,000 pounds in revenue, this year, she has almost hit that revenue within the first half of the year.

Coco Xu is the founder of the Zero-Poverty movement in Chiang Mai, has dedicated their life to supporting underprivileged communities through food banks and supply donations. Their initiative has provided over 3,000 kg of essential goods to 800+ households, collaborating with schools, temples, and local organizations. With the help of five international schools and a food rescue organization, Coco recently led a mass distribution that supported 150 communities, delivering three truckloads of supplies.

Denise founded ‘A BetterLife International’, an NGO that works with children, young people, refugees, and internally displaced people to take climate action. Through ‘A Betterlife’, Denise has positively impacted over 10,000 individuals so far, offering solutions to environmental challenges while cultivating environmentally conscious future leaders. As a founder, educator, researcher, advisor and mentor, Denise’s activism is both wide-ranging and intersectional.

Diana, a passionate advocate for children with disabilities, has dedicated her life to supporting those facing challenges due to speech impairments and health issues. Diagnosed with dysarthria caused by decades of nuclear tests near her hometown of Semey, she overcame obstacles like bullying and surgeries. Unable to speak as a child, she expressed her thoughts through writing, later crafting stories about the dreams of children with disabilities. Founder of the ‘Inclusive Academy’ and creator of SpeakUp, an AI app for speech disorders, Diana inspires global inclusivity through education, technology, and storytelling.

Dr Anza is a medical doctor, public health specialist and social entrepreneur with a focus on education and healthcare. Growing up, she experienced firsthand the challenges that many young people face in accessing quality education. Inspired by these experiences, Anza founded the ‘Bright Young Leaders Initiative’ (BYLI) in 2018, combining her expertise in medicine and education to empower students through science and leadership programmes. Under her guidance, BYLI has reached approximately 150,000 students annually, enhancing STEM engagement and public health awareness. Her initiatives, such as the Rural School Innovation Camp, equip students with critical thinking skills while fostering awareness of public health issues, creating a future generation of informed leaders.

Ella founded ‘Broken Flames Productions’ as a teenager, inspired by her personal struggles with depression, self-harm, and eating disorders. Drawing on her experiences Ella’s mission is to reshape mental health representation in media. Her award-winning films, including Bibimbap for One on suicide grief, Why Wouldn’t I Be? addressing male mental health, and Smudged Smile for young audiences, have screened globally, sparking meaningful conversations and changing the narrative around mental health.

After a tragic attack on his school that claimed over fifty lives, including two friends, Feda channeled his grief into meaningful action. Following the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, while supporting his family, he founded the ‘Afghan Scholars Academy’, offering free guidance for Afghan students pursuing international college admissions and helping over 3,000 students, the majority of whom are girls banned from schools, and 115 secured scholarships abroad. Feda also raised funds to support underprivileged families, providing financial aid for 300 children. Despite immense challenges, Feda remains hopeful, focusing on rebuilding opportunities and communities through equal access to education.