The 2024 NGFP Young Voices Awards showcases impressive diversity and global representation. From an initial 400 youth expressions of interest, 89 applications advanced to the judging round. The applicants range in age from 12 to 17 years old, with the youngest winners being four remarkable 13-year-olds from the United Arab Emirates, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Botswana. Participants hail from 12 different countries across 6 continents, reflecting a global perspective. The awards feature 15 individual and 9 team projects, addressing key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including Climate Action, Quality Education, and Sustainable Cities.

Many projects focus on addressing climate change, promoting sustainable practices, and protecting biodiversity.

Learn more about NGFP-YV Awards and its history here: https://www.teachthefuture.org/ngfp-yv-awards

MEET THE WINNERS

Winner: Aarin Bothra (USA)

Seeds of Hope is a youth-led nonprofit initiative combating prairie loss in Illinois by distributing native plant seeds through community seed libraries, engaging local residents in restoring ecosystems and fighting climate change.

Aarin Bothra is a rising junior at Oswego East High School in Illinois. He is passionate about the environment, STEM, and linguistics. He loves to innovate and create meaningful change in his community. He co-founded an environmental activism nonprofit, Seeds of Hope, which creates seed libraries that allow community members to receive free, native seeds that they can plant in their local areas. Seeds of Hope currently has 5 locations and has acquired funding from T-Mobile and the Batelle Climate Fund. He is also a passionate inventor and helped invent Algae Air, an algae-based biofiltration air filter for schools, which received a patent and $7,500 in funding from the Lemelson-MIT program. In his free time, Aarin’s favorite hobby is to stargaze and use his telescope. He also loves to learn languages (currently Japanese). Through his work, he seeks to contribute to positive societal change and sustainable solutions.

Runner-ups:

Runnerup: Belén Yaspana (Nepal):

"Shine and Be You" is a holistic empowerment project that uses dance to promote emotional well-being, develop soft skills, and foster gender equality among low-income adolescent girls, contributing to SDGs 3, 4, and 5 while strengthening community cohesion.

Runnerup: Siow Jia Xin (Malaysia):

The "Second Life" project addresses global education inequality by repurposing old electric car batteries for energy storage to power internet access in schools, while also transforming plastic waste into educational tools, aiming to provide quality education and internet access to children worldwide.

Runnerup: Bibhuti Bhattarai (Peru):

A project in Nepal aims to raise awareness about the dangers of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, particularly focusing on educating women and girls about the health risks during pregnancy and menstruation, in response to widespread use of toxic substances in agriculture.

Top 6 Recognized Projects:

Aditya Jha (India):

HepaEase, developed by 15-year-old Aditya Kumar Jha from India, is an innovative, low-cost biosensor for early detection of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, aiming to improve healthcare accessibility and reduce inequalities by making advanced diagnostics available to all, regardless of socioeconomic status.

Hitishaa Goyal (India):

Project Pehchaan Saathi works to improve the lives of India's marginalized denotified and nomadic tribes by facilitating access to government documentation and welfare schemes, collaborating with community leaders and youth volunteers to provide long-term solutions and advocate for policy change, aligning with SDGs 10 and 16.

Melissa Aguilar (Peru):

This is an innovative program in Peru that aims to empower young leaders by providing hands-on experiences with sustainable community projects, workshops on international affairs, and mentorship to develop practical leadership and socioemotional skills, enabling them to create impactful solutions for their communities and beyond.

Pragyaan Gaur (India):

RoofScape is an initiative to combat extreme pollution and heat in Delhi by installing green roofs on government schools, providing students with protection from harmful environmental conditions while creating educational spaces for sustainability awareness and improving urban air quality.

Parisha Thakkar (India):

This dual initiative combines The Ecocery, an eco-friendly product store, with The Red Badge of Courage, a project providing biodegradable menstrual pads to underprivileged women, creating a holistic business model that promotes sustainable living, empowers women, and addresses SDGs 5, 12, and 13 through education, action, and direct contribution.

Monica Onyango (Kenya):

A young innovator from flood-prone Nyando village developed a solar drying method for preserving indigenous vegetables, addressing food insecurity and post-harvest losses while contributing to SDGs 2 (Zero Hunger) and 13 (Climate Action), transforming personal hardship into a community-wide solution that enables children to attend school and families to have access to nutritious food year around.