Our Video Competition Winners

Changemaker Challenge Winners

1st Place - Masroor Ali Neil - Bangladesh

Based on his personal experiences growing up, Masroor found a passion for finding a solution for the hearing and speech impaired. His dream is to build a society where no one is judged on the basis of birth ability or disability. Rather, a person will be evaluated on the basis of how he or she develops over time, what their mentality is, and what they can contribute to the society. His goal is to build an inclusive, humane, and just society by transforming healthcare and ensuring equality through technology.

2nd Place - Kenton Chan - USA

Kenton’s dream is to provide underserved youth with a leadership education. This drove him to found Lead Forward, which empowered 10,000 youth through 25+ chapters over 15+ countries. His nonprofit provides a large variety of resources, including courses, blogs, podcasts, and more!

3rd Place - Eesha Ande - USA

Eesha’s dream is to simultaneously confront both menstrual poverty and environmental pollution caused by menstrual products by fostering access to eco-sustainable menstrual products!

Sebastiao Mendonca - Portugal

Sebastio’s dream is to make restoring forests as scalable and reliable as destroying them has become.

Across southern Europe and many parts of the world, wildfires and land degradation are accelerating, but restoration is still slow, manual, and often impossible on steep or burned terrain. Too many forests are left to chance. Either we hope they regenerate on their own or we plant a few trees only where it is easiest to reach.

With Trovador, my dream is to change that. We are building autonomous robots that can move where humans and machines cannot, planting native trees precisely where ecosystems need them most. Not in straight lines or for appearances, but in patterns that help forests recover, reduce erosion, store carbon, and become resilient to future fires.

This directly supports SDG 15 Life on Land by restoring degraded ecosystems and protecting biodiversity, and SDG 13 Climate Action by turning restoration into a real, scalable climate solution. More than planting trees, my dream is to give forests a second chance after fire and to prove that robotics and AI can help nature recover faster, smarter, and at the scale the planet now demands.

Pranav Srinivasan - New Jersey

Based on his own person experiences with loved ones undergoing Parkinson’s, Pranav dreams to help all of those afflicted. To do so, he developed NeuroGrip, a glove combating Parkinson’s my stimulating hand movement and enhancing grip, to make everyday tasks more manageable.

Khue Le - USA

Khue’s dream is for every mother to have access to mental and emotional health support. To do this, she created Mend, a community-based emotional support system for mothers that makes emotional support easy to access.

Sofia Leticia Angeles Roncal - Peru

Sofia’s dream is to see the Rímac River respected, which is why she founded The Voice of the River initiative. She aims to transform indifference to a sense of responsibility by educating and raising awareness, to overall restore the river for current and future generations.

Payal Dileep - Pakistan

Payal’s dream is to see Pakistani vehicles utilize biodiesel, an affordable and sustainable source of fuel made from algae and biowaste to have a low carbon content.

Anirudh Rao - USA

Anirudh dreams of a world where clean and reliable energy is seen as a right. This led him to develop Mirai, a moisture-powered nanogenerator using nanomaterials and water to generate electricity without traditional batteries. Mirai is affordable, environmentally safe, and effective in extreme and remote environments. Mirai has the potential to power a wide range of devices using only water.

Caitlyn Power - USA

Caitlyn dreams of all women having access to period products. To do this, she wants to make an app that tracks which bathrooms need period products, so the Women’s Empowerment Club at her school can restock these products. She hopes this can expand past her school through partnerships.

SolveCC Future Impact Award

Shehu Tijani Adebayo - Nigeria

Shehu’s dream is to provide a quality education in functioning in the modern digital world, despite the digital gap in Lagos that leaves public school students behind. He hopes to do this through teen-led “Digital Hub Sessions,” a Peer Network Mentor, and sharing offline resources to teach AI literacy!

Emerging Changemakers

Carina Araujo - USA

Raphael Ogundipe - Nigeria

Megan Liao - USA

Varnessa Kayen Varlyngton - Nigeria

Maduka Tabuzo Gwendolyn - Nigeria

Alex Bigsby - USA

Fanny Omoyemeh Itepu - Nigeria

Teens Dream Video Challenge Award Winners

1. Isabella Harumi Okamoto - Brazil

For many children in Brazil, dreaming feels like a privilege, not a right. In neighborhoods where schools lack resources and survival often takes precedence over ambition, the idea of imagining a different future can feel impossible. My dream is to change that. I believe in the power of quality education to break cycles of poverty. That’s why I’ve dedicated myself to creating opportunities for young people through Tocando em Frente, the social project I’m proud to be part of.

One of our volunteers in Minas Gerais recently shared the story of a girl who rarely went to school because, for her, it felt pointless. But after participating in a single day of Tocando em Frente activities, something shifted. She picked up a paintbrush and helped create a mural with her community. A few weeks later, she was attending school every day, motivated by a newfound dream: to compete in arts Olympiads.

Stories like hers remind me why this work matters. They prove that when given the tools, children can rediscover their potential and imagine futures far beyond their immediate realities.

Education transforms entire generations. That’s why I’m working to make this dream a reality.

2. Natalia Andrea Moreno Salas - Peru

My dream is to ensure that every child, regardless of their circumstances, has access to quality education, as I believe education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty.

This dream is directly connected to SDG 4: Quality Education. At Libros con Sentido, we seek to provide educational opportunities in low-income and rural communities through initiatives like donations of book, school reinforcement workshops, our innovative virtual library, Tesoros Literarios, educational webinars, motivational talks in school, etc.

We also aim to close the educational gap and provide children with the tools they need to succeed. Through our collaborations with other organizations, we ensure that we can extend our impact and create sustainable change.

By making education a universal right and not a privilege, we can give children the foundation they need to reach their full potential. Through these efforts, we hope to inspire change not only in our community but beyond, because every book, every workshop, and every project we create is an opportunity to transform lives.

3. Arush Goswami - USA

My dream is to revolutionize stroke rehabilitation by providing an affordable and effective option for patients who suffered from a stroke and lost function in their hand. Millions of people worldwide suffer from strokes each year, and many are left without access to the rehabilitation they need to fully recover. Current stroke rehabilitation treatment options are extremely expensive yet relatively ineffective at improving hand movement function. My project Exotech is a novel brain-computer interface exoskeleton that helps stroke survivors regain lost hand movement faster, more effectively, and at a fraction of the cost of traditional therapy. It uses an electroencephalogam (EEG) to record brain signals and machine learning to decode what the brain is trying to do. It then converts this prediction into motorized movement of the exoskeleton, enabling the hand to move properly and rebuild neural connections to restore proper function.

My dream relates to UN Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being by promoting access to quality healthcare for stroke hand rehabilitation for all. Current rehabilitation methods are expensive, slow, and often ineffective, leaving many survivors unable to regain independence. Exotech changes that by providing a cost-effective, technology-driven solution that improves recovery outcomes and enhances neuromuscular rehabilitation. By ensuring that stroke survivors—regardless of financial status—have access to cutting-edge, AI-powered therapy, Exotech is transforming rehabilitation and advancing the goal of universal healthcare access.

4. Shaurya Mittal - USA

My dream is to achieve the United Nations sustainable development goal of Climate Action through creating systems that allow environmental action informations to become more accessible. Despite our growing knowledge of how pressing the climate crisis is, it’s very difficult to take the necessary action because it can often be overwhelming or simply impossible to know where to start. To combat this, I built a Congressionally-honored app, EcoTakeOut, that removes this information barrier for ordering takeout, a process that produces significant waste. I then grew this idea with EcoInnovators, in which I empowered the students in my community to understand how to apply their own skills to help end this crisis. Through these efforts, I’ve had over 200 downloads as well as ~300 student members across our 6 chapter schools. While these numbers represent an important start, my dream is for these barriers to be broken for everyone across the world.

5. Tamari (Tako) Mtiulishvili - Georgia

I have always been looking towards making a change in society, and as I grew up, this dream of mine has become clearer and clearer. While researching the current challenges of SDG 4- Quality Education, I realized how one branch in particular, financial illiteracy, has affected me and those around me, despite having all the resources to educate ourselves. I remember how each time I tried to self-study a field in economics or finance, I failed to understand the available online material. I also recalled how my classmates and I often understood certain concepts better when someone our age explained them to us, which sparked an idea in me. I decided to create a platform in which teenagers could teach others the basics of finance, economics, money management, and all other related fields using reliable sources. I have managed to create a team of 30+ like-minded students from all around the world, who actively work towards increasing society’s interest in finances. My ultimate dream is to grow my project worldwide and deliver it to underprivileged communities in an attempt to take a step toward giving them a more financially secure future. I believe that this is an advancement towards eradicating the issues regarding SDG 4. By further scaling my organization, Finomic, and by giving each individual a fair chance to educate themselves in finances using easily understandable, and 100% reliable material, we are taking a step in ensuring that they have the education needed to solve their own financial problems as well as to make contributions to their communities.

6. Jamie Cheng - USA

My dream is to “save Earth’s lungs” by implementing ForestMD, a forest health monitoring system using biodegradable microneedle patches and drone technology, to provide real-time, large-scale data that promotes early intervention efforts to restore forests globally. This aligns with UN SDG 15: Life on Land, by protecting forests, preserving the biodiversity they are home to, and maintaining healthy ecosystems, to ultimately create a sustainable future.

7. Marta Augusta Freire Bernardino - Portugal

I am from rural Portugal. I grew playing in the woods close to home. That is literally where I learned how to laugh, and love, and respect. More than a playground the forest was always my little hideaway and my school. Years went on and many wildfires turned that place into a memory. Bald, grey, and empty. I wanted to do something about bringing the forest back, so I went to talk with many reforestation initiatives to reforest in my zone, and most of them looked me dead in the eyes and told me: – Imagine yourself being on the top of a mountain, carrying 100kg of trees, and being afraid to death of falling down.
Thats when I realized that, adding to the complexity of deforestation, about 60% of Portuguese forests (and 40% in Europe) are located in hazardous and dangerous terrains, making reforestation impossible for manual planters. For comparison, while 500 trees are cut every second worldwide, only 60 are replanted, significantly due to the inaccessibility of these terrains. Shockingly, even the best technologies out there, which could help reach those locations, fall short. Technologies like seed-shooting drones have a tree success rate of only about 20%, wasting countless seeds in a century where seeds are becoming one of the most scarce natural resources.

So dreaming about bringing my memories back to reality, and building a world where not just the next generation of Portuguese people, but the entire world’s have the same playground as I once did, I invented Trovador.

Trovador is an autonomous robot designed to be deployed in landscapes to reforest. It is a hexapod robot (6 legs) that, with tools on each limb, is capable of measuring the soil humidity, drilling a hole, planting the tree, and then stomping its root collar. Due to its anatomy, it is able to balance itself in tilted slopes, but also distribute its weight through its paws creating little print in the soil, therefore preserving it. Because each leg is engineered to have different tools, it is able to minimize downtime by planting while walking. And since it will run autonomously utilizing existing AI technologies to maneuver itself in the terrain, we are able to increase safety among tree planters, allowing them to monitor the robot from a distance through a UI.

My biggest priority when designing Trovador was also that every single tree survived when planted, therefore I reverse-engineered the reason why current technologies fall short. Instead of using seeds, it plants saplings (young trees) and carefully controls critical soil conditions during planting, such as depth, pressure, and humidity, using the robot’s specialized tools.

Trovador is more than a machine—it’s a solution for global reforestation, tackling climate change, protecting biodiversity, and promoting sustainable development. It embodies this vision by directly addressing several UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

🌳 SDG 15 – Life on Land
Trovador revitalizes forests by planting native species that restore biodiversity, creating habitats for wildlife and rejuvenating ecosystems. This promotes long-term sustainability for our planet’s green spaces.

🌎 SDG 13 – Climate Action
Forests are nature’s carbon sinks, and Trovador accelerates their restoration. By planting trees, it helps reduce atmospheric CO₂, lower temperatures, and enhance local precipitation patterns—critical in combating the climate crisis.

👷 SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth
By replacing risky manual planting in rough terrains, Trovador protects human volunteers while generating new jobs in forestry, eco-tourism, and agroforestry. It creates opportunities for innovation and sustainable economic growth in rural areas.

🛡️ SDG 9 – Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
Trovador prevents environmental hazards like wildfires, floods, and landslides by planting strategically to stabilize soils and create resilient forests, protecting communities and infrastructure from natural disasters.

Through Trovador, I aim to make reforestation smarter, safer, and scalable—building a future where both humanity can learn and live with nature.

8. Asohkaha Neba Favour - Cameroon

My dream is to reduce the amount of fabric waste and waste from old cartons being dumped in my Community.

To do this, I make earrings from these fabric and carton. Here, I cut the carton into desired shapes, cut the fabric and sew it around the carton. Decorations can be made and earring pins added to make it stunning.

This initiative of mine would reduce the amount of waste in my community stream, addressing SDG goal 3-Good Health and well-being, 6-Clean Waters and 13-Climate Action by reducing pollution.

9. Taizhanova Amina, Kazyeva Aruzhan - Kazakhstan

Water and energy are vital resources for our future and solving the challenges associated with them is key to sustainable development . Oil production in Kazakhstan generates every day over 300 tons of wastewater of which only 40 % is treated . Rest , containing toxic pollutants causes significant harm to our ecosystems wildlife habitat and human health . This issue directly linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 : ensuring clean water and sanitation for all. It is time to implement innovative and sustainable solutions to address this growing threat while also embracing the potential of renewable energy sources . My vision is to exploit the untapped potential of our resources to create environmentally friendly solutions. For instance , using solar energy we can develop cost-effective and energy-efficient ways to purify wastwater from oil production. Imagine a system where solar energy is used to clean water and produce clean distilled water using a combination of solar energy and waste oil. This innovative approach combines sustainability with advanced technologies, minimizing environmental impact and maximazing resource efficiency . This vision is also closely aligned with Goal 7 Sustainable Development : the ensuring access to affordable , reliable sustainable energy for all. Kazakhstan can become a leader in clean technologies by combining innovation with the sustainable use of natural resources . Let us work together to come up with a future where every drop of water and all unit energy serves the benefit of nature and society .

10. Samarth Iyer - India

As a child, I always dreamed of a world where the oceans were pristine, teeming with life, and free from pollution. However, billions of pounds of garbage enter the ocean annually. This garbage either washes up on coastlines or gets pulled into vortexes throughout the ocean, like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Sea creatures mistake this trash for food, leading to choking, starvation, or strangulation in nets. UN SDG 14 – Life Below Water highlights the urgent need to address this severe problem. To truly solve this global crisis and save our oceans, I developed Sir Eatalot, an economical, efficient, and reliable machine designed to combat ocean pollution. By collecting trash at the river delta, where 80% of debris come from, Sir Eatalot effectively prevents garbage from entering the ocean. This innovative solution tackles the problem right at the source, ensuring that my dream of clean oceans becomes a reality.

11. Erin Hong - USA

My vision for a clean energy future is closely tied to Sustainable Development Goal #7, which is all about ensuring affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for everyone. I’m particularly focused on the burning of fuel to create electricity, which is one of the main contributors to climate change. I’ve also noticed that global funding for clean energy has been steadily declining, from $28.4 billion to $10.8 billion since 2017. This drop in investment highlights just how critical it is to find more accessible and affordable clean energy solutions.

To address this, I came up with an idea that combines two innovative technologies. The first is the one-way mirror effect, which is already used in skyscraper windows. The film on these windows reflects sunlight from the outside while still allowing people inside to see out clearly. The second technology is the new, paper-thin solar panels developed by engineers at MIT. These panels are incredibly lightweight, flexible, and efficient—100 times lighter than traditional solar panels, and they generate 18 times more power per kilogram.

By printing these solar panels onto the one-way mirror film, I believe we can create an affordable and seamless way to harness solar energy. The best part is that the solar panels can be applied to many different materials and fabrics, and the film itself would provide privacy without compromising on energy efficiency. This technology could help make clean energy more accessible to everyone, overcoming the high costs and long payback periods of traditional solar panels.

Ultimately, by tapping into the power of the sun in a way that’s both innovative and sustainable, I believe we can build a world where technology and the environment thrive together.

Inspiration Awardees

12. Núria Salas i Reixach - Spain

Our project focuses on creating artificial habitats for animals such as birds, bees, and cats, to help restore the homes of species that are losing their natural environments. Through the efforts of teenagers around the world, we aim to provide these animals with safe spaces that protect them from the dangers of habitat destruction and the threat of extinction.

This project aligns closely with Goal 15: Life on Land, which calls for the protection, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems. By building these habitats, we are contributing directly to the restoration of biodiversity and the protection of vital ecosystems. Our initiative helps to preserve species that play essential roles in maintaining ecological balance, and ensures that the world’s wildlife can thrive, even in areas where their natural habitats have been lost.

13. Shifa Asif - Pakistan

My dream is to improve the infrastructure of roads in Karachi, which have been damaged due to the poor drainage system and flash flooding caused by the monsoon. To streamline the process and help transportation engineers work faster, I developed a web prototype that allows users to upload images, determine the type of cracks, and calculate the PCI value, enabling faster road repairs. Furthermore, I built an app for citizens to report flooding issues in their communities, and I aim to connect with government to connect more citizens. I aim to put my skills to great use and this is a really serious issue in my city, as even rheumatologists reported in increased joint pain of young men travelling on motorbikes due to increased potholes and a bumpy ride.

14. Filiz Bedelzade - Turkey

My dream is to eliminate gender inequality and end violence against women, particularly through the creation of an organization dedicated to supporting victims of domestic violence. This platform will provide survivors with access to free therapy, legal counsel, and vital resources, serving as a sanctuary for healing, rebuilding, and hope. The organization aims to empower women by addressing the emotional, legal, and practical challenges they face, helping them rebuild their lives with the support they need.

This vision directly relates to UN Sustainable Development Goal 5 (Gender Equality), which calls for the achievement of gender equality and empowerment for all women and girls. By addressing the root causes of gender-based violence and providing crucial services to survivors, this initiative will help eliminate violence and discrimination, ensuring that women can live free from fear and with equal opportunities for growth and well-being. This goal is not just about ending violence, but also about creating an environment where women have the resources and support to thrive, contributing to a more just and equitable society.

And I dream of encouraging people to be Narin’s voice, she deserves to be heard so does the other victims. So, my NGO’s name will be Narin’s Voice, a place where the cycle is broken.

15. Abril Masó Ventós - Spain

My dream is to use renewable energy to make our cities shine during Christmas, as nowadays system consumes a lot of energy and produces pollution. My idea would also generate renewable energy during the rest of the year, to increase the renewable energy percentage in the energy production. That way, I’d contribute to the UN SDG number 7, specifically to target 7.2, as it’s objective is to increment the renewable energy in the global energy mix by 2030.

16. Ishani Bakshi - USA

Every year, approximately 1.3 billion tons of food ends up wasted. In the United States alone, nearly 40% of the food supply is wasted. Fruits and vegetables are some of the most frequently discarded items, with 45% lost somewhere between farm and fork. When this produce decomposes in landfills, it produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas. In fact, about 6%-8% of all human-caused GHG emissions could be reduced if we stop wasting food. Ethically, food waste is troubling given that more than 50 million people in the US turned to food assistance. Even for those who can afford it, such constant spending creates a burden. In the US, those in the lowest income quintile spent 32.6% of their after-tax income on food. Produce waste must be mitigated, both for the pocket and the planet, and natural processes play a significant role in this solution. Fruits and vegetables emit ethylene gas, a plant hormone accelerates spoilage. Additionally, bacteria and mold spores begin to decompose produce from the moment it is harvested, further contributing to its deterioration.

What is Greenshield?

GreenShield is an eco-friendly, hexagonal device engineered to extend produce freshness by managing ethylene and CO2 levels in food storage. Constructed from biodegradable PLA and powered by Basolite C300 (an efficient ethylene adsorbent), GreenShield extends freshness 16%+ longer than existing products by combining ethylene capture, CO2 release, and antimicrobial oil cartridges. For households, this means potential annual savings of $300–$500. Grocery stores, restaurants, and food suppliers can also expect to reduce spoilage, especially while transporting food from the source to the market. Uniquely, using an internal DS18B20 sensor, GreenShield dynamically adjusts storage conditions such as temperature and offers users app notifications about food quality in real time. This app integration also teaches users more about food preservation, tapping into a global market eager to embrace sustainable innovation.

The Science and Engineering Behind GreenShield

Constructed from PLA (polylactic acid), a biodegradable material derived from renewable resources, GreenShield’s hexagonal prism structure features porous walls that allow ethylene molecules (approximately 4.18 Å in size) to diffuse through, enabling dynamic control of ethylene concentration within the container. Hexagonal designs provide a high ratio of surface area to volume, maximizing exposure to ethylene molecules, and previous studies have demonstrated that porous structures with optimal geometric configurations improve molecular diffusion and adsorption kinetics. The study “Comparative study of hexagon & square windcatchers using CFD simulations” found that the air change rate is better in the hexagon shape, making it an ideal choice for GreenShield.

Central to GreenShield’s design is Basolite C300, a copper-based metal-organic framework (MOF) optimized for ethylene adsorption. A Eureka text in our research was the Michigan State University study titled “Metal-organic frameworks have utility in adsorption and release of ethylene and 1-methylcyclopropene in fresh produce packaging” which compared Basolite C300, Basolite A520 and Zeolite Z13X to identify the superior performance in binding to ethylene. Basolite C300 far surpassed Zeolite Z13X, the more commonly used absorbent in products similar to GreenShield. A continued literature review into the characteristics of Basolite C300 supported the study. This enhanced ethylene capture capacity slows the ripening of produce, enabling GreenShield to outperform other solutions on the market. Furthermore, GreenShield incorporates CO₂ desorption technology, using Peltier modules (TEC1-12706) to heat the Basolite crystals and release CO₂, which contributes to prolonged produce freshness. Temperature is managed through a DS18B20 sensor and an ESP32 microcontroller, which monitors and adjusts the system in real-time for optimal preservation. GreenShield also addresses common spoilage challenges through an antimicrobial essential oil cartridge that releases thymol compounds to reduce bacteria and mold, particularly for leafy greens, which spoil from bacterial growth.

The GreenShield app enables users to remotely monitor ethylene and CO₂ levels through MiCS-5524 sensors, sending mobile alerts when ethylene rises to a threshold that indicates ripening. Unique features like recipe suggestions for soon-to-expire produce encourage timely consumption, supporting waste reduction. Specifically, we will have an ethylene sensor connected to pin A0, and a temperature sensor on pin A1. In the loop, the code continuously reads data from the sensors, converts it to meaningful values (e.g., ethylene concentration in ppm and temperature in Celsius), and classifies the levels into “low,” “medium,” or “high” with corresponding color codes. Premium GreenShields will be equipped with a mini-camera which will send images to our back-end, which will then be analyzed by the Spoonacular API to generate recipe ideas for users.

SDGs Connection

SDG 12 of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda focuses on ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns. GreenShield directly contributes to this goal by tackling food consumption at various points in the supply chain, including households, grocery stores, restaurants, and food suppliers. Specifically, GreenShield significantly extends the shelf life of produce by over 16% using advanced ethylene adsorption and carbon dioxide management. This innovation addresses food spoilage throughout the supply chain, from farm to table. By reducing food waste, GreenShield helps mitigate the environmental impact of decomposing organic matter, which contributes between 6% and 8% of global human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. The GreenShield app also empowers consumers to make more sustainable choices by providing real-time data on produce freshness and offering recipe suggestions for items nearing expiration. This functionality fosters mindful consumption and reduces unnecessary waste. Additionally, the app includes educational resources on food preservation techniques, promoting long-term behavioral shifts toward sustainability. GreenShield also supports sustainable production practices by minimizing food losses during transport and storage, ensureing more efficient production and delivery processes for food suppliers and distributors. The device itself is constructed from biodegradable PLA and renewable materials, further emphasizing GreenShield’s commitment to SDG 12. Additionally, the Zero Hunger Challenge (SDG 2) envisions a world where food systems are sustainable and no food is lost or wasted, and GreenShield will bring this to life. GreenShield will combat spoilage, a common source of waste, by addressing primary causes of produce deterioration, including ethylene accumulation, bacterial growth, and mold development. Its dual action of ethylene adsorption and antimicrobial protection is particularly effective for preserving highly perishable items like leafy greens.

Teens Dream Video Challenge Award Winners

1. Joy Sun - USA

My dream is to promote environmental advocacy through an interchangeable T-shirt and my non-profit, Change Into Change.

2720 liters of water are required to make one T-shirt from seed plantation, manufacturing, and production, an amount enough for one person to drink for three years. "One T-shirt, a Million Designs," was created to conserve our natural resources and eliminate consumerism culture.

2. Foncham Precious Andin - Cameroon

My dream is to eradicate menstrual stigma in my community and create a secure menstrual niche where girls can comfortably express their menstrual needs and gain support. I believe achieving this vision, I will be invariably achieving SDG 3 - Good health and Well-being as girls' mental and reproductive health will be guaranteed. I am more than determined to create this impact. I'm certain NOTHING can be a limitation when we promote the project together!

3. María Fernanda Claudia Jamanca Hancco - Peru

My dream is for a more inclusive country that not only recognizes the rights of the deaf community but actively promotes them and is willing to seek genuine inclusion of the deaf community. This can be done by learning Peruvian Sign Language (LSP) and by recognizing that their capabilities are the same as any other person. I founded with my best friend the organization 'Hablemos con las manos.' Together, we strive to turn this dream into a beautiful reality.

4. Kind Project Teens - Turkey

Our dream is to make children worldwide live and learn in peace, and be kind and happy. We started the Kind Project in our school community to make everybody feel valued, safe, and grateful for the simple actions of kindness we do on an average school day. We want to create a global online community for those who are willing to devote their time to others. We believe one can reach true delight and happiness in life only by working for the existence, honor, and happiness of future generations.

5. Sujan Shadrak - USA

I have always been interested in living in a future where we are a plastic-free society. I learned about the alternatives to plastic and began experimenting with bioplastics. I made bioplastics with plants, fruits and even shrimp shells. I took this to my local science fair each year and advanced to the state level. During my summer trip to India, I wanted to help the plastic pollution problem there, which led me to partner with a local nonprofit and raise money to buy metal reusable water bottles for the students there. With more funding I am planning on working with the nonprofit to find more areas where I can help out.

6. Theodora Attallah - UAE

My dream is to incorporate more green spaces to help reduce anxiety and depression within ever-growing cities. I plan to do this through Green alleyways, and small land blocks between buildings, to help become a more social and eco-friendly space, fostering community bonds, promoting health benefits, and aligning with SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being, and SDG 15 Life on Land.

7. Mason Sherman - Mexico

My dream is to make the elitist sport of golf accessible to underprivileged children so that they can enjoy the game as much as I can and experience a sport they wouldn't be able to. This relates to the tenth UN SDG of Reduced Inequality, as it aims to give the opportunity for children in low income to experience golf by getting rid of that boundary in my community.

8. Cindy Wang - USA

My goal is to create a month-long youth education program, particularly seeking out marginalized youth focusing on STEM. This program would teach students about the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics behind climate change and climate solutions. At the end of the program, students will form groups to create their own solutions to tackle climate change, participating in a culminating contest. This program would support the UN SDGs of quality education, gender equality, and climate action.

9. Luisell Ariana Valencia Garayar - Peru

My dream is more than that, it is my passion. I want all children in the world to have a quality education, regardless of their gender, economic status, geographic area, or other external factors. In this way, society will be able to improve and have better successful citizens in their lives. My passion will help students from all over the world to finish high school with the necessary knowledge through free education. Thus, I will encourage the authorities to invest more in the funding of education.

10. Faeeza Saleem Hashmi - Paskistan

As I live around the mountains of Hindu Kush, Himalayas, and Karakoram in the North of Pakistan, I have firsthand witnessed the deadly consequences of climate change. We are reaching a tipping point which will decide if the damage done can be reversed, or if there is an irreversible loss of habitable conditions. All of us need to play our part before it's too late. My dream is Project CO2, which aims at educating young people in my community about the causes, impacts, and aftermath of climate change while providing them with the skills and knowledge to lend a helping hand in mitigating the climate crisis.

Inspiration Awardees

Note: playlist is missing Whitney Burton’s video

1. Bisola Akintunde - Canada

I strongly believe that youth are the future and all children and youth should have access to proper education. My dream is for all children and youth to have access to proper education and the necessary support to better their health and wellbeing. In order to attain this goal, my dream is to launch a non-profit organization called FGEN.

The implementation of FGEN aims to achieve goal #4 of UN’s sustainable development goals: Quality Education, and goal #3, Good Health and Wellbeing.

2. Caitlyn Power - USA

My teen dream is to make reusable pads more accessible to those around the globe. If recycled cotton-based menstrual products were available, we could make reusable pads so there would be a cheaper and more sustainable alternative to the common-period products of today. These pads would help those who are struggling financially have an affordable option that would not require consistent payments and availability to all social classes around the world would allow women to partake in a more equitable society.

3. Nora Ribas Alba - Spain

My dream is a pledge to preserve the ocean's biodiversity. As a 15-year-old aspiring to be a marine biologist, the ocean is more that just water, it is my safe place. I've witnessed the profound impact of ocean acidification on coral reefs and marine life, and it pains me to see such beauty fading away. I'm compelled to save the ocean, not only for its diverse life forms but also because it's my sole connection with my grandad. And I feel that is my responsibility to save the ocean and all the innocent animals that are dying there, because its not their fault, it’s ours.

4. Titilope Olutu - USA

After my sudden assimilation into American society, I wished to address issues in my home country, Nigeria. In many Nigerian societies, girls faced restrictions during their periods, considered taboo. I wished to educate girls beyond pregnancy and reproduction, emphasizing the mental awareness that comes with a monthly period. I aimed to create an end poverty movement, providing high school girls with pads, kits, and a personalized guidebook on navigating menstrual cycles. I aim to make a meaningful impact on the lives of Nigerian girls and also wish to expand to other third-world countries.

5. Timothy Lindenfelser and Luke Evanson

We want to help spread awareness of ways to help protect our oceans, that includes getting the word out through social media, create monthly ocean tips, maybe videos and form a new Teens Dream SDG Hub for UN Sustainable Goal #14 Life Below Water. We will work with our hub to talk with experts in the field with information so that teens in the hub can learn more and tell other teens about how they can protect Life Below Water.

6. Neva Joseph - USA

In my dream, I envision a city transformed into a model of sustainability, aligning with the UN's Goal of "Sustainable Cities and Communities" (SDG 11). This city boasts green spaces, renewable energy integration, and efficient public transportation, contributing to reduced carbon emissions and a higher quality of life. This dream embodies the vision of SDG 11, striving for inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable urban environments that harmonize with nature and promote the well-being of all residents.

7. Whitney Burton - USA

Runoff is one of the biggest water pollutants and causes significant marine/wildlife damage. My dream is that everywhere there is a body of water, there will be a rain
garden. This relates to goal 14 of the UN SDGs. Rain gardens can help prevent pollution by catching plastic, chemical pollution, and even water eutrophication because they can absorb some of the fertilizers beforehand. I would like to start an organization to educate teens about rain gardens and how to create them and motivate teens to make them in their communities and spread the idea across the nation.

Teens Dream Video Challenge Award Winners

Aanand Mehta - USA

How to achieve the sixth UN SDG on clean water and sanitation<em>. I dream of enhancing access to clean water. I also dream of helping save water into tanks and reservoirs. I again dream of educating individuals on keeping water away from contamination and animal droppings. Finally i dream of raising awareness on the use of environmental friendly farm chemical inputs. To help keep aquatic life from DDT and Mercury poisoning which can then be transferred to the human consumer.

Yaren Kurt - Turkey

My dream is to produce a device kit that recycles waste kitchen oils by turning them into soaps or candles. With this kit, I can encourage people to recycle their waste oils in return for making their own soaps, and candles in a short amount of time. My project aims to reduce our carbon footprint and save our world from the pollution of improperly disposed waste kitchen oils. Therefore, the problem concerns a total of 3 UN Sustainable Development Goals: #14 Life Below Water, #15 Life on Land, and #6 Clean Water and Sanitation.

Rida Fahd Rana - Pakistan

My dream project : the upcycle pad revolution. I'd like to start a non-profit organisation that visits schools weekly and encourages students to upcycle clean towels, cotton, and old t-shirts, teaching them how to make reusable sanitary pads to distribute to women who are less fortunate or in need. Making them reusable will be a long-term solution for women to become less reliant on disposable pads, which have drawbacks if not rehabilitated. Additionally, students can be invited to create flyers to distribute to the general public and to post on social media as well as the website , which will act as a hub for those wanting to gain information or share their own story of how period poverty has affected them . Thus educating students and people all over the globe on the importance of women's menstrual and reproductive health and eroding the wall of taboo with each small step. Period poverty's deprivations are intimately correlated to the SDGs, including SDG 1 (no poverty), SDG 4 (quality education), SDG 5 (gender equality), and SDG 6. (clean water and sanitation). But mainly SDG 3 (good health and well being).

Amara Nwuneli - Nigeria

My Teen 2022 dream is for every Nigerian, especially Nigerian youth, to get access to proper climate education. It is imperative to understand just how vital climate education is to the 13th SDG, Climate Action, and how, through the bestowing of this knowledge, people will be empowered to protect themselves and their homes. Climate education breaks the cycle of climate ignorance and vulnerability, allows people to understand and address the impacts of the climate crisis, and further inspires people to join the fight of mitigating global warming.

Kirabo Patricia - Uganda

"I have a burning desire in me to become a courageous global opponent against sexual harassment in schools.

 

A Uganda government study published on 25<sup>th</sup> Jan 2015 reported that 78% of school girls were facing sexual harassment in schools. I reviewed several other online articles which revealed that sexual harassment in schools is not a challenge for Africa only but rather a global pandemic.

 

Sexual harassment in Schools is a very serious issue that causes dangerous effects on the well being and academic performance of students who experience it. It takes many forms including verbal abuse, physical assault, unwanted sexual advances and rape. It has a long term psychological effect on students such as loss of esteem, depression and anxiety.

 

As Uganda's young superstar swimmer, I dream of changing the narrative of swimming competitions globally from being a sporting activity that generates fun to begin addressing the most challenging humanitarian concerns affecting the globe like sexual harassment which is at the bottom of my heart.

 

This dream pushed me and I founded a project called <strong>“Swim to Kick Sexual Harassment out of our Schools”</strong>

 

Every game and every medal I win, I dedicate it to students facing sexual harassment in school and for every financial benefit that comes with every medal, I use it to conduct school outreaches inspiring girls and boys in different schools not to stay silent but to speak up. I also conduct trainings with student leaders in participating schools to train their peers in life skills to be able to contain sexual harassment in schools before it occurs.

 

I am also carrying out a fundraiser to complete a community swimming pool project I started at my school. This swimming pool will gather the most-at-risk community teenage girls during the long school holidays to provide them with swimming lessons and life planning skills in order to be able to identify who wants to sexually harass them. Moreover the swimming pool will keep them busy and help them to avoid temptations of engaging in risky sexual relationships which young people usually have during the long school holidays. In this way I will be able to save them from contracting STIs, HIV and teenage pregnancies which could lead them to drop out of school.

 

My project is aligned with Sustainable Development Goal No. 3 (<strong>to achieve Good health and well being</strong>) and No. 4 (<strong>which seeks to achieve Quality Education</strong>) by 2030. We will never be able to achieve Goal No.3 if our learners are depressed, anxious and have lost self esteem because they are sexually harassed at school. Neither shall we attain Goal No.4 if teachers in schools are turning their learners into sex objects to quench their weird and un tamable sexual desires."

Jasmine Biju - USA

I do not have a dream; rather, passion scintillates in my blood, determination rests in my eyes, and a strong will to bring justice to the vitiligo community is at the core of my heart. The sixteenth goal of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals is to “Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.” Today, about 80 million diverse individuals are affected by vitiligo, a non-contagious and non-painful dermatological disease. I am a part of this statistic. What society does not know is that they suffocate us and steal our will to show our unmasked faces to the world. The stigma and lack of education associated with vitiligo have resulted in interminable staring, prolonged bullying, and discriminatory remarks. Throughout the course of my life, I have felt like an animal at the zoo: the subtleties of others moving away from me, giving afraid looks, and discreetly exchanging whispers made me feel like an exotic sight. To forget these incidents is like a wound: it will heal, but it will also leave a scar. This is the opposite of what the UNSDG is intending to do: to create an inclusive society. The purpose of this goal is for intersectionality to be embraced; however, it is often forgotten that medical conditions also fall under our identities. I aspire to break this stigma by creating a children’s picture book that demonstrates the beauty within vitiligo, a social media campaign that creates a powerful but educational platform, and a petition that confronts pharmaceutical companies and eminent governmental officials to demand change. It is within the power of these individuals to invest in research and change the lives of those with vitiligo that are condemned by the social construct that society has put in place; however, for some reason, profit takes precedence over human life and morality. I was diagnosed with vitiligo at the age of six. It is a part of my purpose to change the face of how society views those with vitiligo and how those with vitiligo view themselves: we are rare beauties. It is only when we embrace every distinctive feature of humans on Earth that we will accomplish the sixteenth goal of the UNSDG as a society. If natural beauty is the most elegant form, why do we have to mask our faces to conceal what society thinks of as blemishes?</span>

Skye Williams - USA

My dream is to spread Aquaponics in Lafayette, Colorado by using the money from this grant to buy a small-scale operation for my school. By using this system, I will be able to provide food for the local community as well as to set an example of how effective it can be for sustainably producing food. As a part of a larger group in the Teens Dream Think Tank, I will push to make aquaponics a more widely recognized form of modern agriculture. At the same time, Aquaponics directly relates to goals 2, 3, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, and 15 of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, but most specifically to Climate Action, as it will create jobs, strengthen sustainable economies, reduce hunger, and will shift away from traditional farming methods for a more sustainable future.

Nna Winne Vallonia - Cameroon

My dream is to combat plastic pollution by developing an ecofriendly application which will provide users with a platform where they can sell out their recyclable plastic waste to companies that process them. I equally plan on organising workshops to train locals on methods to reuse, reduce and recycle plastic waste. My dream relates to SDG #12 : Responsible Consumption and Production.

James Chau Nguyen - USA

My biggest mission in life is to find a cure for glioblastoma, the brain cancer that took away my grandma’s life under my witness. The worst thing about this experience is that I can’t do anything to help at that moment.

Imagining cancer as “the invisible bad guy” and wanting to defeat him when video calling grandma in her last week, I decided to analyze my opponent, leading me to a realization: even after centuries of technological advancements, we still can't defeat an enemy as old as cancer, so instead, we must learn to befriend it.

I was reminded of the common cold, a disease without an official cure, that humans still tolerate despite the annual 36,000 people dying from it. 300 flu-causing rhinoviruses produce the “seemingly same” cold that actually differs from patient to patient, similar to how cancer is unique microscopically for every patient, but laypeople think of all cancer as one disease.

Seeing the parallel, an impulse immediately crosses my mind: what if we turn cancer into the “new common cold?

 

<span style=""font-weight: 400"">Though manufacturing CAR-T cells for injection can train our body to tolerate cancer, similar to vaccines for the flu, it’s too expensive and time-consuming. This is because doctors have to analyze the patients’ cancer cells’ DNA and design personalized T-cells accordingly. So 100 patients would require 100 different productions of 100 different CAR-T cells. Therefore, I have been attempting to design specialized Universal CAR-T cells, able to regulate the extent of cancer growth in almost any patient. The benefit of not having to recreate unique CAR-T for every patient saves lots of time and money.</span>

 

<span style=""font-weight: 400"">To reduce the costs, I plan to collect all the known CAR-T cells out there and analyze them to find key commonalities between all of them. This way, I could try to spot a protein or DNA segment that is found in all of the effective CAR-T cells. Then, I plan to use this valuable piece of protein or DNA to make universal CAR-T cells. Since I suspect that cancer is too heterogenetic, I am planning to create 3 different universal CAR-T cells. So that in the case when 1 does not work, there are still 2 other universal CAR-T cells. (This would require me to find 3 different proteins/ DNA trends across all effective CAR-T cells) To rephrase my goal, no matter what type of cancer the patient has, 1 of the 3 universal CAR-T cells I developed will be able to treat it.</span>

 

<span style=""font-weight: 400"">The normal process is 1) diagnosing the patient using a CTC chip, 2) analyzing their cancer cells’ DNA, and 3) manufacturing personalized CAR-T cells. My project aims to replace the current step 3 with “figuring which combo of the 3 universal CAR-T cells is the most effective for this particular patient.” This way, we just have to figure out which 1 out of 7 possibilities works best instead of which 1 out of infinite possibilities. After that, we mass-produce these 3 universal CAR-T cells so that CAR-T Therapy becomes a ready-to-go-off-the-shelf type of treatment, which makes it much more affordable and quick. If I accomplish this, I can’t even fathom how happy I would be and what’s next to come. </span>

 

<span style=""font-weight: 400"">Aiming to reduce patient deaths due to cancer, which is the most common cause for premature mortality, this project deeply relates to SDG #3 Good Health and Well-Being. People's health will be tremendously supported through Universal CAR-T Therapy as they will not have to endure the painful symptoms and conditions that cancer brings. I decided to address SDG #3 because, in my opinion, health is essential to all the other SDGs because health is the most critical aspect of anybody’s life. The inevitable truth is that without health, the presence of anything else does not matter. Supplementally, the crucial idea of making universal CAR-T cells cheaper and more accessible to everyone no matter how much money they make also overlaps closely with SDG #10 Reduced Inequalities. Inequalities in access to quality disease treatments will be minimized between the poor and the rich. In my vision, universal health coverage will be significant to achieving the development goals of good health and I’m honored to take a part in this fight for positive change. </span>"

Fausto Cristante - Spain

My project is called reduce to zero and it's a kit to help us reduce the food that we waste. Instead of throwing it away the reduce to zero kit and app helps you make , or donate to the local farmers, your own compost ,for your garden, or food ,to feed it to your animals, and help the process of making a sustainable environment while being related to the twelve objective : Resposable consuption and production.

Pham Ngan Ha. Pham Thu Quyen, Nguyen Ngoc Linh - Vietnam

Our dream is to create a nonprofit social project inspired by the 12th sustainable development goal of the United Nations: Responsible Consumption and Production. Our project gears toward abandoned dogs and cats at rescue centers by collecting usable discarded clothes and then donating those so that dogs and cats can lie on the clothes to keep them warm, especially in winter. Moreover, we also take advantage of those clothes to sew new clothes for them. The project benefits two main purposes, which are helping abandoned dogs and cats as well as reducing the amount of clothes waste. We are going to raise awareness about consuming fashion reasonably from such a great gesture! People are not only aware of being responsible consumers but also spread kindness and positivity to the community by donating their discarded items to those in need. That is also one of the core values that the United Nations in general and the 12th goal (Responsible Consumption and Production), in particular, are aiming for. We truly believe that one small action multiplied by thousands of people could somehow positively change our world. That is why we come up with the idea of creating our nonprofit social project!

Inspiration Awardees

Eloi Barceló Mata - Spain

Our dream is to end the abuse and the violence against gender in schools. In order to achieve that, </span>we would create an app for teens who suffer this type of discrimination at school. the app would work with one profile per person.  Anyone could post a problem and people who already have passed that and know how to solve those problems will be able to help people who are suffering and can provide some advice.

Afolabi Afolake - Nigeria

My dream is to help people with disabilities cope. It relates with UN SDG 3 (Good health and well-being) because it provides awareness to children and others out there with down syndrome

Abdallah Karm - Egypt

Our dream is to revive polluted beaches and make them sustainable for living organisms on coasts and in marine and that will refine life on land and life below water

Awesha Mengal - Pakistan

"My dream is to address climate change and environmental issues to sustain a healthy evolution of life on the planet for all.This aligns with SDG #13 ""Climate Action"" and SDG #15 ""Life on Land.""

Pakistan is vulnerable to the impact of climate change with heatwaves, droughts, and heavy rainfall adversely affecting health, economy, and food security, as well as the environment and biodiversity.

 

The extreme heatwaves and destructive floods in 2022 serve as a stark warning that natural disasters brought on by climate change have the potential to seriously hamper Pakistan's development and efforts to fight poverty. More than 8 million people have been left homeless, over 1,700 individuals have died, and 33 million people are affected as a result of these calamities. There have been significant losses and damages totalling more than $30 billion dollar to infrastructure, assets, crops, and livestock.

 

The Germanwatch Annual Report (2020) classified Pakistan as the fifth most climate-vulnerable country. This is causing global warming, which is a serious threat to life on earth.

 

However, the media reporting and public awareness of climate and environmental issues are almost zero.

 

To address these, I want to develop a project to organize young teenage students (13-18) into groups, empower them through sensitising on climate and environment issues and protection, providing them plateforms (Climate And Environment Protection Clubs) and then engage them in a clean-and-green environment campaign that involves planting 1000 trees and raising public awareness.

 

Furthermore, we will identify and share video stories from communities affected by climate change, sensitize journalists to report climate and environmental issues in media, and advocate for policy action to stop deforestation and promote afforestation."

Kah Angel Couragezia - Cameroon

"The need for literacy in the domain of reproductive health is of utmost importance in my community. A community plagued by the adverse effects of improper reproductive health care. The need of reproductive and sexual health education is significant to me because I have had several encounters with young people especially teenagers who were ignorant about their reproductive health and this had caused them a lot of pain and trauma. Educating young people has the potential to reduce the negative effects illiteracy comes along with such as, drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, abortions, birth control methods, care of baby and mother, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and safe sexual practices.

 

As a reproductive health advocate, I feel the need for reproductive health education in order to create awareness and sensitize young people. Again, it provides knowledge about the menstrual cycle,prevention of early pregnancies, solutions and information in case of rape.

 

Being  an advocate of the SDGs , this is in line with SDG 3 , Good health and wellbeing but I realized that dealing with this sdg it also affect SDGs 1,2,6,8.

 

I believe that this competition will enable me to acquire the necessary resources to use to educate myself to learn more and help teenagers in my community through Talks, in- person and online discussion by also partnering with trained personnel.

 

Also, I will leverage on social media platforms,  partner with Radio and TV stations in order to air reproductive health care information. Furthermore,  I will create sexual reproductive health clubs in schools

 

I believe that this will not just bring change to my community but go a long way inspire others beyond my community to do same and bring the change we all love to see.

 

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Eboka Terry Nanje - Cameroon

Nowadays most people are very reluctant to read or to even explore books outside their academic scope. My dream is geared towards initiating a reading culture in schools notably those without resources like libraries. It stemmed from my experience transitioning to high school. In my new school, I discovered that the students there engaged a lot in reading non-academic books. I also observed a better academic performance among those students compared to my previous school. So, I carried out a survey to confirm my hypothesis on the impact of reading non-academic books. The survey results were positive.I envision not only igniting a reading culture among students, but also encouraging the exploration of a wide range of different genres; Unlike common happenings, I would like to find science students getting immersed in history texts/literary pieces
Similarly I’d like to find arts students getting immersed in scientific articles

I believe one of the impacts of reading is that it broadens one’s mind So by encouraging such diversity in the types of books people read, I think it can be advantageous to future readers and inadvertently influence our education &nbsp

Rafael Loza Pena - Mexico

End with puberty or at least make it to be less

Siddhaarth C M - India

Ever since my childhood, I have been fascinated by animals, birds, and plants. In 16 years of my life on earth, I understand that we humans are snuffing out the animals and plants of our planet one after another. This self-destructing behavior of our species needs to be reversed and it needs to be done now. The more diverse the organisms on earth, the more secure the lives on earth including humans.

 

I hope to make a difference by joining the army of conservationists who have been relentlessly working to restore the planet's Biodiversity.</span>"

Efe Aktas - Turkey

My dream is to create a world of peace in which children live healthily without suffering. My dream is kids getting equity of education. As the SDG#1, SDG#3 and SDG#4 say, no poverty, well-being and health and quality education are urgent needs at present, especially for us, children. If any kid who is living in poverty could go to school now, my dream would come true. This is not possible without peace in the world. I want to feel safe and confident about creating a just, sustainable world for little kids and teens of my age around the world to grow and make their dreams come true!

Bushrah - Nigeria

"Burning of plastic waste has been a habit in my community. Plastic waste have been an environmental threat in my community and Nigeria generates over 32 million tons of waste, plastic are none bio-degradable.

My dream is to cultivate the culture of proper waste management by using the model of incentive-based collection in various communities.

My dream is to also recycle plastic waste into eco-friendly products which is affordable building materials like interlocking blocks, floor tiles and roof tiles. Generating revenue, creating employment for community women and sanitizing the environment in the process.
My dream relates to SDG 13 which is to recycle paper, glass, plastic, metal and old electronics."

Marc - Spain

My dream is to make the action of cleaning the world more common with the help of an app where you could post your efforts to improve the world we live in. This relates to the 12 SDG, Responsible Consumption and Production, but it can also relate to the 14 and 15 SDG, Life Below Water and Life On Land, but this depends on which actions choose the users of the app.

Teens Dream Video Challenge Award Winners

Tiya Madhavan - Illinois

My dream is to establish a nonprofit organization that provides art and design programs to students in underprivileged schools. Through creating a platform that empowers youth artists from across the world, students from underfunded schools can be given the opportunity to explore their creative skills while connecting and encouraging teen artists to sell their art. I hope to brighten the days of students who lack access to quality art education and foster innovative and artistic minds in the next generation.

Ranye Ezenekwe – Colorado

My dream is to combat global desertification. Desertification occurs when arable land degrades due to destructive human activities. Often, food resources become scarce and droughts increase in prevalence. 75% of global desertification is caused by over-cultivation. To keep up with rapid population growth, global crop yields must increase by 70% by 2050. To do so, farmers employ intensive cultivation methods that deteriorate soils, deplete freshwater resources, and contribute to desertification. Contradictorily, the solution to this crisis lies in weeds. Weeds are distinct from other plants because they can rapidly germinate and thrive in depleted soils. However, they often compete with crops for space and are expensive for farmers to eradicate. If farms collect the seeds from unwanted weeds and replant them strictly in desertified areas, these seeds will quickly grow to provide essential nutrients to degraded soils without disrupting nearby vegetation. Once the weeds have restored the soil, the area can be replaced with larger trees and crops to help feed our population and promote diverse ecosystems. To take this one step further, farmers can use these leftover pulled weeds to create a liquid fertilizer solution that I call “NutriBoost”. To make the fertilizer, farmers will add weeds and water to a large bucket and let sit for thirty days. Afterward, farmers will use a sieve to separate the plant material, seeds, and water. The separated seeds can again be replanted to continue the cycle of restoring degraded soils. The leftover plant material, however, will be blended with the collected nutrient-rich water. This mixture will leave farmers with organic fertilizers to aid crop growth and maintain soil quality. Evidently, my plan aligns with the UN’s fifteenth sustainable development goal of preserving life on land. By repurposing weeds, the world can minimize desertification while ensuring that all communities are provided equitable access to nutritious foods.

Lauren – Colorado

My idea is a day dedicated to reducing food-related carbon emissions, called National Eat Conscious Day. This day would incentivise people to eat in a conscious way to help bring down carbon emissions. That would involve eating locally and eating foods with a lesser environmental impact, like fruits and vegetables. I would also likely create a website, one page of which would contain recipes. This addresses the UN Sustainable Development Goal of Climate Action, as carbon emissions are a big factor in climate change. By working to reduce carbon emissions, we are taking action to help our planet.

Sirihaasa Nallamothu – Illinois

I hope to create an algorithm that predicts Syncope in POTS patients.

Priya Stamper - Texas

My dream is to make it more equitable for students from all backgrounds to attend college by drawing attention to the importance of a school profile. This corresponds with UN SDG #4 Quality Education.

Louise Victoria Sanches Barbosa – Brazil

As a child, seeing the hardships women had to go through in my family to have enough money to survive, made my dream be to promote women’s economic empowerment worldwide. This involves capacitating girls with skills needed for the job market, as well as increasing their access to financial resources, often restricted for this group. A pivotal path for me to conquer this dream is to create an organization that provides girls with information that can be used to generate revenue, especially the ones about social entrepreneurship. This has an intrinsic relationship with the 5th Sustainable Development Goal since gender equality can only be achieved when women have the means to achieve their economic independence. Additionally, teaching girls about the development of social business - the main step in my dream - also means that they will have enough information to work towards achieving any SDG that they are passionate about.

Nathan T. Liu – California

My dream is to form a global foundation that supports scientific research using Artificial Intelligent and Robotic in wildfires prevention. I call my dream “Project Silvanus”. Silvanus is the Roman deity of the woods and the protector of the forest. My dream related to SDG #13 "Climate Action" and #15 "Life on Land" with a special focus on "sustainably manage forests"

Bru Ayach Sibina – Spain

My dream is to clean the beaches and seas , this will improve all the ocean ecosystem. My proposal is related to the SDG #14 Life Below Water.

Danielle Reed - Georgia

I've got many dreams that I want to achieve. Some include being a famous conservationist and spreading conservation messages around the world, moving to Australia to become a Zoo Curator, having successful companies, getting degrees in Environmental Science and Zoology, and so much more. These are all long term dreams and goals, but my short term goal and dream is to create an online mega-platform for conservationists all around the world. This platform will be called "Consearthimal". As the name suggests, "Consearthimal" will concern the conservation of the Earth and its animals. This huge platform will become a one-stop shop for everything conservation related. People can see anything from petitions to articles. They can also see start-up projects, quizzes, forums, and so much more. This project relates to 6 UN SDGs, but it mainly concerns #15, Life on Land. I hope for this to be the kickstart on my journey as a conservationist!

Martí Pagès Llauradó – Spain

Our dream consists in creating an app to help people with terminal disease that feel al one.

Changemaker Award Winners

Mar Garmendia Gasca - Spain

My dream is that girls from an early age don’t suffer from sexual abuse and don’t feel inferior to a man the moment they want to reach any job. That’s why I would like to create a project against the abusers and empower young girls to defend themselves. Goal 5 - Gender Equality.

Emma Casini and Kailey Hughes – Colorado

We want to address the issue of low-quality education in the U.S. and beyond which can also lead to unequal opportunities for many. Evidence shows that more funding in students' education can increase the outcome of achievements. This is important for students that are low-income and might not have access to the proper materials needed. Our solution for this issue is to have libraries help students and have the materials available for students. For example having tutoring sessions, computer access and possibly having the library have a section related to school texts so that students can access needed textbooks and required texts without needing to buy them. We would want to start in rural areas near us but hope to expand globally. To fund this system we want to implement an "Adopt a Library" system for businesses. Starting with education is a great way to improve the world and make a change.

Paula Lladós Casalprim – Spain

My dream is make the oceans clean again as they used to be before the plastic revolution.

Hilal Şenol & Ganime Nisa Özkan & Demir Özütok & Ayşegül Coşar & Bengisu Ece Tosun & Ata Uğurlu & Naz Önsal & Derin Önsal & İhsan Batuhan Güzel & Nisa Duru Yapıcı – Turkey

With this work we did, we wanted to see the world of women from our window. The difference created by gender discrimination in society cannot be underestimated. For this purpose, we have made it our duty to contribute as much as we can, and we have prepared an awareness video so that gender inequality, one of the biggest problems of our age, is seen as a problem by everyone. Our dream is to make our world equal, fair, and more livable.

Ege Aydıner, Ayça Orhan, İdil İn, Aşkıala Yücel, Yiğit Özenen, Nehir Avcı, Derin Artun Şenol, Ecem Aydın, Emel Tohumcuoğlu - Turkey

Our dream is to show people where is the world going. Because world is being dragged to chaos right now. We might not be able to make everyone aware of this danger but if we start from small things like us, a group of highschool students trying to help the world, we can manage this goal.

Palmira Mauricio – Mozambique

I have big dream of change the planet from the pollution and plastic cause I have seen alot of pollution in my area and that has been big problem some marine specie's and biodiversity also isn't helpful local community that their substance is in ocean. I have created first mushrooms project as way to teach about pollution and think out of the box and I now want to try beauty product using recycled materials . I have also another dream that's about gender and equality but didn't focus on that yet cause first still wanna work on a way to reduce pollution...

Rasak Akorede Stephen – Nigeria

It all started August 16 2015 when I received this shocking news that a friend of mine just died due to the lack of water to an extent he had to drink the water where waste gather to decay and many people has been drinking this water due to the lack of water in the community. Did you know cholera kill about 1.3 to 4.0 million people every year. This is very sad also according to me and my team research many people have died due to this same menance in this same community. Due to the fact that people where not able to dispose their refuse in the community this is one of the main reason they dump it anywhere. May my friend soul rest in perfect peace.

2020 Awardee Playlist

Mentor Awardees

Certificates of Recognition

José Pablo Álvarez Preinfalk - Costa Rica

Create an online network in our communities in which people can help others by donating food items

Michelle Villalba – New York

Prevent sexual assault by fostering a culture of consent in early education with the program MY CONSENT

Georgina Cebrià Sala – Spain

Increase the awareness plastic (and microplastic) waste with an app

Priya Stamper – Texas

Educate kids on how to build a lifetime of habits that promote good mental health

Kourtney Rathke - Colorado

Create pop-up non-profit grocery stands in areas where food insecurity is prevalent

Simay Irmak – Turkey

Challenge and change sexist assumptions through a social media awareness campaign

Isabelle Schantz – Colorado

Alleviate hunger through the Compassionate Consumption Program

Yiğit Kılıçkını – Turkey

Clean toxic water from industry through an aquaponics system

Keanna Davenport - Iowa

Plant trees in my community to raise awareness of different types of deforestation, and combat the issue locally

Ravza Elif Ekinci – Turkey

Demolish the "wastes bridges" that extend to the 7th continent and spread awareness of "how to consume"

$500 Award Winners 

Grace Angela Comerford - Illinois

Write a book that describes global warming in an easy to comprehend manner and elaborates on what kids can do to help our planet

Jibeh Fatty – New York

End female genital mutilation around the world by creating a book titled “We Will Not Be Tamed”

Sumya Abida – New York

Reduce plastic pollution in the ocean through the app DO YOUR PART developed specifically for young people

Faisal AlFozan – Kuwait

Convert PET bottle waste into 3D printer filament to eliminate plastic waste

Aurora Sadasy & Esther Bistricer - New York

Address homelessness and uplift the unhoused through community gardens and equitable education

Ellie Miyasaki – California

Rid the ocean of plastic pollution by collecting trash before it enters major waterways

Faaris Zuberi, Dylan Safai, and Eeshaan Shukla – Maryland & California

Develop Porta, a groundbreaking app that helps immigrants learn financial literacy

Ainsley Martin – New Mexico

Educate more people on the 7 principles of Leave No Trace while enjoying outdoor activities

Mena Jiménez Mallerly Jennifer - Ecuador

Help small businesses be more competitive in the digital world

Sarah Olson, Haley Jansons, Isabella Shady, Madelyn Stochaj - Massachusetts

Encourage data-driven, widespread recycling through local school system. Address injustice through plantings in disadvantaged neighborhoods to capture carbon, reduce air pollution

Congratulations to all of our 2019 Video Contest Winners. Our Grand Prize winner was given $500 and announced October 3rd 2020 at our Virtual Celebration – awarded to Laia Martinoy Batlle, of Catalonia Spain, for her wonderful video focused on stopping hunger by saving the food we are wasting, which supports SDG #12 on Responsible Consumption and Production.

2019 List:

Laia Martinoy Batlle – Catalonia, Spain

My dream is to stop hunger by saving the food we are wasting now, which supports SDG #12 on Responsible Consumption and Production

Ryan Song – Auburn, Washington, USA

My dream is that we all work together to have a big impact to save our planet, which supports SDG # 13 on Climate Action

Kristina Smolianinova – Abu Dhabi, UAE

My dream is to provide valuable education for all children, critical for most humans to improve life style, which supports SDG #4 on Quality Education

Samuel Parker Celico – Denver Colorado, USA

My dream is to see cities design tiny housing, aligning with SDG #11 on Sustainable Cities and Communities

Gulcin Eroglu and Team - Turkey

My dream is to prevent food waste because we have enough food to feed everyone. As Yunus Emre says, "if we share, we will be full. If we are separated, we will disappear.

Ceren Nur Polat – Turkey

My dream is that we have a genderless society, in alignment with SDG #5 Gender Equality

Claire Cohen – Orange County, California, USA

My dream is to stop the pollution that is destroying the coral reefs which could lead to endangerment of all marine life, supporting SDG # 14 Life Below Water.

Muweera Joseph – Uganda

My dream is an education system based on project based learning, in line with SDG #4 on Quality Education.

Magali Brunner – Girona, Catalonia, Spain

My dream is to erase loneliness of elders by bringing together the elderly with the young, relating to SDG #3, Good Health and Well-being.

Congratulations to all of our 2018 Video Contest Winners. Our Grand Prize winner was given $500 and announced at our 2019 Washington DC Teens Dream Celebration – awarded to Keoni Carrion of Orangevale, CA USA for his dream focusing on improving our oceans by inspiring others to be change makers via his filmmaking, which relates to Life Below Water SDG #14.

2018 List:

Madison Agraviador – Long Beach, CA, USA

My dream is to reduce the amount of food we waste, which supports SDG #12 on Responsible Consumption and Production

Keoni Carrion – Orangevale, CA, USA

My dream is to improve our oceans by inspiring others to be change makers via my filmmaking, which relates to Life Below Water SDG #14

Jacob Esmane – Long Beach, CA, USA

My dream is to spread autism awareness and implement this into SDG #3 on Good Health and Wellbeing

Jay Fields – Long Beach, CA, USA

My dream is for the LGBT community to be seen as normal which supports SDG #10 on Reduced Inequality

Eren Levine – New York, NY, USA

My dream is to reduce the amount of paper wasted from the New York Bus System, supporting SDG #11 on Sustainable Cities and Communities

Pau Ramirez – Sant, Catalonia, Spain

My dream is to improve the world’s environment by limiting the water we throw away supporting SDG #12 Responsible Consumption and Production

Marieka Staheli – Shoreline, WA, USA

My dream is for the world to realize the urgency of the need to use clean energy, which relates to SDG # 13 on Climate Action

Zeynep Toprakbasti – Bellevue, WA, USA

My dream is to support people in expressing themselves through art so that their voices may be better heard as a way to reduce inequalities addressing SDG #10

Diana Vicezar, Asuncion, Paraguay

My dream is to help the 200 million stray dogs with housing, as a means of addressing SDG #15 Life on Land

Congratulations to all of our 2017 Video Contest Winners. Scroll down to view all of the winning videos. Winning submissions are listed below.

Congratulations to all of our 2017 Teens Dream Winners below! And, to Jacqueline Mendoza of California our 2017 $500.00 Grand Prize Winner!

2017 List:

Personal Dreams

Porter Christensen – Utah, USA

My dream is that through my creative works of storytelling and making films I will be able to unite the world to address goals like discrimination, poverty, and violence.

Cyril King – Connecticut, USA

My dream is to to rise up and fight for equality of all people, but specifically people of LGBT+ who are discriminated against who often live in fear, sadness, depression and wanting of acceptance. I want to give them hope.

Victor Corja – Virginia, USA

My dream is that my home country of Moldova could have more international aid and support to help it have stronger institutions and be free of corruption.

Community Dreams

Mar Torrent & Laia Font – Spain

My dream is that during Christmas people will use responsible light consumption, avoid buying useless presents, and recycle wrappings, to address responsible consumption and production because we live in a world where consumism rules.

Ryann Chalmers – California, USA

My dream is for my community to help address the stigma around mental health and that we can work together to help people who struggle with mental health issues.

Pramudito Harjo Widodo – Indonesia

My dream is that kids in my country of Indonesia will break the loop of poverty by offering everyone a free education so they can have better jobs and a better life than their parents.

Global Dreams

Jacqueline Mendoza – California, USA

My dream is for the entire world to be aware of life below water and what damage we are causing to the lifeforms underneath.

Maria Drăgoi – Romania

My dream is to convince everyone that non-formal education and experimental learning is vital to educate more effectively.

Jonathan Yun – Connecticut, USA

My dream is that people will be able to see past the comfort of their lives and environment and to places where we sometimes forget exist, like the ocean.

Congratulations to all of our 2016 Video Contest Winners. Scroll down to view all of the winning videos. Winning submissions are listed below.

Congratulations to all of our 2016 Teens Dream Winners below! And, to Elena Beer of London our 2016 $500.00 Grand Prize Winner!

2016 List:

Personal Dreams

Charlie Werner and Harrison Segal – Califonia USA

Our dream is to encourage people to pick up one piece of trash a day, which would have a massive impact on our environment. This video raises awareness about how the environment is affected by people littering, especially in coastal areas.

Austin Anthony Cofrancesco – Connecticut USA

My dream is to create peace and justice between police forces and citizens. I want my dream to come true because there are so many stories about how balck people are being treated wrongly by police.

Sophia T. Alfred – Maryland USA

My dream is to help break the shackles of the political, social, and economic inequalities designed to censor creativity and block potential by entertaining (creating music and dancing to it). I hope to give young people everywhere the inspiration, motivation, and support to nationalize and globalize their culture and voice.

Community Dreams

Adrianna Rosario – Georgia USA

My dream is to improve education, beginning with my community. There are many ways education fails students of varying learning-types, but I think the solutions are out there.

Henry Max Paterson – New Zealand

My dream is to get New Zealand’s rivers back up to the standard they were twenty years ago. Our rivers are filled with high levels of Nitrates and E. Coli, and over 90% of our low lying rivers are classified as polluted so few of our rivers are now swimmable with most completely dried up.

Sanjana Shah – California USA

My dream is to use my technical skills to bridge the gender gap, so that girls are not under-represented in the programming field. I started mentoring young girls when I was in my middle school and I feel that by doing that, I have the potential to make a difference.

Global Dreams

Elena Beer – London, UK

My dream is to save the environment by means of responsible consumption and production. The steps are little for the average person yet with everyone taking them, the staircase leads us to a much healthier world!

William Boucher – France

Our dream is that one day, there will be zero food waste. This dream is connected to the twelfth sustainable development goal, responsible consumption and production as responsible consumption means zero food waste.

Elizabeth Dearden-Williams – London UK

My dream is that inequality in the world and the focus on our differences will be reduced to such a level that peace, nonviolence and justice will come more naturally to us as world citizens.

Congratulations to all of our 2015 Video Contest Winners. Scroll down to view all winning video submissions and their dreams.

Congratulations to all of our 2015 Teens Dream Winners below! And, to JAYO of South London our 2015 $500.00 Grand Prize Winner!

2015 List:

Personal Dreams

Jordan (JAYO), South London, UK – GRAND PRIZE WINNER!

My dream is that millions will hear my music.

Soren and Amir, London, UK

Our dream is to make movies with each other.

Marina, New York

My dream is to one day become a film editor and director

Community Dreams

Anthony, Minnesota, USA

My dream is that we work to reduce the stigma around mental health.

Vanessa, Georgia, USA

My dream is to help the homeless in our communities.

Ruby and Gabby, Alabama, USA

Our dream is that everyone can have a quality education.

Global Dreams

Anna, Michigan, USA

My dream is that the world would be free from the dependence on animals with a first step creating a stem cell hamburger.

Marcus, Estonia

My dream is that people care to purchase chocolate produced without child labor.

Catherine and Kylie, Kentucky, USA

Our dream is that all women have access to education, especially those from developing countries.

Congratulations to all of our 2014 Video Contest Winners. Scroll down to view all of the winning videos.

Congratulations to all of our 2014 Teens Dream Winners below! And, to Carly Johnson our 2014 $500.00 Grand Prize Winner.

2014 List:

Personal Dreams

Allison Baumgart, Endicott, NY
Tim Eddy, Lennox Head, Australia
Connor Den Boer, Phoenix, AZ
Community Dreams

Lauren Smith, Concord, NC
Riko Miyazaki, Tallulah Falls, GA
Jenna Larson, Rockford, IL
Global Dreams

Salvatore Negro, Pemberton, NJ
Carly Mae Johnson, Allen, TX
Cameron Kostopoulos, Fort Worth, TX

© 2024 Teens Dream Co Lab