Video Competition Winners 2022 – Teens Dream Co Lab

Teens Dream Video Challenge Award Winners

How to achieve the sixth UN SDG on clean water and sanitation. 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 25th 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 â€œSwim to Kick Sexual Harassment out of our Schoolsâ€ 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 (to achieve Good health and well being) and No. 4 (which seeks to achieve Quality Education) 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 â€œPromote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.â€ 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 childrenâ€™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?

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 grandmaâ€™s life under my witness. The worst thing about this experience is that I canâ€™t do anything to help at that moment. Imagining cancer as â€œthe invisible bad guyâ€ 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 â€œseemingly sameâ€ 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 â€œnew common cold? Though manufacturing CAR-T cells for injection can train our body to tolerate cancer, similar to vaccines for the flu, itâ€™s too expensive and time-consuming. This is because doctors have to analyze the patientsâ€™ cancer cellsâ€™ 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. 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. The normal process is 1) diagnosing the patient using a CTC chip, 2) analyzing their cancer cellsâ€™ DNA, and 3) manufacturing personalized CAR-T cells. My project aims to replace the current step 3 with â€œfiguring which combo of the 3 universal CAR-T cells is the most effective for this particular patient.â€ 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 canâ€™t even fathom how happy I would be and whatâ€™s next to come.Â 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 anybodyâ€™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 Iâ€™m honored to take a part in this fight for positive change.Â "

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 theirÂ 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,Â we would create an app for teens who suffer this type of discrimination at school. the app would work with one profile per person.Â 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. BeingÂ 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,Â partner with Radio and TV stations in order to air reproductive health care information. Furthermore,Â 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.      "

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 Iâ€™d like to find arts students getting immersed in scientific articles I believe one of the impacts of reading is that it broadens oneâ€™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."

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: