Do you ever feel like the world is going out of control? Do you ever feel small, powerless, inconsequential, as if you’re small actions and good intentions are going unnoticed?
To all of you, we say this – no. No, you are not small. No, you are not powerless. No, you are not inconsequential. And no, your positive actions and intentions are in no way flying under the radar.
How do we know this? We know this because you are young. You are full of hope, fire, passion, and a belief that it is up to you – your generation and the ones to come after you – to leave the world in a better state than you found it in.
The initiative
The six-two 35 under 35 changemakers of 2018 therefore is about one thing – humans. People just like you, who share your vision and passion, and who have translated this into actions, technologies and solutions geared towards a better future.
Running throughout the duration of April, 35 under 35’s intention is to spotlight 35 incredible individuals under the age of 35 who are changing the game within fields we care most passionately about; fields that over the years we have proactively been involved in through both our own sustainability initiative, Contiki Cares, and through TreadRight, a not-for-profit foundation founded by The Travel Corporation.
The categories
The categories within which our 35 individuals will be chosen are as follows:
- Water
- Human rights
- Zero waste
- Mental wellbeing, specifically relating to sexuality, mental health and body confidence
- Animal welfare
- The young leaders of tomorrow
- six-two picks
The judges
To pick our 35 individuals from around the world, we’ve teamed up with a select panel of judges who are leaders within their fields – people who are respected for what they do, and who’s voices and opinions have the power to create positive change. Each judge will be nominating 5 individuals from within their category. Wanna meet them?
Water category – Seth Maxwell
Seth Maxwell is CEO of The Thirst Project, a non-profit organization whose aim is to bring safe drinking water to communities around the world where it is not immediately available.
Read our interview with Seth here.
Human rights category – Sarain Fox
Sarain Fox is a prominent indigenous activist and the host of VICELAND’s ‘RISE’ series. Sarain is also the ambassador to the Manitobah Mukluks Storyboot School, a TreadRight supported project.
Read our interview with Sarain here.
Zero waste category – Celia Ristow
Celia Ristow is a leader in the zero waste space and author of the blog Litterless, which offers a beautiful, practical approach to zero waste and sustainable living.
Read our interview with Celia here.
Mental wellbeing category – Alayna Fender & Michael Rizzi
Alayna & Michael are YouTubers who regularly discuss their own journeys towards self-acceptance whilst providing support and advice on topics including sexuality, body confidence and mental health.
Read our interview with Alayna & Michael here.
Animal welfare category – Aliya Jasmine
NBC host Aliya Jasmine is an environment and wildlife reporter who uses her public profile to raise awareness around animal welfare. AJ is also celebrity ambassador for World Animal Protection, a TreadRight supported organization.
Read our interview with Aliya Jasmine here.
Young Leaders of tomorrow – Craig Kielburger
Craig Kielburger co-founded the WE Movement with his brother Marc Kielburger, which includes WE Charity, ME to WE social enterprise, and WE Day. A humanitarian, activist and social entrepreneur, Craig has inspired millions of young people to take action and make the world a better place.
Read our interview with Craig here.
six-two picks – six-two
Of course, alongside our esteemed panel of judges, we also wanted to recognize just some of the young people who inspire us every day. Our picks come from both the travel industry, and the categories listed above.
Meet the 35 under 35 changemakers of 2018
We will be updating this list daily throughout April, as we share our 35 under 35 winners. Stay tuned!
Water Category
Boyan Slat: CEO of The Ocean Cleanup > read about Boyan here
Michael Miller: Co-Founder of Walk4CleanWater > read about Michael here
Erica Wang: Co-Founder of Walk4CleanWater > read about Erica here
Rachel Chang: Creator of a water purifying system with the potential to save millions
Kristen de Guzman: Community leader who raised $12,000 for a well in Swaziland > read about Kristen here.
Human rights category
Patrisse Cullors: co-founder of Black Lives Matter > read about Patrisse here
Esra’a Al Shafei: Founder and Executive Director of Majal & CrowdVoice > read about Esra’a here
Autumn Peltier: The 13 year old fighting for clean water and putting Canada’s Justin Trudeau in line > read about Autumn here
Naelyn Pike: Young, indigenous, and inspiring a generation of activists > read about Naelyn here
Tanzila Khan: The woman destigmatizing disability in Pakistan and beyond > read about Tanzila here
Zero waste category
Brittney LaGesse: Founder of Refill Revolution > read about Brittney here
Chloë Stewart: Founder of Nibs Inc > read about Chloë here
Sonya & Nina Montenegro: Founders of The Far Woods > read about the sisters here
Brianne Miller: Founder of Nada Grocery > read about Brianne here
Sascha Dhanjal: Founder of Saffi Foods > read about Sascha here
Mental wellbeing category
Chrissy Chambers: The first person to ever win a revenge porn case > read about Chrissy here
Roly: The non-binary, LGBTQ+ advocate inspiring others to be their true selves > read about Roly here
Melanie Murphy: The Irish queen of self acceptance > read about Melanie here
Kati Morton: The YouTube therapist debunking mental health > read about Kati here
Loey Lane: The plus size vlogger teaching us to love the skin we’re in > read about Loey here
Animal Welfare category category
Gus Kenworthy: The Olympic champion raising awareness on puppy farming > read about Gus here
Ashley Grindrod: Co-founder of TEAM Dog Rescue
Michelle Ellena: Founder of Compassion for Animals > read about Michelle here
Sophia Esperanza: The model using her social influence to advocate veganism > read about Sophia here
Neila Goldwyn: The 13 year old who dedicated her Bat Mitzvah to helping animals > read about Neila here
Young leaders of tomorrow category
Grace Callwood: The 13 year old founder and chairwoman of We Cancerve > read more about Grace here
Kimberly Ramirez Gonzalez: Former gang member and drug addict who used her experiences to found Girls United > read about Kimberley here
Rachel Brouwer: The 15 year old who created a water purifying system used the world over > read about Rachel here
Ava Santos-Volpe: The 13 year old campaigning for homeless and LGBTQ+ youth > read about Ava here
Nasir Andrews: The 13 year old who turned her bullying experience into a positive > read about Nasir here
six-two picks
Zander Srodes: Creator of Turtle Talks > read about Zander here
Divya Khandal: Founder of the Dhonk crafts centre in Ranthambore > read about Divya here
Camilo Jimenez: Founder of ECOPUNTOS, a gamified recycling initiative > read about Camilo here
Lindsay Tigar: The journalist changing the lives of single mothers in Colombia > read about Lindsay here
Abdel Alzorgan: The activist empowering the youth of Jordan and beyond
Think we’ve missed changemakers under the age of 35 off this list? Share the all stars who inspire you to live better everyday in the comments below…