Youth Champion In Environmental Action & Awareness Award

This award recognizes an inspiring young leader, aged 15 to 24, who has shown exceptional dedication to advancing water and environmental issues through activism, research, or community engagement. The recipient should embody innovation, resilience, and the ability to mobilize others. Their work may include leading grassroots campaigns, organizing clean-ups or awareness initiatives, developing innovative solutions for water and climate challenges, advocating for stronger environmental policies, or using creative platforms to engage communities. The award is open to nominees from Ontario, Canada, and highlights young leaders who amplify diverse perspectives, create opportunities for peer participation, and influence decision-making to advance sustainability and water security.

2025 Recipients

	Julia Baribeau (24, Kitchener–Waterloo, ON) Applied Solutions Advisor, Enviro-Stewards \| BASc in Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo For supporting communities through sustainable, locally led water initiatives—helping expand clean water access in the Global South and promoting sustainability innovation and intrapreneurship in Ontario Julia Baribeau advances community-led water security through engineering and social entrepreneurship. With Safe Water Social Ventures, she implemented biosand filtration and water kiosk projects in Uganda and South Sudan, pairing clean water access with local income generation. At Enviro-Stewards, she helps Canadian industries reduce waste and improve efficiency. Her time with Barefoot College in India strengthened her commitment to Indigenous water sovereignty and equity-driven innovation.
	Jenna Elshurafa (21, Toronto, ON) Youth Fellow in Diplomacy and Sustainable Development, UNU-INWEH \| Economics Student, University of Toronto For uplifting youth voices through inclusive leadership, public outreach, and creative storytelling—elevating diverse perspectives to inspire action on water and climate challenges Jenna Elshurafa bridges disciplines through storytelling, visual communication, and inclusive diplomacy. Through her advocacy and public engagement initiatives, Jenna has amplified awareness of urgent challenges such as water scarcity, plastic pollution, and climate resilience— making complex environmental and social justice issues more accessible. In the UAE, she helped lead a movement to replace plastic water bottles in pilates studios, starting a plastics-free campaign. Her cross-disciplinary work embodies the belief that diversity of thought and voice is essential to global sustainability. Her involvement in the first plastic-free pilates studio in Dubai is an example of Jenna's impactful work.
	Aimée Tai (21, Richmond Hill, ON) Founder, Neighbours for the Planet \| Materials Science & Engineering Student, University of Toronto For supporting water security and environmental sustainability through practical clean water solutions, inclusive design, and advocacy that engages communities locally and globally Aimée Tai co-developed a rainwater harvesting and filtration system in the Philippines designed to combat water scarcity through low-cost, community-led maintenance. Locally, as the founder of Neighbours for the Planet, she fosters collective climate action through education and engagement. Her research optimizing desalination membrane synthesis using Bayesian methods showcased how innovation and environmental stewardship can work hand-in-hand.
	Matthew Tyhurst (18, Halton Hills, ON) Climate Motivator, United Church of Canada \| Political Science & Legal Studies Student, University of Waterloo For encouraging community action and policy awareness through youth activism, collaboration across generations, and leadership in environmental education and climate advocacy A youth leader with the United Church of Canada and a public speaker on climate and democracy, Matthew Tyhurst has influenced local policy, including stopping a proposed gas plant expansion through youth-led mobilization. As a Vote16 Canada advocate, he promotes lowering the federal voting age and developed a municipal politics education program during a co-op with the Town of Halton Hills. He also served as Secondary Co-Chair of the Halton District School Board’s Environmental & Global Leadership Committee.

	Julia Baribeau (24, Kitchener–Waterloo, ON) Applied Solutions Advisor, Enviro-Stewards \| BASc in Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo For supporting communities through sustainable, locally led water initiatives—helping expand clean water access in the Global South and promoting sustainability innovation and intrapreneurship in Ontario Julia Baribeau advances community-led water security through engineering and social entrepreneurship. With Safe Water Social Ventures, she implemented biosand filtration and water kiosk projects in Uganda and South Sudan, pairing clean water access with local income generation. At Enviro-Stewards, she helps Canadian industries reduce waste and improve efficiency. Her time with Barefoot College in India strengthened her commitment to Indigenous water sovereignty and equity-driven innovation.
	Jenna Elshurafa (21, Toronto, ON) Youth Fellow in Diplomacy and Sustainable Development, UNU-INWEH \| Economics Student, University of Toronto For uplifting youth voices through inclusive leadership, public outreach, and creative storytelling—elevating diverse perspectives to inspire action on water and climate challenges Jenna Elshurafa bridges disciplines through storytelling, visual communication, and inclusive diplomacy. Through her advocacy and public engagement initiatives, Jenna has amplified awareness of urgent challenges such as water scarcity, plastic pollution, and climate resilience— making complex environmental and social justice issues more accessible. In the UAE, she helped lead a movement to replace plastic water bottles in pilates studios, starting a plastics-free campaign. Her cross-disciplinary work embodies the belief that diversity of thought and voice is essential to global sustainability. Her involvement in the first plastic-free pilates studio in Dubai is an example of Jenna's impactful work.
	Aimée Tai (21, Richmond Hill, ON) Founder, Neighbours for the Planet \| Materials Science & Engineering Student, University of Toronto For supporting water security and environmental sustainability through practical clean water solutions, inclusive design, and advocacy that engages communities locally and globally Aimée Tai co-developed a rainwater harvesting and filtration system in the Philippines designed to combat water scarcity through low-cost, community-led maintenance. Locally, as the founder of Neighbours for the Planet, she fosters collective climate action through education and engagement. Her research optimizing desalination membrane synthesis using Bayesian methods showcased how innovation and environmental stewardship can work hand-in-hand.
	Matthew Tyhurst (18, Halton Hills, ON) Climate Motivator, United Church of Canada \| Political Science & Legal Studies Student, University of Waterloo For encouraging community action and policy awareness through youth activism, collaboration across generations, and leadership in environmental education and climate advocacy A youth leader with the United Church of Canada and a public speaker on climate and democracy, Matthew Tyhurst has influenced local policy, including stopping a proposed gas plant expansion through youth-led mobilization. As a Vote16 Canada advocate, he promotes lowering the federal voting age and developed a municipal politics education program during a co-op with the Town of Halton Hills. He also served as Secondary Co-Chair of the Halton District School Board’s Environmental & Global Leadership Committee.