Age
14
Country of Residence
Kenya
Founding Story: What was the spark that led you to start your project? What was the "Aha!" moment that led you to get started and see the potential for this to succeed?
The spark behind Young Warriors Club Kenya began when I witnessed the growing environmental challenges affecting coastal communities in Mombasa, Kenya. Increasing floods and weather-related disasters, the destruction of mangrove forests and biodiversity, plastic pollution, food insecurity, and the loss of livelihoods made me realise that climate change was not a distant threat but a reality affecting people, nature, and the future of my generation. I recognised that young people, despite being among those most affected by environmental challenges, were often overlooked in climate action and decision-making. I believed that children and teenagers could be more than observers of the crisis; they could become active participants in restoring ecosystems and protecting their communities. This inspired me to found Young Warriors Club Kenya, creating a platform where young people aged 9–17 could learn about climate change, participate in mangrove planting and biodiversity restoration, tackle plastic pollution, and champion ocean conservation through hands-on action. What began as a determination to make a difference has grown into a youth-led movement working with 38 schools across Kenya’s coast and reaching over 2,000 students. I believe when young people are equipped with knowledge, practical skills, and opportunities to lead, they can become powerful agents of change.
How do you encourage other people to join your project or learn about the problem you’re working on? If you have a new idea, tell us how you will do this in the future.
We inspire others to take environmental action by making climate education engaging, practical, and rewarding. Through social media, digital content creation, and storytelling, we share our experiences, highlight environmental challenges facing coastal communities, and showcase how young people can become part of the solution. So far, our social media outreach has engaged over 500,000 people, helping raise awareness about climate change, plastic pollution, ocean conservation, and biodiversity restoration. We also use fun, hands-on activities to attract and retain young participants. Through mangrove planting, beach clean-ups, school eco-gardens, mangrove seedling nurseries, and upcycling plastic waste, young people learn by doing while seeing the difference their actions make. Our eco-gardens and other initiatives also create income-generating opportunities, showing young people that environmental conservation can support livelihoods and open pathways to green entrepreneurship. To date, we have actively engaged over 2,000 students across 38 schools along Kenya’s coast. Through our school eco-clubs, students organise independent environmental projects, conduct peer-to-peer training, speak at environmental events, and inspire their classmates, families, and communities to adopt more sustainable practices.
How many people are on your team?
14
Impact: How has your project created impact / made a difference so far? Or, if at an early stage, what will impact look like?
1. Through our programmes, we have established eco-clubs in 38 public schools across Kenya’s coast, reaching over 2,000 students aged 9–17 with climate education, ocean conservation, and hands-on environmental restoration. 2. To date, our mangrove restoration efforts have resulted in over 304,000 mangroves planted, contributing to the restoration of critical coastal habitats, biodiversity protection, and climate resilience. 3. Our monthly beach clean-up initiatives have collected over 160,000 kilograms of plastic waste, helping reduce marine pollution and promote responsible waste management. 4. Through school eco-gardens, mangrove nurseries, and coral reef restoration initiatives, we are creating opportunities for young people to develop practical skills, participate in environmental solutions, and access potential income-generating activities. 5. Beyond these measurable results, our greatest impact is nurturing a generation of young environmental leaders who understand that they have the power to shape their communities’ future. Students are becoming environmental ambassadors, sharing knowledge with their families and communities, and participating directly in restoration activities. 6. Our work also connects conservation with community livelihoods, we work closely with fishermen, beach management units and women led groups.
Project Category
My project is an existing project that I started
Project Stage
Growth (We’ve moved past the very first activities and are beginning to have consistent weekly or monthly impact)
Project Summary: Describe your project in one sentence
The Young Warriors Movement is a teen-led climate and ocean conservation initiative empowering young people aged 9–17 across Kenya’s coast through climate education, biodiversity restoration, mangrove planting, environmental advocacy, and hands-on living classrooms, engaging 38 schools and impacting over 2,000 students as young environmental leaders and restoration warriors. So far we have planted over 304,000 mangroves with an aim of achieving 1 million by December 2027.
Project title
Young Warriors Movement
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve? Why does it matter to you and your community?
Coastal communities in Kenya face growing environmental challenges, including climate change, recurrent flooding, mangrove destruction, biodiversity loss, plastic pollution, food insecurity, and the degradation of livelihoods that depend on healthy marine and coastal ecosystems. These challenges threaten marine life, damage habitats, increase community vulnerability to extreme weather, and undermine the wellbeing of present and future generations. At the same time, many children and teenagers lack access to practical climate education and meaningful opportunities to participate in environmental decision-making and restoration. Although young people will inherit the consequences of today’s environmental choices, their voices and leadership are often overlooked. Through Young Warriors Club Kenya, we are addressing these interconnected challenges by empowering young people aged 9–17 to become active environmental stewards. Working with 38 schools across Kenya’s coast, the initiative has reached over 2,000 students through hands-on climate education, mangrove planting (304,000), biodiversity restoration, plastic pollution awareness, ocean conservation, and environmental advocacy. Young Warriors Club Kenya is nurturing a generation that understands its environmental responsibilities and has the skills and confidence to create lasting change.
Website URL(s) or social media handles.
Website: www.youngwarriorsclub.org
What’s Next: What are the next steps you plan to take to grow or strengthen your project over the next year? If your project is still in the idea stage, describe the steps you will take over the next three months to launch or begin developing it.
A major priority is advancing our ambitious target of planting 1 million mangroves by 2027. We will strengthen partnerships with schools, community groups, fisherfolk, women-led organisations, government agencies, and environmental partners to expand mangrove nurseries, improve restoration efforts, and support the long-term survival of planted seedlings. We also plan to develop a climate education learning app that will make environmental knowledge more accessible to young people beyond our immediate geographical reach. The app will offer engaging, youth-friendly learning resources on climate change, biodiversity, ocean conservation, plastic pollution, and practical environmental action, enabling students to learn, share ideas, and participate in climate solutions wherever they are. Our long-term goal is to build a scalable, youth-led movement that combines digital learning with hands-on environmental action, demonstrating that young people are not just beneficiaries of climate solutions but leaders driving measurable change in their communities.
Your Innovation: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there? How is your project new or innovative?
Young Warriors Club Kenya is innovative because it places young people at the centre of coastal climate action, not only as beneficiaries of environmental education, but as designers, implementers, and ambassadors of locally relevant solutions. While many conservation programmes focus on one ecosystem or deliver awareness through short-term campaigns, our model connects schools, communities, and multiple coastal ecosystems in one youth-led platform. We establish eco-clubs in public schools and link classroom learning to practical action through mangrove nurseries, school eco-gardens, beach clean-ups, and coral reef restoration. This approach transforms climate education from theory into repeated, hands-on experience. Students gain the knowledge and skills to restore ecosystems, reduce plastic pollution, communicate with their families, and influence community behaviour. The model is designed for local ownership and replication. Instead of relying solely on external experts, we build leadership among teachers, students, community members, and youth volunteers who understand their own environmental challenges. Young environmental ambassadors carry knowledge beyond the school into households and communities, creating a multiplier effect.
Your Solution: How are you solving this problem? Share your specific solution.
Our eco-clubs run hands-on initiatives, including mangrove seedling nurseries, school eco-gardens, waste management, and environmental advocacy. These activities provide living classrooms where students learn by doing, while school gardens and related initiatives create income-generating opportunities for members. Through our mangrove restoration programme, we have planted over 304,000 mangroves to date, helping restore vital coastal habitats, protect shorelines, support biodiversity, and strengthen climate resilience. We work closely with fisherfolk and women-led community groups to promote sustainable ecosystem management. Healthier mangrove ecosystems support fish breeding and can contribute to improved fish catches, stronger livelihoods, and greater household income, helping families meet their needs and keep children in school. Our monthly beach clean-ups have collected over 160,000 kilograms of plastic waste, reducing pollution and promoting responsible waste management. We also engage young environmental stewards in coral reef gardening and restoration initiatives, creating opportunities for skills development, youth employment, and income generation while supporting marine biodiversity and ecosystem regeneration. By connecting environmental education with practical restoration and livelihood opportunities, Young Warriors Club Kenya ensures that young people are not simply learning about climate change but actively contributing to solutions. Our model brings together schools, coastal communities, and environmental partners to build a generation of informed, empowered young leaders who protect nature while helping their communities thrive.
Your team: What role(s) do your team members play? How do you share leadership with them?
Shanariha Evans is Founder and Project Manager, sharing leadership through collaborative planning and decision-making. Zilpah Shirley Akumu leads partnerships and communication. Kelvine Simon manages media and IT. Alexia, Ketura, and Abiela are Teen Climate Peer Trainers. Ben, Lexy, Chebet, Kayla, Mooze, Franc, and Venessa support activities as volunteers. Evans manages finance. We work together by sharing responsibilities, ideas, and accountability.
