We Can Change The World

Presenter Isy Suttie speaks to the incredible Salvador Gómez-Colón from Puerto Rico, who at just 15 years old took it upon himself to launch a crowdfunding campaign to help those in desperate need.

The unprecedented disaster completely devastated the island, but through Light and Hope for Puerto Rico, Salvador helped to raise around $175,000 for portable solar lamps and hand-operated washing machines for the residents.

Since the hurricane, Salvador has been recognised as one of Time Magazine’s Most Influential Teens and has been awarded the President's Environmental Youth Award for his social-humanitarian work as well as continuing to spread the message to always do the best we can for others.

This is how Salvador is changing the world…

Presenter Isy Suttie speaks to the brilliant Krtin Nithiyanandam whose fascination in science and research lead him to develop a ground breaking idea to help diagnose the early signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

Krtin has always had a curious mind and it was that curiosity which led him to develop a ground breaking idea that has not only changed his life but has the potential to change thousands of lives.

Through sheer determination his work has not gone unnoticed; being recognised internationally when he won the Scientific American Innovative Awards in 2015, being listed as one of Time Magazine's Most Influential Teens in 2017 and fast forward to 2020 where he continues to study at Stanford University, California.

This is how Krtin is changing the world…

Presenter Isy Suttie speaks to the amazing Jemima Browning, who started a swimming club especially for young people with disabilities and has since travelled across the world and set up her own campaign to spread her message of inclusivity.

Growing up in Tadcaster, Jemima loved swimming with her brother Will who has Downs Syndrome but when she learned that there were no swimming clubs he could join as he got older she decided with the help of her local swimming pool to set up her own club which she called Stingrays.

Through Stingrays, Jemima has been able to help not just Will but many young people with physical and intellectual disabilities find a passion and freedom in swimming. Her work has led her to join forces with the Special Olympics and put together a campaign called #UnifiedRocks where people paint rocks with inclusive messages across the world for people to find.

This is how Jemima is changing the world…

Presenter Isy Suttie talks to the inspiring Mercy Shibemba who decided to start challenging stigmas around HIV after she found out that she was born with the virus. It’s a journey that has taken her across the world, resulting in her receiving a Diana Award and much more.

When Mercy was told by her Doctor that she was born with HIV, she was confused about the virus she didn’t then know much about. After meeting other young people with HIV at an event in London, she started working with the Children’s HIV Association to challenge stigmas attached to the virus and show that when treated properly HIV doesn’t stop anyone from living a normal life.

After meeting Prince Harry at the International AIDS Conference in 2016, she came out publicly as HIV positive a year later when he presented her with a Diana Award. Since then Mercy has continued to campaign on HIV Awareness and she’s now involved in a commission aiming to end HIV transmissions in England by 2030.

This is how Mercy is changing the world…

Presenter Isy Suttie talks to the extraordinarily talented Trisha Prabhu in Boston. Having experienced bullying herself and being fed up of seeing others bullied online, Trisha decided she had to do something to help. At the age of 13 she carried out her own scientific research to find out what could help prevent young people from taking part in bullying on the internet.

By the time she was 14 Trisha’s research had led to the creation of a software she now calls ‘Rethink’, which has gained the thumbs up from tech heavyweights MIT and Google. What started off as a school project has now been introduced to over 5 million students around the world as a solution to help prevent online hate.

This is how Trisha is changing the world...

Presenter Isy Suttie talks to the brilliant Alvin Owusu who decided to use his ten step plan to make a positive change not only to his life but to those around him. Having lived most of his life in Hackney, Alvin has seen first-hand the effects a low income and being from a BAME background can impact your chances.

Alvin started working as a Lead Mentor with Debate Mate, whose main aim is to improve young people’s communication skills. After just two years with the charity he became the founder of ‘The Advantage Group’ a social enterprise that aims to raise the attainment and employability of students from diverse backgrounds.

Alvin’s hard work and determination has not gone unnoticed, being recognised as one of Time Magazine’s Most Influential Teens, he’s received the Prime Minister’s Points of Light Award and was recently selected as an #iWill Ambassador.

This is how Alvin is changing the world…

Presenter Isy Suttie talks to two amazing young people, Matthew and Ben Smith, who tragically lost their older brother to suicide. Wanting to prevent more young men from taking their own lives, and more families having to go through what they did, they launched a campaign called ‘If U Care Share’.

It all started at a charity football game, in which Matthew and Ben sold wristbands in the name of their brother Daniel. They went on to raise £48,000 before either of them reached their 13th birthday and now the campaign has grown into a charity that supports young people all over the UK. One of the charities initiatives, the ‘Inside Out’ campaign, has really got people talking and so far has reached over 16 million people.

Isy Suttie speaks to Marley Dias about her work creating the #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign.

Marley was in 5th grade when she decided to take action with the lack of diversity in books that she was studying in school. Marley’s parents encouraged her to find a way to make change happen, and with their help at 10 years old, she created a movement to make sure that diverse stories were put into the schools and communities that need them.

Through her campaign; Marley has spoken at big talks and events, met Michelle Obama and Oprah and became the youngest person ever to be featured on Forbes 30 Under 30 list. The target of 1000 books was smashed, now standing at more than 12,000 – all while Marley continues to go to school, do homework and see friends.

This is how Marley changed her world…

Presenter Isy Suttie speaks to Dev Sharma who is on a mission to end food insecurity for young people across the UK. In 2018 Dev realised that he and his friends were experiencing food insecurity and the stigma associated with not being able to afford hot school meals.

Dev has worked tirelessly and campaigned to open the conversation about food insecurity, stopping junk food from being the everyday option for low income families and trying to change the way young people think about food.

This has led to Dev being crowned Leicester’s Young Person of the Year, becoming a Young Food Ambassador and now becoming part of a new committee, led by Chef Jamie Oliver, targeting obesity in young people.

This is how Dev changed his world…

Isy Suttie speaks to 12 year old Avye Couloute about how being one of the only girls in coding workshops, which led her to set up her own just for girls. Avye’s workshops have won her support in the tech industry and taken her to Barcelona and Rome.

Avye has always been a creative person. When her parents encouraged her to try a coding workshop when she was 7, she quickly found a new outlet for her creativity. However as she learned to code she noticed the lack of girls taking part in the workshops she attended. Avye decided to take her coding knowledge, and with help from friends and family, started her own workshops called Girls Into Coding to get more girls involved in technology.

A few years later she has won a Diana Award for her work, ran multiple workshops, raised money to give computer kits to other young girls and attended a massive industry conference in Barcelona to advocate for making technology available to less developed countries. She’s done all of this and she’s only just started high school!

This is how Avye changed her world…