Earth Island Institute
2015 – $10,000 Brower Youth Awards
The Earth Island Institute founded the Brower Youth Awards (BYA) and New Leaders Initiative (NLI) in 2000, to honor and mentor young environmental leaders and use their stories to encourage other young people to pursue environmental and social justice projects. Each year six young leaders from North America, ages 13 to 22, are selected for a Brower Youth Award. Each BYA winner is honored in an award ceremony in San Francisco, a $3,000 honorarium, leadership and public speaking coaching, a wilderness excursion, and mentorship and career guidance in the years following their award. The NLI also produces short films about each BYA recipient that have been shown nationally on public television, at film festivals, and in schools. As of 2014, NLI has also provided an additional $1,500 in honoraria for BYA awardees to use for professional development opportunities.