Awesha Mengal
Pakistan, 16
She/Her
Project: Youth Empowerment And Action for Change (YEAC)
In Balochistan, drought, extreme heat, and flash flooding regularly close schools and narrow what young people can expect from their futures — Awesha watched it happen to her own classmates. She founded Youth Empowerment And Action for Change (YEAC), a registered nonprofit that organizes young people across Pakistan's most underserved regions around climate change and the social pressures that come with it. YEAC's training programs and youth action groups have equipped 3,600+ students to address environmental challenges directly, and reached 8,800+ more through awareness campaigns, community workshops, and grassroots initiatives. Awesha also launched YEAC's Inter-Community Youth Climate Parliament, the region's only youth democratic platform, where leaders from diverse backgrounds develop solutions together and take climate priorities straight to local government. She is now expanding YEAC nationwide, turning Pakistan's most marginalized communities into architects of the country's climate resilience.