MILLENA XAVIER MARTINS
BRAZIL, 18
She/Her
Project: OBAFRO (Brazilian Afrodiversity Olympiad)
Millena founded OBAFRO to bring the value of culturally rich Afro-Indigenous knowledge into the classroom, empowering students to protect their identity and the planet. As a learning platform and an event, OBAFRO is an expansion of Prep Olimpíadas, Brazil's largest youth-led educational NGO. As a co-founder of Prep Olimpíadas and an internationally recognized scientist, Millena leveraged her network to produce OBAFRO’s inaugural Olympiad, the largest in Brazil’s history. OBAFRO’s dynamic workshops taught 22,000 students about environmental preservation through Afro-Brazilian sustainable practices, championing and centering racial equity. Following the event, Millena transformed the agenda into a curriculum widely implemented in Brazilian schools. She is now growing OBAFRO’s network of student ambassadors, advocating for Indigenous culture in mainstream climate education. As the pioneer of a profound social and environmental justice movement, Millena is the youngest Brazilian on Forbes Under 30 and the youngest Brazilian Society for Science Awardee.
Check out Millena’s work here: LinkedIn