Campaigning for world leaders to act on climate change since she was 15 years old.
Traci’s grandfather had always taught her to be kind and concerned for others. When Traci was 10 years old, her grandfather died. Traci wanted to do something in his memory. She decided she wanted to help people from Guatemala, the country in Central America where she was born.
Traci noticed that in Guatemala many people were very poor and did not have the money to buy shoes. Yet, without shoes you might not be able to complete the long walk to school. Without school, you can’t get a good education. Without a good education, you can’t make money. And without money, you can’t buy shoes! On what would have been her grandfather’s 88th birthday, Traci decided to host a shoe donation collection to collect shoes for those in need in Guatemala.
Traci set herself the goal of collecting 25,000 pairs of shoes. She distributed flyers encouraging people to donate their shoes. The flyer read: ‘Hi. My name is Traci. I am 10 years old and was born in Guatemala. There are many people in the world who have so little and I have so much. I found a group that gives shoes to people in need in the US and abroad. It is called SOLES4SOULS.’
The event was such a success! Traci did not collect just 25,000 pairs of shoes but collected over 30,000 pairs. This changed the lives of 30,000 people and kept 60,000 shoes out of landfills. Changing the lives of so many people changed Traci’s life too! After her final collection she said, ‘It feels really good…because I know that I can help others in need in other countries and here in America to get shoes and something to put on their feet.’
Campaigning for access to clean water for Canada’s indigenous communities since she was 8 years old.
Raising awareness of the effects of the Syrian civil war and calling for peace since she was 6 years old.
Challenging the representation of girls and women in society since she was 11 years old.
Running a marathon in 10 days to raise money for homeless people when he was 7 years old.
Fundraising for the farmers whose incomes have been affected by drought in Australia since he was 11 years old.
Inspiring girls to learn about and aspire to work in science and technology subjects since she was 16 years old.
Creating and growing a bank that helps children save money by recycling since he was 12 years old.
Designing technology to supply electricity and water without emitting greenhouse gases since he was 15 years old.
Campaigning for the banning of plastic bags in Bali since they were 10 and 12 years old.
Designing a solar powered ironing cart to reduce charcoal burning in India since she was 12 years old.
Petitioning for schools to give children reusable water bottles since he was 7 years old.
Campaigning for people and businesses to stop using single-use plastics since they were 10 and 12 years old.
Set up organisations supporting cancer patients, people in poverty, and promoting golf in young black girls, since she was 10 years old.
Saving the lives of hundreds of hedgehogs in the UK since they were 9 years old.
Campaigning to promote proper battery disposal and recycling since he was 10 years old.
Campaigning for people and businesses to stop using single-use plastics since they were 10 and 12 years old.
The world’s youngest sustainability advocate – working to make the world a better place since she was 3 years old.
Solving the problem of water contamination using science and technology since she was 11 years old.
