In April 2025, Sonya Duggal, a 10th-grade student at Ardsley High School, began working on an international project that connects young people worldwide through climate education. She created EcoVoices, which she describes as “a youth-led climate literacy, storytelling, and global collaboration” project.
While the project started with libraries in New York, it has now expanded to two other states, Massachusetts and Washington, and 11 countries outside the United States, including India, Uganda, Ghana, Peru, Mexico, Indonesia, Oman, Kuwait, Nepal, Morocco, and Afghanistan. Ambassadors in each region help distribute EcoVoices pamphlets and educate youth.
Her plan to involve more youth in climate education was inspired by her mother. “My mom has always had me very involved in climate change,” Duggal said. She wanted to create a project that would let other young people get involved as well. Instead of approaching climate education only through facts and statistics, EcoVoices gives students an opportunity to express their ideas creatively.
In June 2025, EcoVoices published its first magazine with support from the Greenburgh Public Library. The library printed the magazines and distributed flyers with information on how young people could submit work to be featured. Submissions come from youth across the world.
EcoVoices also produces pamphlets featuring youth submissions and has distributed more than 200 versions worldwide. “The pamphlets are translated into local languages to make the climate education materials accessible to communities,” Duggal said.
Beyond printed materials, EcoVoices has hosted workshops and created a digital innovation challenge where youth could submit their own solutions to climate change. The organization is also planning more opportunities for young people to become active participants in climate education.
To grow her project, Duggal said she “reached out to global climate organizations with the link to the ambassador application.” She also used social media and email to find youth interested in becoming EcoVoices ambassadors.
Duggal continues to grow EcoVoices and aims to increase environmental literacy while giving young people a role in spreading climate awareness within their own communities.
“The whole point of EcoVoices is to have a creative outlet to get kids more engaged in climate literacy,” Duggal said.
- @ecovoices. Global
