Activism with Heart: An 18-Year-Old’s Heartfelt Message

Guest: Sarah Syed

Don’t miss this wonderful episode with our guest, Sarah Syed, a globally recognized 18-year-old technology inventor, climate activist, and founder of You Are the Change, an international youth-led organization focusing on youth mobilizing action and mindsets to become sustainability leaders. Sarah has been recognized as a Top 25 Under 25 Environmentalist in Canada and named one of the Top 20 Under 20 in the World by Diversity in Action.

This is a truly inspiring conversation as Sarah shares her passion for taking action to make a difference and how, on her journey, she uncovered a profound truth: that the heart is essential for real change and progress. She has spoken at the United Nations to world leaders about the importance of leading with the heart and how the world has reached a critical juncture where our heart must be the captain of our ship of activism to guide us toward sustainable solutions, not just surface-level actions. As a passionate advocate for climate change, she astutely observes the disconnection between humanity and nature, emphasizing the need for the heart’s wisdom to reconnect us with each other and with our planet.

She talks with Deborah Rozman, our host, about the changes that young people she works with are committed to and how the compassionate power of the heart is what will enable us to all work together to create the changes we want to see.

The episode closes with a heart meditation, creating a reservoir of energy we can each draw from to bring more heart to positive change initiatives we are involved in or passionate about.  

About our guest:

Sarah Syed is an 18-year-old climate activist, innovator, poet, and founder of You Are the Change, an international youth-led organization focusing on youth mobilizing action and mindsets to become sustainability leaders. 

Combining her interest in the climate tech space with climate activism, Sarah has done research on biodegradable plastics made from food scraps, polymers to aid in cleaning up oil spills compared to bioremediation, and worked on a biomass bio-sorbent made from orange and pomegranate peels with an additional polysaccharide aerogel component to remove 98% of oils, heavy metals, and organic compounds from water. She has also worked on increasing solar energy output using nanomaterials to decrease water loss in agriculture. Some of her current projects revolve around cellular agriculture and carbon capture.

Sarah’s work has been recognized by parliament members, and she was named a Top 20 Under 20 Youth in the World, Top 25 Under 25 Environmentalist in Canada, Ontario Junior Citizen, National Nature Inspiration, and won second place at national and international science fairs. She has been featured in The Toronto Star, North York Mirror, The Weather Network, and the “Top of the Class” podcast.