Hi! My name is Eliana, I am a 15 year old student at the International School of Lund. I am passionate about how youth can collaborate to tackle, raise awareness and participate in creating a change for the good of the planet.

This summer, I’m on a mission to raise £1000 in support of educating and empowering young people on sustainability.

This is a very important cause to me as I am deeply concerned about the biodiversity emergencies and the future of our planet. Every year extreme weather events like hurricanes and cyclones get more deadly and as more and more species are disappearing we are reaching the tipping point for our planet. We cannot continue living as we are while sea level rise costs entire island nations their existence and forests that once breathed for the planet are burning to ash. Climate change and biodiversity loss are crises harming life across our entire planet and we have to act fast.

Rather than staying hopeless I am determined that there is still time to help make a change. To contribute to solving these global sustainability challenges, I have committed to paddling 20 km around Immeln as well as hiking in Björkliden for 80 km in the very north of Sweden for 10 days in aim to complete 100 km by the end. In this expedition, I will pass the northernmost fjällstation in Sweden, wade through rivers, and hike through glaciers to raise awareness and funds for organizations that are helping tackle global climate change and biodiversity loss through education, youth empowerment and science.

To be able to achieve my goal, I will be dehydrating all the food necessary for 10 days to later rehydrate in the mountains with river water. I will be drinking from the freshwater rivers nature provides as well as melted glacier water. Lastly, I will be bringing everything I need including fire starters, food, clothes, tent, gas and a camping stove in my backpack weighing around 18 kg.

This hiking and paddling challenge is part of a bigger campaign: the GYC 1,000km Challenge—a global movement where young people commit to walking, running, cycling or paddling 1,000km collectively, raising funds and awareness for climate action.

All funds raised will go directly to the Global Youth Council on Science Law and Sustainability and to the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre, who are working to empower youth, promote education, and mobilize science to protect nature and communities across the world.

Thank you so much for taking the time to learn about our mission, if you want to participate to make a change consider supporting whether through sponsoring or spreading the word. Every donation fuels our cause and helps us grow.