Mihir Rao, an 18-year-old from Alberta, Canada, is helping other young people to learn how to influence decision-makers. Rao, who is also a winner of the 2025 I-SEA Youth Climate Action award, is a leader in the Canadian Rockies Youth Network which brought together 35 to 40 youth for days of experiential learning in Kananaskis, Alberta.
Rao describes that during these learning sessions participants “explore lakes and rivers, test water, hike with Indigenous teachers and develop basic outdoor survival skills. Indoors, participants hear guest speakers, including other youth in our network, identify policy changes they want addressed, and each person leaves with a project to make their own community better. The young people engage in mock stakeholder debates to explore various perspectives and develop strategies for change. We conclude with a reflection which the leadership team uses as the basis for a report and recommendations for law and policy-makers.”
Proof of the group’s effectiveness came after their observations of the degraded state of the shoreline of Lake Minnewanka due to excessive pedestrian traffic were recognized by Parks Canada officials who told them that their “ideas brought valuable new perspectives to the discussion.”
When asked what he would say to other young people trying to work on climate change Rao says “Aim high but understand that achieving our goals is a journey best taken with others and at a pace that allows you peace. Lift each other up.”