At 16, Ransom student is an environmental activist. Congress has recognized his good work

At 16, Will Charouhis is already a change-maker on the global stage advocating for the environment through action and education.

Last week, he was awarded the Congressional Award Gold Medal, the highest honor Congress bestows upon youth civilians in the United States. Will said he is honored.

He is one of the youngest Americans to receive the award this year, and the only teen in Miami-Dade County. It takes over two years to earn the Gold Medal.

In his talk about education at the United Nations General Assembly in New York he said, “We are past blame. We need to keep the conversation solution-based.”

A junior at Ransom Everglades School, Will has been doing just that. He has spent more than 1,400 service hours working to halt global warming.

He founded his nonprofit, We Are Forces of Nature, after experiencing flooding during Hurricane Irma.

“In 2017, the year I became a teenager, I experienced the impact of climate change firsthand. Hurricane Irma flooded my city all the way out to the airport. That is seven miles inland, and our city was virtually underwater. We were learning about climate change in school, and I knew I had to do something. With that one storm, my story changed,” he said in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Transforming Education.

Will is passionate about mangroves and their ability to protect against coastal erosion, absorb greenhouse gasses, and support marine biodiversity.

He started “A Million Mangroves: Halting Climate Change One Root at a Time” in response to the need to protect them, so they can protect us.

When the pandemic locked us down in our homes, Will spent his time restoring more than six miles of mangrove roots along our shoreline to regenerate growth.

And while his nonprofit provides “adaptations and mitigations for coastal areas, weather-related disaster relief, and education on solutions to protect shorelines from the perils of climate change,” Will also finds ways to help elsewhere.

In November 2020, after Category 4 Hurricane Eta caused devastating mudslides in Central America, he collected and delivered more that 1,100 reusable bags of food and supplies.

He also provided disaster relief to Honduras, Haiti, and the Bahamas, countries that he said “are least responsible for carbon emissions but most affected by climate change.”

For the Congressional Award Gold Medal, Will was recognized with 549 others for achievements in Voluntary Public Service, Personal Development, Physical Fitness, and Expedition/Exploration. He also earned a STEM Star.

“In earning my Congressional Award Gold Medal, I learned to transition from environmental advocacy to action. During the long days of the pandemic lockdowns when I could not go to school or see friends indoors, I restored our Florida coastlines, cleaning up root systems and planting new mangrove seedlings along the shoreline - one yard, one acre, one mile at a time.

“I started out with the goal to give more than I take from the world, providing disaster relief in Central America, Haiti, Puerto Rico, and the Bahamas, and providing free education on climate change to students in more than 16 countries.

“I ended up gaining more than I gave. In the powerful smiles of my Latin American neighbors—strangers who became friends—I learned that youth can make a difference.”

This week, another honor came his way when he was named a winner of the 2022 Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes. The Barron Prize annually awards 15 young leaders who “have made a significant positive impact on people, their communities, and the environment.”

Will was recognized by the Jane Goodall Institute, and invited to join Goodall’s National Youth Leadership Council. He has been on a panel with her at U.N. conferences on the power of young people to effect positive change.

His aim is to talk with anyone who can help move climate action forward.

Will has met with congressional representatives, senators, presidents, prime ministers, and other world leaders on solutions to protect coastlines against rising seas.

Now, he is focused on climate negotiations at COP27 in Egypt this November, where he will speak as one of the youngest delegates. Despite his youth, Will sees his role as much more than calling on leaders to act.

Often the only youth in the room, he said he is willing to help his generation’s role in the climate change crisis.

“For the first time since I started my own climate-related work in 2017, limiting global warming to 1.8 degrees Celsius is within reach. Mine is the last generation who can halt climate change. It will be up to us to implement the solutions,” he said.

His message to others is this: “Hope. Technology. Scale. Let’s Go.”

To reach Will write to wcharouhis2005@gmail.com and to get involved, write to volunteer@weareforcesofnature.org

Immersive event focuses on “Artist X”

What if Works will host “Flying Solo with Artist X,” with actors channeling the spirit and philosophy of Xavier Cortada, Miami-Dade County’s inaugural Artist-in-Residence.

This event is at 7 p.m., Oct. 4, at Westchester Cultural Arts Center, 7930 SW 40th St., and is the second in a tribute to Cortada’s work. It is conceived and directed by Phillip M. Church.

“The production promises to take its audience beyond the conversation demonstrating the beauty and power of art while underscoring the urgency for collective action as a way of finding meaningful solutions,” Church said.

Cortada’s work intersects art, environmental science, and social justice and hangs in countless buildings including the White House, CERN, and the World Bank. Tickets are $8-$10. Call 305-586-3919 or visit www.whatifworks.com

Write to ChristinaMMayo@gmail.com with news for this column.