“Young people are ready to lead the way in building healthier, greener, and more resilient communities.”
For Keiron McDowall, Project Lead for Leaves of Legacy: Heroes of the Environment, that was one of the clearest things he saw throughout the programme. Leaves of Legacy was created with a vision of expanding youth-led environmental action by connecting schools, families, and communities through urban greening, reforestation, sustainable agriculture, and practical environmental learning.
In 2026, that journey continued as participants explored food security, sustainability, agriculture, reducing their carbon footprint, and the role they can play in protecting the environment around them. But for Keiron, the real story was what happened when young people were given the opportunity to get involved. “I’ve seen the different groups plan. I’ve seen the different groups stand up and ask questions.”
He watched them participate, challenge themselves, work together, and bring their own ideas and energy into the experience. Their “enthusiasm, dedication, and commitment” showed him that young people are not simply preparing to become environmental leaders one day.
They are ready to lead now. And that is why Keiron was clear that Leaves of Legacy was more than a camp.
It was a starting point for young people to take what they had learned and carry it forward through action in their schools, their communities, and, as he put it, “to the next generation and the generation after that.”
For Keiron, the goal was not simply to create a good experience for a few days. It was to help build a generation of young people who feel ready to take responsibility, contribute their ideas, and lead environmental action where they live and learn.
Because building a more sustainable future is not only about teaching young people what needs to change. It is about giving them the knowledge, the opportunities, and the space to step forward and do something about it.
That is how we grow Heroes of the Environment. 
