The Million Mile Clean
Started by Surfer Against Sewage, The Million Mile Clean is a campaign hoping to inspire 100,000 volunteers to walk 10 miles throughout the year, picking up litter as they go.
Maddy Park, Cafe Maddy Cab
In light of the unjust rise in violence and xenophobia towards Asian Americans, Maddy decided to create Café Maddy Cab, an initiative that pays for taxi and ride-hailing services for female, elderly, and LGBTQ+ Asians.
The Accessible Icon Project
Starting in 2010, the project is a globally successful work of design activism. The movement began collecting examples of public wheelchair-accessible icons that had more integrity behind their designs than typical iconography.
Ýr Jóhannsdóttir, Textile Designer
Ýr Jóhannsdóttir, working under the name Ýrúrarí, is a textile designer and artist from Iceland. She uses her bold and humorous style to upscale previously discarded clothing, giving it a second, quirkier life.
Adri Rachelle, Activist
From an early age Adri has been providing homes for animals in need. Pigs, horses, reptiles, goats, dogs, all creatures big and small are welcome at Wild Things Sanctuary, her non-profit animal rescue organisation.
Zoe Stromberg, Artist & Activist
Through her series of striking illustrations, 25-year-old Zoe Stromberg unapologetically highlights the continued issue of sexual harassment. Her Instagram handle @cutecatcalls is a safe space full of anonymous pieces.
Kira Robinson, Dancer
Kira went viral on TikTok this year with a video of her unboxing her new ballet pointe shoes, highlighting problems of representation and diversity that go largely unnoticed. Her TikTok video now has over 1.4 million views.
Krystyna Paszko, Activist
At just 17, Krystyna Paszko has dedicated her burgeoning career to helping victims of domestic violence. Her covert support page 'Comomiles and Pansies' provides sufferers with a safe way of bringing their abusers to justice.
The C-List, Lisa Potter-Dixon and Helen Addis
Highlighting a lesser-known challenge faced by cancer patients, The C-List is an innovative new website giving those living with the disease the chance to shop ‘cancer-kinder’ beauty products.
Amanda Gorman, Activist & Poet
Amanda Gorman is the youngest inaugural poet in US history, having been named the first-ever national youth poet laureate in 2017.
Da Bomb, Isabel and Caroline Bercaw
At the helm of Gen Z's shift towards self-starting and entrepreneurship are sisters Isabel and Caroline Bercaw, who built a multi-million dollar brand from the ground up before they even graduated high school.
POM, Vihan Patel
Changing the problematic 'hot or not' dating game. Vihan Patel's innovative app POM is connecting young singles through their taste in music.
Gatekeeper
Gatekeeper is providing young creatives with vital resources and insight into the world of art, helping them to understand the inner workings of an over-commercialised industry. The magazine is sure to blow in the near future.
Quannah Chasinghorse, Activist
At just 18, activist Quannah Chasinghorse has dedicated her life to protecting the indigenous people of her native Alaska from two main adversaries, the gas industry and climate change.
Marc Keiser, Designer
One-half of cult fashion label Keiser Clark, Marc Keiser is using his platform to raise awareness about the importance of voting and encourage young people to register across the US.
Fatimata Cham, Activist & Poet
Hailing from the Bronx in New York, Fatimata Charm has established herself as influential BLM and Muslim activist. An unapologetically outspoken black women, she uses her flair for poetry to strive for systematic change.
Gabby Frost, Activist
At just 14 Gabby Frost set up suicide prevention and awareness organisation Buddy Project, now at 21, she has been decorated with a multitude of teen activism awards.
Jahkini Bisselink, Activist
Fighting for Gen Z voices when it comes to government reform, Jahkini Bisselink has repped the Dutch youth at the UN, and has worked with the likes of Billie Eilish.
Lavinya Stennett, Activist
At only 23-years-old, Lavinya Stennett is the CEO of The Black Curriculum, a new initiative that’s fighting to improve teaching of Black history and culture across the UK.
DrawFor
DrawFor makes limited print runs of work donated by artists and sells them online. All profits are then donated to charities including the NHS.
Daisy Jeffrey, Activist
One young woman who won't be silenced by lawmakers, Australian climate activist Daisy Jeffrey organised school strikes in 2019, and has published her own book on climate action.
Mabdulle, Photographer
A member of the Take More Photos community, Mabdulle is a rising London photographer who has an elite talent for capturing street art and city aesthetics.
Do Something
Inspiring millions of young people to make positive change online and in the real world, DoSomething.org gives youth led campaigns the platform to make an impact at the highest level.
Nyome Nicholas-Williams
Meet Nyome, the incredible model whose campaigning helped change Insta's algorithms to celebrate black and plus-sized bodies.
Zero Hour
Zero Hour's founder, 16-year-old Jamie Margolin created a global movement to ensure young people's voices are heard when it comes to climate change reform. And today, youth voices are louder than ever.
Harry Stebbings, Entrepreneur
Harry is one of the biggest names in venture capital at age 23. He created 'The Twenty Minute VC' podcast and co-founded Stride.VC, a venture capital firm making waves across the industry.
Global Citizen
Global Citizen is a collective voice of millions who want to end poverty by 2030, taking on new planetary initiatives and climate change campaigns daily.
Steve Bartlett, Entrepreneur
Entrepreneur extraordinaire Steve Bartlett founded digital media companies Social Chain & Media Chain - at the age of 22. Today, his content reaches over 1.8 billion people.
Oatly
Satisfying the dairy carvings of vegans and flexitarians worldwide, Oatly is the chief of the alt-milk industry. Max nutrional value and minimal environemental impact is the ethos.
Atelier & Repairs
Founded by Maurizio Donadi, Atelier & Repairs is leading the movement of excess reduction in fashion. The LA store turns our throw away items into one-of-a-kind pieces & partners with brands globally.
March For Our Lives
In 2018, an 18-year-old Emma Gonzalez stepped up to ignite a global conversation about gun violence. In front of 20,000 she gave a speech the world will never forget.
Millinsky, Entrepreneur/Designer
On his way to being the next king of streetwear, Millinsky is a new age fashion/music/art phenomenon who curated his own brand NASASEASONS at just 18.
Noga Levy-Rapoport, Activist
Dubbed the British Greta Thunberg, Nova Levy-Rapoport is paving the way for young climate activists. At eighteen years-old, she's a volunteer for the UK Student Climate Network.
CanO Water
8mil tons of plastic end up in oceans yearly, so the work of eco-friendly CanO Water is critical. They pioneered indefinitely recyclable cans that go from bin to shelf in just 6 wks.
Common Table Creative
Common Table Creative are growing a more just and regerative world through storytelling. Their unique films on organic farming are as inspiring as they are informative.
Taylor Lorenz, Journalist
Taylor is a modern day Gen Z reporter tackling youth culture stories for the New York Times, she uses social media and a mobile phone to unearth global trends before anyone else.
Harry Hambley, Artist
20-year-old illustrator and global Insta star Harry Hambley is the creative force behind Ketnipz, a social media sensation that strives to spread joy and positivity online.
MOB Kitchen
MOB Kitchen, the most student and budget friendly food blog on the web, shows us how to make amazing group meals on seriously low budgets. They're currently at 338k followers.
Taz Taylor, Producer
Taz is a producer, songwriter, and record label founder, who started the collective Internet Money. He's part of the Gen Z SoundCloud trap movement that's taking over the charts.
The Pink Protest
The Pink Protest is leading the UK #FreePeriods movement online and in the streets. Their Insta series 'On Wednesdays We Wear Pink' provides action points for people to follow.
The Advocacy Academy
The Advocacy Academy in South London, tackles racial profiling head on and aims to bring young people together through social justice. Academy students often address parliament.
Ellen Jones, Activist
Ellen Jones is a prolific campaigner for LGBTQ+ causes, who discusses mental health, autism, and gender. She won the MTV EMA Generation Change award in 2018.
The Youth Group
Headed by Jack Parsons, this amazing collective of youth first companies all share a common purpose, to improve the odds for young people in all areas of life.
Kelvin Doe, Entrepreneur
This Sierra Leonean innovator taught himself engineering when he was 13, proving that resources aren't a barrier and that all you need to get started is ambition, creativity, and curiosity.
Bimini Love, Activist
The UK parliament is taking period poverty seriously thanks to this activist and her peers. Founder of Street Cramps, Bimini Love spends her spare time fighting menstrual inequality.
It’s On Us
It's On Us means what it says in the name. It's a rallying cry for people to prevent domestic violence, sexual assault, and to create a culture of consent.
Riya Karumanchi, Entrepreneur
A genius teen entrepreneur focused on harnessing tech to better people's lives. At just 15 she designed a cane equipped with GPS and proximity sensors to help the visually impaired.
Conceptos Plásticos
Ecological geniuses Conceptos Plásticos are building homes/schools for entire communities in developing countries, and they're all made entirely from recycled plastic materials. No more endearing way of dealing with a global problem!
Jenna Raine, Musician
Rising Gen Z talent Jenna Raine is an American singer/songwriter with an infectious energy that she transmits through her insightful lyrics fused together with an organic, beat-driven sound.
Social Bite
This fantastic cafe chain is changing the lives of homeless people, with sandwich shops across the UK, they donate profits to charity and provide meals for those sleeping rough.
Sonita Alizadeh, Activist
Sonita Alizadeh uses her talent for lyricism to protest against arranged marriages in Afghanistan. Her song 'Brides For Sale' went viral in 2014 and she still fights for her cause today.
4Ocean
The inspiring 4Ocean is mobilising ocean/coastline clean-ups across the globe. With 7million pounds of waste removed since 2017, the incredible movement is growing in numbers every year.
A Sai Ta, Designer
A Sai Ta is a designer/artist who is part of the clothing label Asai. He's gathered a cult following for his iconic pieces that celebrate British, Chinese, and Vietnamese culture.
Aimee Clint, Entrepreneur
Aimee Clint struggled to understand her autistic brother's condition so she wrote a book to help others in similar situations and won a Europe-wide enterprise award for her work.
All Out
All Out is helping to mobilise big rallies and LGBTQ+ activist demonstrations. Determined to spread love and equality, All Out gives anyone the tools to start petitions.
Hunter Schafer, Actor
If you didn't know who Hunter Schafer was, you will soon. The breakout star of Euphoria, this amazing LGBT+ activist is redefining style and trans acceptance before our very eyes.
Joe Franklin, 5upplied
As Gen Z entrepreneurs go, Joe Franklin (17) is top tier. His rare sneaker empire 5upplied started with a single pair and his clientele includes AJ Tracey & Dizzie Rascal.
LIXIL
Poor sanitation is still very much a crisis in developing countries, but LIXIL is leading the mission to bring toilets and clean water to the most remote and vulnerable regions.
Tiffany Zhong, Entrepreneur
After a stint at uni, Tiffany Zhong thought a successful Gen Z insights company, Zebra IQ, was more her style. She's has worked with brands like Snapchat and Levi Strauss.
Jasmine Lee-Jones, Playwright
How to make waves in the LDN's theatre scene? Call your provocative first drama 'Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner'. This brilliant playwright is adding a fresh voice to enduring literature.
Shout
It's never been more important to discuss our mental health. Shout is a 24 hour text service that specialises in mental health support, they answer 1000+ text per day.
Akshay Ruparelia, Entrepreneur
Fancy starting a million dollar property empire from your bedroom at just 17? Well you won't be the first, Akshay Ruarelia started his company Doorsteps after selling his family home online.
Marsai Martin, Actor & Producer
A starring role in ABC's hit show Blackish was clearly not enough for Marsai Martin, who has a producer credit for the 2019 movie Little, which she also starred in. BTW, this girl is 15.
Johan Sundstein, Gamer
Only the best could win nearly $7million USD by gaming. This Danish Dota player, who goes by N0tail, is the highest earning pro gamer in the world.
Help Refugees UK
Aid is absolutely crucial for refugees, and Help Refugees UK is dedicated to placing funds and humanitarian support wherever it's needed globally.
Blondey McCoy, Athlete & Artist
Pro skateboarder, artist, clothing designer, and model, Blondey McCoy translates prescient Gen Z themes like mental health/male suicide into some seriously cool threads.
School Space
Jemma Phibbs/James Lloyd are passionate as co-directors. School Space provides underfunded schools with valuable funds by letting out their facilities to needing communities.
Chella Man, Actor & Activist
The inspirational actor Chella Man is known for sharing his experiences as a transgender, deaf, genderqueer, and Jewish person of colour. Catch him in Titans.
Kian Tortorello-Allen, Activist
One of UK's foremost LGBT+ activists, Kian Tortorello-Allen is a trans student with expertise in both classical music & activism. Check out the Instagram, ki_does_activism
Kyle Giersdorf, Gamer
Ever wanted to win $3 million USD playing Fortnite? That's reality for Kyle Giersdorf, one of the world's best gamers, who won the Fornite World Cup in 2019 at just 16.
Hadiqa Bashir, Activist
On her quest to end all child marriages in her home country of Pakistan and beyond, the inspirational Hadiqa Bashir has saved countless young girls from persecution.
Yellow Octopus
Yellow Octopus are one of the top advocates of resale fashion out there. Their app diverts 1 million PCs away from landfill sites every month and they boast affinities with huge sellers.
Margielyn Didal, Athlete
Margielyn Didal is a skate wunderkind from the Philippines who clinched the gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games and the Southeast Asian Games in 2019. Oh, and she's only 21.
Love The Oceans
Love the Oceans is an exciting non-profit marine conservation organisation working in Mozambique. It offers courses and experiences to inform the public on marine life.
Arielle Geismar, Activist
Part of @Team_Enough, a youth-led initiative to end gun violence, this whirl-wind of positive social change has engaged thousands with her message of peace.
Reese Cooper, Fashion Designer
The Gen Zer making waves in menswear, Reese Cooper was 1st runner-up 2019 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund. His americana-inspired label sells out in department stores everywhere.
Alina Morse, Entrepreneur
Alina Morse founded her groundbreaking company, Zolli Candy, when she was just 12 years old. She now runs a candy empire selling millions of Zollipops that clean your teeth!
Depop
Gen Z's answer to eBay, Depop has amassed over 13 million users and is becoming the go-to for all things resale. If you're anti fast fashion, this is a digital treasure trove.
Melati & Isabel Wisjen, Activists
Melati and Isabel Wisjen are two amazing sisters from Bali who, while campaigning to ban all plastic bags on their island, kickstarted an international movement of inspiration, youth empowerment, and global waste reduction.
Marley Dias, Activist
Gen Z role model Marley Dias is an American diversity activist and feminist who launched a campaign called #1000BlackGirlBooks when she was just 11 years old.
Essity
Essity is one of the biggest distributors of body form and feminine care products on the planet. Their commitment to demystifying the female body and stigma is truly admirable.
Luka Sabbat, Influencer
If there was ever a Gen Z 'it' boy, it's Luka Sabbat. Known for his starring role in the hit show Grown-ish, he's worked as an influencer across art/music/fashion.
Temi Mwale, Activist
This amazing British anti-street violence campaigner founded The 4Front Project in 2012, a social enterprise to empower young people and communities to live free from fear.
Wafflesncream
Wafflesncream is an eclectic group of talent, creating art made by the young, for the young. It's building West Africa's first ever skate park alongside a new street-wear brand.
Donate4Refugees
Donate4Refugees is making a big difference when it comes to supporting refugees across the globe. It began in 2016 and has raised over £100k+ in financial aid.
Quantay Peoples, Film Maker
Up-and-coming Gen Z filmmaker and content creator Quantay Peoples was chosen by Kanye West himself to work on the 'Jesus is King' documentary. Check out his Youtube.
Shamma Al Mazrui, Politician
A politician at just 22, the incredible Shamma bint Suhail Faris Al Mazrui is fighting for justice as Minister of State for Youth Affairs (youngest in the world) in the United Arab Emirates.
FreeWill
FreeWill is an incredible venture geared towards social impact and giving. In it's infancy the company has already facilitated the transfer of over $1 billion in charity donations.
Trevor Project
The Trevor Project is a vital 24 hour hotline service that offers crisis support and suicide prevention tools for LGBTQ+ members under 25, giving the vulnerable a helping hand.
Yara Rodrigues Fowler, Author
Yara Rodrigues Fowler's first novel, Stubborn Archivist, was published in 2019 and got her shortlisted for the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year 2019! Watch this space.
Ady Suleiman, Musician
This half Tanzanian, half English breakout star rose to notoriety after being selected as ‘Breakthrough Act of the Year’ at Gilles Peterson’s Awards. Check out his soulful EPs here.
RefuAid
Creating a steady life as a refugee can be an impossible task. RefuAid's inspirational work makes it easier to get started with education and employment opportunities.
Sean Kelly, Entrepreneur
Eponymous Gen Z business visionary Sean Kelly heads the company Jersey Champs, which is partnering with celebs and athletes to create incredibly unique jersey designs.
Virang Dal, Entrepreneur
Virang Dal is the brains behind EconplusDal, a fab viral YouTube channel providing students from all over the globe with entertaining and informative Economics tutorial videos.
Peta2
Peta has been a leading voice in animal rights for generations, and Peta2 is a space dedicated to Gen Z. You can learn about ways to help animals and find local rallies.
Bana Alabed, Activist
A true inspiration, Bana Alabed is an eight-year-old Syrian refugee and peace campaigner using social media to spread awareness of the harsh realities of war for children.
Albert Kennedy Trust
LGBTQ+ members in the UK have been using AKT's life changing voluntary services for over three decades, which help support homeless or vulnerable young people.
Pixpay
French startup Pixpay optimise everything Gen Z wants from mobile banking. Unlike most others it offers a seamless and flexible experience to teens under 15. It's pocket money heaven.
