Natalya Alonso , 17
Salt Spring Island, British Columbia

At the age of 16, Natalya Alonso got involved with programs that encouraged teens to look at instances of sexism, homophobia and racism in schools and the community.  During these sessions, she noticed the same concerns arising amongst younger girls concerning their body image, sexual responsibility and social behaviour.   To battle these issues, Natalya developed the Big Buddies Program that connects local at-risk girls with positive mentors.  In the small school community of Salt Spring Island, the program has helped girls with the difficult transition from middle school to high school.

Prashanthi Baskaran , 17

Ottawa, Ontario

Prashanthi Baskaran, graduating in June 2008, head girl at Ottawa's Elmwood School, already knows what she wants to do in life: pursue a career in medicine and scientific research. And she already has a notable research project under way.

Mark Blackwell is the President and Founder of the Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy Students’ Association (ISEEESA) at the University of Calgary. Over the past two years, Mark has spearheaded two major initiatives with great success.

Mark assembled a group of students to work together on a project to design, build and operate a 100% solar powered house. The pre-fabricated house will be shipped to Washington DC in 2009 to compete with 19 other top post-secondary’s from around the world. From inception, Mark’s team has raised over $300,000 for the project and assembled a team of more than 110 students and faculty from Calgary’s four post-secondary institutions.

Mark’s second project is the First Students’ World Energy Congress in 2009. Since the start of the project, Mark has raised over $50,000 and partnered with the World Petroleum Council and the World Energy Council on what will be the first international student energy conference.

Rooted deeply in the prairies, BJ Bodnar’s childhood years on a farm helped him develop a respect for nature and a passion for the environment, that have served as the foundation for his strong sense of direction and cause in life. 

At age 14, BJ was selected as the youngest ever member of the Provincial Youth Advisory Committee and served as an advisor to the Saskatchewan Provincial Cabinet on environmental and agricultural issues. In 2005, BJ helped to create Saskatchewan’s Provincial Green Strategy presenting at forums and conferences across the province, and serving as a keynote in the government launch of the Strategy. At 16, he was selected as a Canadian delegate to the United Nations World Forum on Sustainability and was part of formulating an international framework for climate policy.