Gabriel Arthur (Kenai)

Kenai's mother is a biologist and has always encouraged him to be close to nature and its protection. He soon noticed problems affecting his city, such as the pollution of the Xingu River, cases of violence and the impact of the construction of the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Power Plant. From that, he thought of an initiative to involve young people in solving these two big issues. Kenai believes that by engaging local youth in activities to protect the environment, it offers them a changemaking space away from crime. His actions are mainly aimed at cleaning up the Xingu River, paired with environmental education actions.

His team today is made up of 17 young people entirely dedicated to the project, along with 70 volunteers who periodically contribute during the cleaning actions. The project's impact has been perceived in the improvement of the river's aquatic fauna, in the change in perception of those involved in the project about the protection of the river, as well as signs of local tourism. In all, the project collected 11,000 liters of garbage from the river. Gabriel sees that young people are among those most impacted by social and environmental issues and, therefore, he believes that the solution lies precisely in young people. His work seeks to create a learning space to engage more and more young activists aware of their power to change the world.