We back the young people doing the real work and we stay.
Why we exist
The young people protecting and restoring the planet are everywhere, and almost always under-resourced. They get a prize, then nothing. A grant, then nothing. A summit, then nothing. We were tired of watching that happen.
How we work
YPL is one connected journey. A leader can be featured at 17, join the Academy at 19, get a sponsorship at 21, mentor the next cohort at 25, and start a club anywhere along the way. Same community. Same people.
“When I started YPL, I kept meeting young people doing extraordinary work, and watching them burn out alone. They didn't need another award. They needed someone to walk with them. For years.”
— Mary Kinirons, Founder
The people behind the work.
The team running the programs day to day, from mentorship and the Academy to clubs and partnerships.
Mary Kinirons
Founder, Executive Director
Founder of Young Planet Leaders. Over two decades building youth programs across conservation, climate, and community health.
Priya Raghavan
Program Director
Climate educator and curriculum designer. Built secondary school sustainability programs across South and Southeast Asia.
Hana Ito
Director, Strategy
Designer and researcher. Leads the long term roadmap for our cohorts, clubs, and the Academy curriculum.
The board behind the mission.
A working board of practitioners, organizers, and educators who keep the program honest to its first promise, walking with young leaders, for years.
Daniel Otieno
Chair, Board of Directors
Conservation strategist based in Nairobi. Former program director at a pan-African environmental fund, now advising youth-led ecosystems.
Esteban Morales
Treasurer
Impact finance veteran. Twenty plus years structuring philanthropic capital for grassroots environmental work in Latin America.
Talavou Faleolo
Director, Community
Pacific climate organizer. Builds the relationships between our leaders, mentors, and local partner organizations across the network.