Field notes, research & stories from the ground.
Long form writing from young leaders, mentors and the YPL team, about what works, what doesn't, and what we're still figuring out.
6 posts
Inside the room: 8 weeks with the 2026 Changemaker cohort
Forty young leaders, four continents, one shared question, what does it actually take to build something that lasts?
Apr 2026 · 9 min
Mangroves, money & memory, what the data says about coastal restoration
We pulled five years of YPL field data. The most-funded projects weren't always the ones that worked.
Mar 2026 · 5 min
What changes when someone really sees your work
I was running a river-restoration project nobody knew about. Then YPL featured me, and three things happened in the same week.
Mar 2026 · 4 min
Showing up for COP, with no badge and no plan
Five of us flew to Dubai with one printed letter and a lot of nerve. Here's what we learned about being heard.
Feb 2026 · 7 min
Why we don't do 'winners', and what we do instead
Competition designs systems where most participants lose. We built YPL the other way around.
Jan 2026 · 5 min