From the Mountains to the Classroom: Eliana’s Story

Youth Sustainability Science and Policy Internship Programme | Intern Spotlight

Meet Eliana Ituarte Strömberg — a 16-year-old student at the International School of Lund, Sweden, with roots in both Sweden and Mexico. Her bicultural background has shaped a deep curiosity about how different countries can collaborate toward a greener future — a question that led her to write her first article, Scandinavian Success — Too Good to Be True?, and eventually to contribute to the Global Youth Council (GYC).

How did you first get involved with the programme?

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to attend a human rights conference in London where I was first introduced to a group of immensely insightful people. I got inspired to create an article for the Global Youth Council about the misconceptions around Scandinavian success. Then later in the year I had a chance to work with them yet again, when they reached out with a project where around 20 youth pledged to paddle, cycle or hike 100 km in total in order to raise money and awareness to support education on climate change and biodiversity loss.

Tell us about the article and crowdfunding work.

For the article, Eliana didn’t stop at her own perspective. She reached out to a biotech engineer, a Colombian lawyer, and a Sri Lankan lawyer to gather views on collaboration between developing and developed countries — a first foray into interviewing that she describes as genuinely eye-opening.

The crowdfunding campaign had a different kind of power:

It was wonderful to be able to combine the hobby of hiking in nature with the pressing issue of saving biodiversity, and it felt like each step taken in the mountains was a step towards our end goal in sustainability.

The process itself, she notes, was more accessible than she expected — setting up a JustGiving page and working with a supporting adult to spread the word. As she puts it, it really goes to show how many people could achieve similar results.

What made hiking the mountains feel meaningful?

The journey allowed me to get a very first-hand experience of the urgency and need for action when walking through glaciers that were in the process of disappearing. We were seeing huge cracks coming straight out of the cores of the glaciers with water gushing out like a wound, showing exactly how vulnerable these giants really are.

It is one thing to read about glacial retreat. It is another to stand inside it.

You also attended a conference in Cambridge. What did that open up?

The conference in Cambridge was really the starting point when it came to what I could later do in collaboration with GYC — it paved the way for the crowdfunding, the article, and the editing.

Skills gained — including an unexpected one.

One of Eliana’s proudest achievements was being invited to present her crowdfunding experience to Lund Municipality, showing other young people how to combine personal hobbies with causes they care about.

This helped me greatly develop my presenting skills and proved to be a great way to inspire others to do the same.

What does this experience say about youth and sustainability?

Because today’s youth are the future leaders, and will live the consequences of past generations, youth involvement is key in bringing change to the world. After experiencing the immense support from strangers when crowdfunding, it showed how much power youth can hold and the difference that can be made in the topics of sustainability and sciences.

Her message to young people thinking of getting involved?

Before starting crowdfunding I expected the process to be very difficult and time consuming. However, after completing the pledge and raising the funds, I understood that the hardest part was starting. So to all the youth who are interested — you would be surprised at the difference you can make. Getting involved will also allow you to meet a large expanse of people who are interested in similar topics.

Eliana Ituarte Strömberg is a contributor to the Global Youth Council and a student at the International School of Lund, Sweden.