BEAUTIFUL MINDS & THE CHALLENGES AROUND THEM

Dhruv Bhatt

(Environmental Human Rights Defender)

Dhruv Bhatt,18, is an environmental human rights defender from Nainital, Uttarakhand. Since age 11, Dhruv has led advocacy initiatives intersecting environmental conservation, human rights, and sustainable development. As a Child Adviser with #CovidUnder19 (an initiative of Terre des Hommes, a Swiss NGO), Dhruv has actively participated in global forums, such as the Vienna Youth and Child Human Rights Defenders Conference, where he addressed the President of Austria and worked on recommendations to facilitate child leadership in environmental advocacy. He has co-authored a research paper, drafted policy briefs and toolkits, and written extensively and creatively to highlight the stories and needs of children from climate-vulnerable and marginalized communities. Closer to home, in Uttarakhand, Dhruv collaborates with his parents on a culture-conscious, green startup that revitalizes traditional water mills and village streams to preserve local milling traditions while generating employment opportunities to combat mass migration from his state.

Julia Win

(Social Science Student at Chaing Mai University)

Her journey has been strongly entrenched in her background, which has instilled in her a strong sense of purpose and a desire to make a positive difference in her community. She was fortunate to be born into a strong Christian family where values of compassion, empathy, and service were instilled in her from a young age. Her mother, a dedicated missionary, played a pivotal role in shaping her worldview.

Currently, she is in the second year of studying social science and sustainable development in the international program at Chiang Mai University. Throughout her academic journey, she has always been passionate about working with children’s development and welfare. This passion stems from her own experiences growing up in a marginalized area, surrounded by migrant workers, and witnessing firsthand the challenges they faced. It became clear to her that these challenges were often rooted in discrimination and unfair treatment.