STORIES OF INSPIRING YOUNG HEROES
We created these videos to take you deeper into the amazing stories of some of the winners of the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes. Each inspiring video, narrated by the kids themselves, takes you on a journey exploring different aspects of their projects, and what motivates them to help others.
You can watch all of the videos here, or visit each young hero’s page to watch their video and learn more about their unique and inspirational story.
Katherine McPhie &
Milan Narula
Katherine and Milan founded Open Sesame Coding for Kids to give children facing homelessness or domestic violence a skill that could help open the door to a brighter future. More…
Shreya Ramachandran
Shreya founded The Grey Water Project to support water conservation efforts in California and beyond. She first learned how to use grey water in her home and has now developed a curriculum to teach others how to use it. More…
Robbie Bond
Robbie loves our national parks and monuments so much he created Kids Speak for Parks. He travels to schools around the country to create an army of kids who are just as passionate about visiting and protecting our national treasures. More…
Claire Vlases
Claire founded Solar Makes Sense to raise money to put solar panels on her middle school. Her video is a story of perseverance after she was told it wouldn’t be possible to make her vision a reality. More…
Jahkil Jackson
Jahkil was inspired as a young boy to help the homeless he saw around his hometown of Chicago. Now he organizes events that create Blessing Bags – bags full of toiletries that are then distributed to people in shelters and on the streets. More…
Genevieve Leroux
When Genevieve learned that the Western Migratory Monarch butterfly was facing extinction, she knew she had to help raise awareness of this majestic creature and the crisis of its disappearing habitat in California and beyond. More…
IYH @ Home
Even though the IYH team can’t get out and film new stories while the COVID-19 crisis is ongoing, our young heroes are still doing extraordinary things. We’re excited to bring you a few stories of what our heroes are up to @ Home!
Addy Barrett
IYH @ Home
Every year, Addy and her organization host a fun event to raise funds to support gorilla conservation efforts. But the COVID-19 pandemic forced Gorilla Heroes to shift to a virtual event in 2020. More…
Gitanjali Rao
IYH @ Home
Gitanjali was ready to launch her new Kindly anti-cyberbullying service when COVID-19 hit the US. She didn’t let it stop her from bringing her app to the world with a virtual launch in May of 2020. More…
IYH Throwback Videos
The following videos were originally filmed as part of Dream Big, a documentary showcasing 7 Barron Prize winners and their projects. We love their stories and include them here because they continue to inspire us, even today!
Barbara Brown
IYH Throwback Video
Barbara Brown created the “Don’t Be Crude” motor oil recycling program in her rural Texas county when she learned that local farmers were pouring used motor oil on the ground in order to kill weeds. More…
Ellie Wen
IYH Throwback Video
While volunteering at a community center, Ellie Wen saw individuals struggling with pronunciation in an ESL class. So she built a website that to provide free texts and audio clips to help students around the world with their language skills. More…
Shawn Henry
IYH Throwback Video
In 2002, Shawn Henry got tired of looking at an abandoned, trash-filled lot in his neighborhood. He was inspired by the book Seedfolks to transform the lot into community gardens. Shawn applied for and received a grant to clean up the vacant lot. More…
Inspiring Young Heroes features videos of inspiring kids. These videos highlight the life-changing work of everyday young people who tell their stories and show how one person – no matter what age or circumstance – has the power to make a difference.
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