Seventeen-year-old Anthurium Lewis, a six-time national archery champion from Tobago, is using her success in sport to advocate for sustainability and youth empowerment. Speaking to UN News, she shared how archery has helped her overcome age-related barriers and build the confidence needed to engage in environmental advocacy and diplomacy.
Despite coaching archers older than herself, Lewis says her biggest challenge has been being taken seriously as a young person in spaces where youth voices are often overlooked. Cultural expectations in the Caribbean, she noted, sometimes discourage young people from speaking up. However, she credits archery for instilling discipline, resilience, and self-belief, enabling her to push past these limitations.
Now a Young Leader for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Lewis is committed to demonstrating that young people can play a leading role in driving change. She believes sport is a powerful tool for building the mindset and skills needed to contribute to global goals such as poverty reduction and sustainability.
Beyond advocacy, Lewis is actively working on environmental initiatives through her foundation. She is leading efforts to plant native fruit trees across Tobago to promote sustainable practices and improve food security. Her work involves engaging schools, communities, and faith-based groups, encouraging young people to take part in planting and maintaining trees such as breadfruit, soursop, custard apple, sapodilla, and starfruit.
Lewis has already seen tangible results from her efforts. During a visit to a rural primary school, she found its neglected garden transformed within two months into a thriving space maintained by students. For her, these small but meaningful changes reflect the deeper impact of empowering young people—building confidence, responsibility, and a sense of ownership.
She continues to encourage her peers to speak up and take action, emphasizing that age should not be a barrier to making a difference. According to Lewis, young people have the ideas, passion, and ability to contribute meaningfully, and they do not need to wait to start creating change.
