Shatabdy Zahid (she/her)

How are you using education to build more sustainable and equitable communities? Tell us about your EE work and impact. 

Education is most powerful when people exchange knowledge, build skills, and learn from experiences different from their own. This way, the impact of our actions can be amplified.

I founded Learning For Our Future to create more accessible and engaging ways for people to learn about the environment, share their knowledge, and take action together. Through online stories, workshops, case competitions, webinars, and creative activities, we bring people together to learn from and alongside one another. By making environmental education more inclusive and community-driven, we help people gain the knowledge and skills needed to move from awareness to meaningful and personal action in their communities.

Tell us about your journey to where you are today. What inspired you? What has your path been like? 

My journey into environmental education started from fear. As a child, I was deeply climate-anxious and worried that flooding would sweep away my grandmother living in Bangladesh, a highly climate-vulnerable country. I wanted to protect her, but I didn’t know how. My mom encouraged me to channel that anxiety into action through volunteering with my school’s eco-club. Over time, these volunteering opportunities grew into research and field experiences, where I discovered the power of asking questions, understanding environmental challenges, and helping others make sense of them to take action.

That curiosity eventually led me to a career in public health, where I learned to look at complex challenges through data and share findings with a variety of audiences. But I realized that knowledge alone is not enough. So, in 2023, I launched Learning For Our Future to help share skills, knowledge, and experiences to take climate action together.

How can people learn more about or support your work? 

People can follow us on social media (@learningforourfuture) as we share knowledge and resources through engaging posts. We host virtual events throughout the year such as a Learning Festival, a podcast, and interviews. We also organize in-person events, like our case competitions and art explorations of climate emotions, and are available for talks to inspire others to take climate action. If you would like to support our events, we are always looking for financial and volunteer support, and we appreciate any amplification of our work on social media or in person!

A Little More About Me

What is your superpower? Which of your qualities best fuels the work you do?
My willingness to try. Solving climate change is overwhelming, but I am always happy to share my skills and knowledge to help in any way that I can.

What makes you most excited to be an EE30U30 awardee?
To share the message of hope with so many other passionate youth! I truly believe that when we are all working together, we can tackle any problem.

What’s your favorite food to celebrate with?
Anything my mom cooks! It is always made with love.