This June, Planeteer Alliance supported 15 youth-led Meetup Events focused on the WATER Element—gathering over 200 young people across the globe to confront water pollution, strengthen local ecosystems, and advocate for clean, accessible water.
For Captain Planet Foundation’s Planeteer Alliance, the WATER element reflects our shared dependence on water—and the urgent need to protect it from pollution, overuse, and climate disruption. Guided by this theme, Planeteers stepped into leadership this month to organize cleanups, facilitate community discussions, and explore the deeper relationships between water, agriculture, health, and justice.
Since 2020, the Planeteer Alliance has been building a strong coalition of leaders across Nigeria—and two of those leaders hosted WATER Meetups last month.
In Lagos, Planeteer Samson Omoyemi braved torrential rain to lead a resilient cleanup crew into a local wetland. His small team safely navigated the swampy terrain, removing plastic waste while carefully preserving the habitat of native red crabs. Throughout the effort, safety remained a top priority—participants used proper gear, monitored conditions, and ensured no harm to themselves or the surrounding ecosystem. After the cleanup, they took shelter and reflected on the environmental impacts of small, everyday actions—a reminder that even in imperfect conditions, progress is possible.
In Jos, Planeteer Magdalene Dauda gathered over 20 young people in Faringada for an event combining dialogue and direct action. After a discussion on the health risks associated with water pollution and local waste disposal habits, the group conducted a neighborhood cleanup—tackling an area with more trash than could be cleared in a single day. Still, Magdalene’s Meetup succeeded in raising awareness, sparking commitment, and showing participants what’s possible when communities unite around shared challenges.
What made these Meetups so meaningful wasn’t just the cleanups or the discussions—it was the sense of local ownership. These were not one-off events; they were sparks. Sparks that lit new friendships, seeded youth-led campaigns, and offered communities a vision of what’s possible when water is treated not as an afterthought, but as sacred.
Planeteer Alliance supports four opportunities to host a Meetup annually, each focusing on one of the original Planeteer elements: EARTH, FIRE, WIND, and WATER. With access to funding, tools, and mentorship, youth organizers gain the skills to design, pitch, and host high-impact events. In the process, they develop as environmental leaders ready to serve their communities—and the planet—for the long term.
This June’s WATER Meetups showed that young people aren’t waiting for permission to protect what matters. They’re already doing the work and aren’t afraid to raise their voice for water justice.
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