Two young Luxembourg siblings are on a mission to empower a generation of changemakers and position their home country as a global hub for social innovation.
Their vehicle for impact? The Change Makers — an ambitious new initiative aiming to mobilise one million youth and Gen Z toward achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
Launched on Friday by Leo (23) and Avanti (18) Sharma, the initiative is built on five core pillars: Learn, Inspire, Innovate, Lead, and Perform — each designed to equip young people with tools to drive meaningful progress.
“According to recent UN progress reports, 37% of the 17 SDGs have stagnated or worse,” explained Avanti. The goal of the initiative is to give the younger generation hope while engaging them proactively in finding solutions.
Avanti, who recently graduated from high school and already has two startups underway, and Leo, a Master’s student, are regulars at thought leadership seminars and conferences. They also recently moderated a number of panels at Nexus, Luxembourg’s flagship tech conference. While the siblings applaud the ambitions shared at these events, what is often lacking is the “journey to get there.”
Avanti blames the fragmented approach of UN member states to the SDGs for the failure to meet them. Rather than a top down leadership approach, she and Leo want to mobilise a generational movement. The Change Makers Initiative operates on three key fronts:
Grassroots: Partnering with local organisations already working on SDG-aligned projects. Workshop4Me, WeStem+, and Women in Tech Global Paris are among the early collaborators.
Corporate Engagement: Encouraging multinational companies to adopt and champion specific goals through partnerships and innovation.
Policy Influence: Working with supranational bodies like the European Commission to drive long-term systemic change.
“The goal is to empower and mobilise Gen Z so they can take a pledge to, for example, learn about the SDGs or educate themselves,” Avanti explained.
Multinational corporations will play a role by taking up a cause, to work towards one of the goals and partnering with the movement. The final level includes the European Commission as well as other supernational institutions where the movement seeks to influence policy in favour of achieving the SDGs.
“Our end goal is to make the change makers of the future,” says Avanti, adding that Luxembourg, with its national motto “Letz make it happen”, is well-placed as the hub for the movement. “I wish to see Luxembourg emerge as the world’s first change maker country and Knowledge Hub. Through these different initiatives, which are local, regional, but also worldwide, we can actually do that,” says Avanti.
Young people can take pledges, access resources, and join the global movement via the official website: letzmakesdgshappen.com. Meanwhile, companies wishing to partner or collaborate can find out more on the site under the “collaborate” tab.
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