Introducing the Vital Impacts Student Speaker Series: Inspiring Future Changemakers
Today's most compelling environmental artists and scientists have come together to rally around a cause—inspiring the next generation of environmental stewardship through the Vital Impacts Student Speaker Series.
Vital Impacts, a 501(c)(3) organization created by award-winning National Geographic photographer Ami Vitale and journalist Eileen Mignoni has partnered with Changemaker Talent to create a program of compelling stage shows and integrated curriculum for students in grades 5-8.
The Vital Impacts Student Speaker Series brings world-class storytellers to students across North America, to tell the story of our planet. Presented on a variety of stages, these compelling talks blend storytelling with award-winning imagery to bring to life the biodiversity crisis and the people and programs working toward a sustainable future. Through entertaining and educating content, these shows help students imagine a future career that will benefit the planet.
The presenters who have been selected for the 2023-24 Student Speaker Series (Ronan Donovan, Mattias Klum, Keith Ladzinski, Mireya Mayor, Pete McBride, Vincent J. Musi, Brian Skerry, Anand Varma, Steve Winter, and Ami Vitale) are a mix of Vital Impacts photographers and accomplished science communicators who are renowned for their dedication to the planet. Throughout their careers they have each demonstrated a deep commitment to the environment.
“Our message is simple,” Vitale explains. “Never before has it been so clear that our fates are inextricably linked to those around us. What we need most is another way of seeing, and another way of being in this world. This is a moment to reimagine our relationship with nature and to each other. We all need to do all we can to care for the plants and critters that inhabit the earth. Our future happiness depends on them.”
Vital Impacts and Changemaker Talent will partner with select institutions and organizations around the U.S. to extend the reach and impact of our series.
About the partners:
Vital Impacts is a non-profit that inspires the care of our natural world by using photography to create empathy, awareness, and understanding across cultures and to help us see that the survival of the natural world is intertwined with our own survival. Through seasonal print sales, Vital Impacts showcases world-class photography to raise funds for grassroots conservation organizations around the world. They have recently launched a global grant and mentorship program to encourage visual storytellers to create a long-term documentary photography project with local communities who are working to protect the environment and wildlife.
Changemaker Talent is a speakers bureau on a mission to elevate the conversation, spark community, and amplify the bold ideas of original thinkers—a broad mix of photographers, filmmakers, journalists, CEOs, scientists, artists, and thought leaders. Through compelling stage shows, workshops, and curated conversations, these changemakers share their keen insights and co-create the future with a broad variety of audiences, from Fortune 100 companies to institutions, NGOs, universities, performing arts centers, and private organizations.