Who are we?
Grace Totten is the founder of 17 by Seventeen, a youth-led initiative she launched at 16 with a goal to take 17 meaningful actions for each of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals before turning 17. What began as one teenager’s challenge grew into a national initiative bringing together young people from across Canada and proving that youth don’t have to wait until adulthood to create meaningful change.
Grace is passionate about youth leadership, sustainability, biodiversity, and creating opportunities for young people to turn ideas into action. Through 17 by Seventeen, she has organized community initiatives, hosted conversations with leaders and changemakers, launched the 17 by Seventeen Podcast, and worked to make the Sustainable Development Goals more accessible and actionable for youth.Her work has led her to speak at events and conferences, contribute to conversations surrounding sustainability and youth engagement, and advocate for a simple belief at the heart of 17 by Seventeen: young people are not just the leaders of tomorrow, they are capable of leading today. Although Grace has now passed the leadership of 17 by Seventeen to its next youth lead, she continues to support the organization as its founder and remains committed to empowering young people to be ambitious, get uncomfortable, and take action on the issues they care about.
