Let’s celebrate our 2022 Friendly Future Makers

We’re thrilled to introduce the 2022 Friendly Future Makers Awards to seven innovative youth who are making an impact within their communities and planet.

 

Meet our Friendly Future Makers

Meet our inspiring Friendly Future Makers awards recipients and learn how these young leaders of tomorrow are making a difference in one of TELUS’ areas of social impact.

Adara Hagman - Community Builder

Community Builders give back to those who need it most by using technology to drive meaningful change.

Adara is a changemaker, caring for her environment and offering support within the mental health space. This year, Adara helped co-create Chill Pill, a safe and supportive community for female & non-binary Gen Z to discuss mental health. In addition, she is building Gloclo – a clothes-sharing platform that reduces waste by promoting circular fashion. Through Gloclo, Adara works to create a more circular tomorrow.

Georgia Apostolopoulos - Hunger Hero

Hunger Heroes sow seeds to help improve the safety, quality and sustainability of food.

Georgia’s purpose is powered by empathy and compassion. At 11 years old, Georgia founded Bank on Bellies – a non-profit organization partnering with schools, local businesses, and corporations to help support local food drives across the Greater Toronto Area. She is also a notable public speaker, inspiring her peers to “bank on what they believe in”. To date, our Hunger Hero has received the YMCA Peace Medal, and has collected 14,700 food items and $31,791 for local food banks.

Athena Woodford - Health and Wellness Helper

Health and Wellness Helpers build healthier communities by caring for the mental and physical health of those facing significant barriers accessing quality healthcare.

Athena is helping build healthier communities by increasing awareness on the issue of sexual assault and sex trafficking. With support from their peers, Athena speaks on the issue at local schools and sells merchandise to raise money for Action Canada, a sexual rights and health organization.

Aryan Gautam - Planet Protector

Planet Protectors help reduce our collective carbon footprint and make our planet healthier.

Aryan is a passionate Planet Protector who actively seeks involvement in his community. To date, Aryan has committed over 10,000 volunteer hours, spreading awareness about climate change, philanthropy and environmentalism. His roles and responsibilities include being the youngest member of Ontario Nature Youth Council, the Youth Director of Mississauga Climate Action, the Mississauga-Lakeshore Constituency Youth Council, the Credit Valley Conservation Frontline Program, and a co-operating activist for Indigenous organizations: Eagle Spirits of the Great Waters and Eco-Spirits.

Keeya Beausoleil - Connection Enabler

Connection Enablers help foster human connections by bridging digital divides and creating technological equity within rural, remote and indigenous communities.

Keeya is a third-year student pursuing her Honours degree in Geophysics. In just a few months she began a non-profit organization - Out of Sight, In Mind - aimed at designing a practical storage cart for individuals experiencing homelessness in Edmonton. In collaboration with many unhoused individuals and community groups, Keeya is transforming the shopping cart into an inclusive design that is sustainable and advocates for harm reduction.

Juliette Décarie - Friendly Future Maker

Friendly Future Makers help solve some of the world’s most pressing problems and help grow a sustainable future.

Juliette’s goal is to foster an inclusive community that celebrates physical, psychological, cultural and sexual differences on social networks. To achieve this, she is a committed ambassador for the CHU Sainte-Justine foundation and is organizing a fundraiser to raise $10,000 by traveling 22km between Laval and Montreal in her wheelchair.

Austin Ma - Friendly Future Maker

Friendly Future Makers help solve some of the world’s most pressing problems and help grow a sustainable future.

Austin is co-founder of the Coding Pals Foundation, a registered non-profit that has taught coding to over 1600 low-income kids since March 2020. He started Coding Pals to help address what he saw as a lack of computer science education in schools. Today, he leads a team of over 20 high schoolers, running dozens of enriching year-round programs.

Our impact in action

Every day, we are changing the lives of Canadians and improving our communities in many ways