Young people across the world are innovating to find answers to pressing global challenges. Meet four inspiring young innovators from Angola, Brazil, the United States and Viet Nam who are proving that big impacts are often driven by curiosity, community-focused purpose and creativity. Intellectual property (IP) is a powerful ally in bringing these dreams to life.
Clemente Silva (Angola)
Clemente is the founder of INNO ANGOLA, an NGO that empowers young people to turn ideas into solutions through renewable energy innovation, mentorship and IP training.
What inspired you to start your journey and how did it connect with a challenge in your local community?
My inspiration came from a desire to see young people become the authors of solutions to the social and environmental problems in their own communities. During my own educational journey, I faced many limitations. I didn't have access to practical opportunities or mentors to guide me. I didn't want other teenagers to go through the same experience.
It is with this purpose that I now teach at the Luanda Industrial Polytechnic Institute and founded INNO ANGOLA, an NGO that aims to help develop and nurture renewable energy solutions by supporting young inventors through mentorship, technical training, and IP guidance.
Today, I see young people who were once insecure or unmotivated presenting projects, innovating with purpose and transforming their lives and communities.
What advice would you give to other young people who want to build something impactful but don't know where to start?
Start with what is within your reach. Observe the problems around you, talk to people and ask yourself: "What can I do to change this, even if it's something small?" The first step could be learning something new, joining a training program or getting involved in a local initiative.
How has IP played a role in your journey and why do you think it's important for other youth to understand and use IP?
I realized that many of the ideas developed with youth, such as simplified solar energy systems and automation solutions, were lost due to lack of IP protection.
IP allows us to recognize and value creative effort, ensuring that inventors retain their rights and have opportunities to turn their ideas into businesses or public solutions. When a young person understands IP, they understand that their idea has value — and that changes everything.
That is why we include IP training as an essential part of the innovation process at INNO ANGOLA and also maintain regular contact with the Angolan Institute of Industrial Property (IAPI).
Anna Luísa Beserra (Brazil)
Anna Luísa, founder and CEO of SDW For All, develops innovative water solutions to bring safe drinking water to underserved communities in Brazil.
What inspired you to start your journey and how did it connect with a challenge in your local community?
My journey began at a school science fair in Brazil in 2013. I was 15 at that time and I discovered that millions of people in rural and semi-arid areas lacked access to safe drinking water. The realization moved me deeply and I knew I wanted to create something that could help solve this problem.
That is when I started developing an idea that would eventually become "Aqualuz", a solar-powered water disinfection system for rainwater, designed specifically for underserved communities.
Since then, I have scaled Aqualuz into the flagship innovation of my social enterprise, SDW For All (Sustainable Development & Water for All), which focuses on sustainable technologies for water access, sanitation and hygiene in underserved communities.
What advice would you give to other young people who want to build something impactful but don't know where to start?
Start small and local by looking around your community. Real impact often begins by solving a problem you can see or feel closely. Don't wait until everything is perfect or until you have all the answers. Take the first step, talk to people and stay open to learning. And remember: your voice and ideas matter, especially when guided by purpose.
How did IP play a role in your journey and why should youth understand and use it?
IP has been key to my journey since the beginning. When we patented Aqualuz, it not only helped to protect the invention, but also gave us more credibility when talking to partners and investors. It showed them that the solution was both serious and sustainable.
I believe IP is a powerful tool, especially for young innovators from the Global South, to claim ownership of their ideas and to ensure they can grow and scale their impact safely and fairly.
Anatola Araba (United States)
Anatola is a futurist, filmmaker and creative technologist who uses storytelling and innovation to reimagine futures, powered by creativity and IP.
What inspired you to start your journey and how did it connect with a challenge in your local community?
As a futurist, filmmaker and creative technologist, I believe the greatest challenges of our time are also golden opportunities to reinvent, redefine and reimagine the world as it could be.
That is exactly what I aim to do through art, storytelling and advocacy. I started Reimagine Story Lab, a creative technology agency that tells innovative stories of tomorrow, to instill hope, agency and joy. Through my organization, I've hosted workshops across the globe from Singapore to Stockholm, London to New York where I've surveyed thousands of people aged seven to 87 about their dream cities and communities.
The stories I've heard have been so powerful. Stories about quantum cities rooted in Ubuntu, a human-centered African philosophy that translates to "I am because we are"; coastal cities with buildings that recycle plastic; and intergenerational houses with community gardens that grow produce in abundance. These are the kinds of stories about our shared futures I want to see more of.
What advice would you give to other young people who want to build something impactful but don't know where to start?
Know that your ideas come to you for a reason! As a young person, you have the benefit of seeing things in a brand-new way. In sharing the unique perspective you have, you can push boundaries and redefine the spaces you enter.
When I began directing Afro Algorithms, I had no idea how to create a 3D animated film. I simply had unwavering hope for the vision I had and took the next step as it came. Oftentimes, I didn't have what I needed to take the next step and had to figure it out in real-time. But by trusting the vision and not giving up, the project ended up making history by being sent to the moon by NASA.
Lastly, ask yourself this: "If you don't do it, who will? If not now, when?" We live in urgent times. Our planet and the people on it need our help. All of our voices must participate in building the world we want–especially yours. So let your voice be heard.
How did IP play a role in your journey and why do you think it's important for other young people to understand and use IP?
IP enables you to have ownership over ideas. And new ideas are the first step to building the world we want to live in.
IP holds immense power. After all, new ideas are both valuable and extremely delicate. An idea is like a newborn baby. You would probably be careful with who you let hold your newborn baby, right? It is the same with how you let others interact with your early-stage ideas.
It was a huge rite of passage to copyright my short film, Afro Algorithms. This ensured the script, story, characters and assets were protected by IP. I also spoke to a trademark lawyer about protecting my studio, Reimagine Story Lab. This ensures we will always have the right to use our signature taglines and names.
Kriss Ngo (Viet Nam)
Kriss is an award-winning music producer, building community through creative challenges, inspiring next generation musicians to value and protect their musical works.
What inspired you to start your journey and how did it connect with a challenge in your local community?
What inspired me to start pursuing music was the feeling I had listening to it at a very young age, which eventually led to me picking up musical instruments at school.
Later, I hosted an internet challenge called "Internet Cypher" in my community by providing other young people with a music beat so they could start creating, expressing themselves and showing their own takes on the theme. I love to see how people express themselves in music, as it is a way to connect and capture your thoughts at a particular moment.
What advice would you give to other young people who want to build something impactful but don't know where to start?
I believe that impactful things start from super tiny bricks. We can write down the final goal, like "win a Grammy", then break that down into short-term actions that can be taken each day.
I also think that patience is a key element. Practicing patience and taking actions daily to accumulate small wins will eventually lead me somewhere.
How has IP played a role in your journey? Why should youth understand and use it?
To me IP is a part of my whole self, just like my hands or my heart. IP is a vital tool for all creative people like me. It helps us to spread value while expressing ourselves, also bringing us economic benefits and protection of our copyright.
IP motivates me to create more. If I know that my creations are protected and transferable, I can just create and collaborate with anyone without worry.
Young people should learn how vital IP is, especially if they are going to work in the creative industry. It will not only support their ability to generate income and also enable them to create endlessly and freely.
From local community innovation to global impact with IP
The stories of Clemente, Anatola, Kriss and Anna Luísa embody the vision underpinning WIPO's IP and Youth Empowerment Strategy (IP-YES!), which works to equip young people everywhere with the tools to turn ideas into impact using IP. From digital creators to green technology innovators and everyone in between, IP-YES! equips young people with the knowledge, tools and support needed to succeed.
To learn more about WIPO's work to support and empower youth, visit the Youth Engagement webpage
About WIPO
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is a specialized United Nations agency that serves the world's innovators and creators, ensuring that their ideas travel safely to the market and improve lives everywhere.
We do so by providing services that enable creators, innovators and entrepreneurs to protect and promote their intellectual property (IP) across borders and acting as a forum for addressing cutting-edge IP issues.
About International Youth Day
International Youth Day is commemorated every year on August 12, bringing youth issues to the attention of the international community and celebrating the potential of youth as partners in today's global society.