The First Step Toward Change Is Being Aware That We Need It

Reflections on Being a Young Reporter from Mexico

Victoria Morrell is a 17-year-old from Mexico whose photo, Northern Drought, won first place in Photo Reportage category in the 2023 YRE Competition. 

The jury congratulated her photo and appreciated it for its symbolic representation of change and nostalgia. For them, the photo reflected how things used to be before the impact of climate change.

However, Victoria's commitment to raising awareness about climate change doesn't stop with her award-winning photograph. She has returned to the YRE programme to help inspire and guide future Young Reporters.

In the video below, Victoria shares how she got the idea for her photograph:  

“I walk by a river every day on my way to class. Once, its water flowed with colour as beautiful as the sky, and I remember everyone stopped to admire it. Now that it has run dry, they ignore it,” Victoria observed.

She believes this indifference is rooted in the fear that we are witnessing the devastating effects of global warming right before our eyes. Her photograph serves as a poignant reminder of how fragile our environment is and how swiftly we can lose the beauty of nature if we don't act against climate change.

Her message is clear: raising awareness about climate issues around us is critical and the YRE programme is one way that helps do this, by empowering young people to take action.

“The first step toward change is being aware that we need it. We can raise awareness about it, we can take the first step, make conversation about it. Making everyone know, because when everyone knows there is no way of denying it, so don’t be afraid of being a Young Reporter to the Environment.”