Melyssa

Melyssa, is an educommunicator from Brazil’s southern coast (in Taubaté, São Paulo), co-founded Puro Ouro Verde (Pure Green Gold), a youth-led collective that bridges environmental justice and popular communication. After early involvement in child protection and youth advocacy initiatives, Melyssa saw how coastal communities like hers suffered from environmental racism, sea encroachment, and exclusion from decision-making. 

In response, she and her peers began using tools like podcasts, videos, and documentaries — including Maré de Escombros (Debris Tide), screened at COP-27 — to amplifymarginalized voices and promote environmental education. Since 2022, the collective has impacted over a thousand students through workshops, clean-up actions, and exhibitions. 

Melyssa now aims to expand the initiative through public school programs, training young facilitators, and creating educational materials to empower more youth to see themselves not as victims, but as key players in environmental transformation.