At the age of 17 and coaching archers three times her age on her home Caribbean island of Tobago, Ms. Lewis transferred the confidence and skills she gained from sport to advocacy and diplomacy, places where youth, especially girls, often struggle to make their voices heard.
“The biggest challenge has to be my age,” she said, highlighting a cultural norm passed down to many young Caribbean people, “only speak when you are spoken to” and “leave the big discussions to the older people.”
The sport has helped him overcome these obstacles: “Archery gives you the discipline to keep going,” he said.
united nations
Anthurium Lewis receives top prize in archery competition.
Now, Ms. Lewis wants to use her platform as a youth leader for the United Nations sustainable development goals (SDG) – The internationally agreed goal is to promote peace and prosperity for people and the planet – to show that young people can lead change when the world makes space for their voices and equips them with the right skills.
He believes that play is one of the most powerful ways to develop these skills.
‘Kids can do it’
The most profound change that sport brings is something quieter than a trophy or a title; It starts in the mind.
He believes that 80 percent of archery is the test. mindset The self-esteem and discipline that a young person builds transfers to all parts of their life.
However, acknowledging the challenges that other young people face with powerful ideas but getting nowhere, Ms Lewis is encouraging her peers to be confident in their voices.
“Children can do it. We have the right to speak out. We have the intelligence. We also have the passion behind it. You don’t have to wait until you’re 25 to fight for a cause… We can start right now.”
sustainability mission
Through her foundation, Lewis is on a mission to plant native fruit trees in Tobago to move the island towards more sustainable practices and promote food security.
She also visits schools, communities and faith-based organizations, where she works to empower youth to plant fruit trees such as sapodilla, soursop, custard apple, breadfruit and starfruit.
“You won’t just find me planting trees,” she said, “you’ll actually find other youth, very young kids, going out there and planting their own fruit trees that they will take care of.”
efforts are successful
On her first visit to a rural primary school in Tobago, Louise arrived to find the school’s gardening area overgrown and abandoned, but two months later, she returned to find it transformed: it was clean and filled with children tending their plants during the school day.
“I was very happy with that change,” she said, emphasizing that the work also gives children a chance to get out of the noise of the classroom, connect with their peers, and create something with their hands.
For Ms. Lewis, that sense of ownership, which fosters discipline and confidence, is the whole point.
Anthurium Lewis speaks to UN News ahead of the annual event ECOSOC Youth Forum (April 14-16, 2026) that brings together youth leaders with policy makers to focus on ways forward. 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals.
