Age Is Just a Number

On the Caribbean island of Tobago, 17-year-old Lewis coaches archers three times her age. Her quiver holds more than arrows — she carries the title of Young Leader for the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In Caribbean culture, a long-standing norm tells children to speak only when spoken to. Lewis felt that wall firsthand. "The biggest challenge has to be my age," she said. "There's always this feeling that you should leave the older heads to have the big discussions."

Archery changed that. "Archery gives you that discipline to keep pushing forward — and it transfers into every area of your life."

80% Mental Game

For Lewis, archery is not about medals. "It's 80 per cent a test of mentality," she said, arguing that the self-esteem and discipline the sport builds radiate into every corner of a young person's life.

"Children can do it. We have a say. We have the intellect. We have the passion. You don't have to wait until you're 25 to want to fight for a cause. We can start right now."

She delivers that message to schools, community groups, and faith-based organizations across Tobago.

Fruit Trees as Food Security

Her advocacy does not stop at words. Through her foundation, Lewis leads a campaign to plant native fruit trees across Tobago — sapodilla, soursop, custard apple, breadfruit, and starfruit — to strengthen the island's food security and promote sustainable farming.

"You won't just find me planting. You'll find other young people, very young children, going out and planting their own trees that they will look after."

The results speak for themselves. A rural primary school gardening plot she first visited was overgrown and abandoned; two months later it had been transformed into a thriving space where students tended plants throughout the school day.

Youth Voice on the Global Stage

As a UN SDG Young Leader, Lewis now advocates internationally for the space young people need in policy discussions. The SDGs are the 17 internationally agreed targets set to be achieved by 2030, covering poverty, climate action, and food security, among others.

In a landscape where youth — and especially young women — often struggle to be heard in diplomacy, Lewis's story illustrates how sport can serve as a civic development tool, not merely a physical one. Her model of linking school athletics with environmental education carries relevance well beyond the Caribbean.