The Youth as Changemakers Award, sponsored by Desjardins Insurance and the Honda Canada Foundation, celebrates three outstanding young leaders or groups of young leaders from across Canada who are making a real difference in their communities.
These changemakers are passionate about creating safer streets for everyone and are turning their ideas into action through advocacy, collaboration and community mobilization. Working alongside their peers, local organizations and community leaders, they champion evidence-based solutions that help save lives and inspire lasting change.
Each winner, or team of winners, receive a $1,000 honorarium, along with national recognition for their impact, highlighting the creativity, passion and leadership youth bring to creating safer roads for all.
2026 Winners
Aidan D’Souza (Toronto, Ont.)
Aidan has been a member of the Canadian Youth Road Safety Council since 2022, serving as co-chair for the 2024/2025 council term. Through Snap for Change, Aidan took action to improve road safety in a Toronto neighbourhood where a newly built school had increased pedestrian activity. He shared his concerns and recommendations with the Mayor of Toronto and a local councillor. Aidan’s advocacy efforts led to the successful implementation of a three-way stop, improving safety for everyone who travels across the intersection. He has also been a strong voice in the youth road safety space, speaking about the importance of meaningful youth engagement as a panelist in various Parachute webinars.
Brandon Kwon, Hajin Kim & Chelsea Kwon (Edmonton, Alta.)
Parachute Youth Road Safety Ambassadors Brandon, Chelsea and Hajin aimed to decrease speed and improve road safety near their Edmonton high school. This youth-led project assessed and compared near-miss incidents and speed compliance across several Edmonton school zones. Using on-site observations and student-reported surveys, the project identified where safety concerns occur most frequently. They shared results with school administration and the City of Edmonton through a presentation and site visit to support discussions on creating safer roads for students. In response, a flashing pedestrian crossing signal has been installed at the main crossing at the school and a permanent 24-hour no parking zone is set to be implemented in the near future.
Felix Townsin (Victoria, B.C.)
Through his Parachute Youth Road Safety Ambassador project in Greater Victoria, Felix distributed more than 300 road safety starter kits with reflective materials to youth at local schools and events. Felix also led a Snap for Change advocacy initiative after noticing unsafe turning patterns at the intersection of Burnside Road West and Tillicum Road. Felix documented the issue with photos and video and persistently followed up with the District of Saanich. His persistence paid off and the District of Saanich requested that public works repaint the intersection’s lane markings as an interim safety fix. The district also committed to monitoring this intersection and implementing further road safety measures as needed.
2025 Winners
Keana Gigliotti (Calgary, Alta.)
Keana has been a member of the Canadian Youth Road Safety Council since 2022 and stepped into the leadership of co-chair for the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 council term.
Through Snap for Change, Keana submitted a request to the City of Calgary for lane dividers, signage and separated bike lanes to improve safety on a roadway near the University of Calgary. This area features a wide single lane road which is typically used as two lanes due to a lack of signage and painted lines. On this road, she sees cyclists and pedestrians at risk for serious injury or death due to the lack of safe infrastructure.
Additionally, Keana’s creative efforts in promoting our Snap for Change initiative and recent blog post: Lesson from the left lane: Road safety abroad, demonstrate her deep passion for road safety and advocating for evidence-based solutions and policies that promote safe mobility for Canadian youth and all road users.
Alexander Depew and Leighton Underhill (Hamilton, Ont.)
Parachute Youth Road Safety Ambassadors Alexander Depew and Leighton Underhill surveyed trail users in the Dundas Valley Conservation Area to assess safety at two key road crossings. Their results confirmed widespread concerns over driver speed, poor signage visibility and obstructed sightlines.
In collaboration with Golden Horseshoe Cycling Hub (GHCH), the ambassadors proposed solutions, including staggered barriers, improved signage and traffic calming, which they advocated for through a community town hall meeting and sharing their findings with a local city councillor. To raise awareness, they created infographics on how to cross roadways safely for GHCH’s youth cycling program.
Joshua Lyttle, Muhammad Ali Hafeez, Aman Samir Ahmed and Jermaine Walters (Toronto, Ont.)
Fullride aims to tackle traffic congestion, emissions and rideshare inefficiency in Canadian cities by promoting safe, shared trips. Through driver interviews and field tests, the Parachute Youth Road Safety Ambassador team of Joshua Lyttle, Muhammad Ali Hafeez, Aman Samir Ahmed and Jermaine Walters confirmed that most rideshare trips carry only one passenger, despite many riders heading to the same places. As a solution, the team created Fullride, an app designed to connect rideshare platforms and people who are travelling to the same destination to create safer and more sustainable roads.