What happens when young women see environmental leadership reflected through the stories of women who have already challenged the barriers?
For the Amazons Project, this question was at the heart of Echoes of the Amazon, a documentary and series of individual interviews we created to make women’s environmental leadership more visible and to inspire the next generation of changemakers.
The response from young women participating in the Amazons Mentorship Programme shows that the stories did more than introduce them to inspiring role models. They encouraged mentees to recognise barriers they had experienced themselves, question assumptions about what makes a leader, and, perhaps most importantly, reconsider whether they need to wait until they feel “ready” before taking action.
Feedback collected from mentees in Poland, Portugal, the Netherlands, Spain, and Brazil reveals a powerful common thread: young women want to lead, but many are still navigating systems and expectations that make it harder for them to claim their voice and their space.
When your voice is not taken seriously
One of the strongest themes in the feedback was remarkably consistent across countries: women are still struggling to be heard.
Mentees described experiences of being interrupted, overlooked, underestimated or expected to work harder to demonstrate their competence. Several connected what they saw in the documentary directly to their own experiences. Even in everyday situations.
One participant from the Netherlands reflected that women are often “taken less serious,” interrupted in conversations and expected to be softer or more accommodating.
Another described the barrier simply as:
“Learning to claim space.”
For some participants, the issue went beyond individual interactions. They saw the documentary as revealing a broader question of who gets to occupy positions of power and whose knowledge is considered authoritative.
The message was particularly powerful for young women entering traditionally male-dominated fields. One participant studying forestry described being surrounded by male students and teachers and finding it difficult to get a word into conversations.
Another participant connected the issue to science and academia, pointing to the importance of female role models and the additional effort women may have to make to gain recognition.
These reflections echo the wider findings of the Amazons research, which identifies structural, institutional, socio-cultural and symbolic barriers affecting women’s participation in environmental leadership.
Different contexts, shared experiences
One of the strengths of Echoes of the Amazon is its diversity of voices.
The documentary brings together women working in environmental and climate action in very different contexts, including Indigenous leaders, activists, researchers, students and other environmental leaders. The project deliberately uses storytelling and visibility to show the many different ways women can lead.
For the mentees, this diversity was eye-opening.
Several participants were particularly moved by the stories of Indigenous women and the way environmental protection is inseparable from protecting community, culture, identity and home.
The story of Vívia Borari, for example, stood out because of the combination of her young age, environmental activism and the personal risks she faces. One participant was struck by the fact that Vívia began her activism at such a young age and was already working with communities and institutions to defend the Amazon.
Another participant wrote that Vívia’s story showed that environmental leadership can also mean defending “culture, identity, and the rights of communities.”
This broadened the mentees’ understanding of what climate leadership can mean.
For some, the documentary challenged the idea that environmental action is primarily about nature or technical expertise. Instead, they began to see the connections between environmental protection, gender, social inequality, housing, culture, community and quality of life.
As one participant put it, they were surprised that the documentary addressed not only problems in nature but also “social ones like housing speculation, inequality and quality of life.”
“Don’t wait until you are experienced enough”
Perhaps the most personal response to the documentary concerned self-doubt.
The mentees repeatedly mentioned imposter syndrome, perfectionism and the feeling that they need more knowledge, experience, qualifications or confidence before they can call themselves leaders.
This is where the words of the women interviewed became particularly powerful.
One participant described hearing the advice to stop waiting until she was “experienced enough” and immediately recognised herself in it:
“That is exactly what I am doing.”
She described collecting projects, internships and relevant courses in an attempt to become a “capable” person, before realising that perhaps the point is not to wait for that feeling of readiness.
Another participant wrote:
“I was thinking throughout the documentary, will I ever become a leader if I don’t have the academic knowledge? As in a degree.”
These responses demonstrate why visibility matters.
A role model does not simply show someone what is possible. Sometimes she gives another person permission to imagine themselves doing it too.
The documentary’s message – to act in your own way, not to wait for perfect credentials and not to let impostor feelings define your potential – is closely aligned with the Amazons Project’s wider goal of equipping young women with knowledge, practical skills and confidence to participate in environmental leadership.
Leadership does not have to look one way
The feedback also challenged another assumption: that there is a single model of what a successful leader looks like.
Mentees were inspired by very different women for very different reasons.
Marieke Vellekoop resonated with participants because of her reflections on expectations placed on women to be soft, connecting and accommodating — even when they want to speak directly and engage confidently in difficult discussions.
Liliana Jauregui inspired another participant through her community-centred approach to leadership: leadership not as power over others, but as working for and with a community.
Li An Phoa stood out because of her determination to make rivers drinkable. Her story demonstrated how a personal connection with nature can grow into a lifelong environmental mission.
And Anita Rachfał inspired participants through optimism, grassroots environmentalism and her message to find your people, believe in your ideas and not give up.
There was no single definition of leadership emerging from these stories.
Instead, the mentees saw leadership as courage, persistence, community, care, creativity, knowledge, activism and the willingness to begin.
That diversity is important. If young women only see one narrow image of a “leader,” many may conclude that leadership is not for them. Echoes of the Amazon offers another possibility: there are many ways to lead, and there is room to find your own.
Finding allies
The reflections did not stop at identifying barriers. Mentees also identified strategies they could use to overcome them.
Across the responses, several ideas appeared repeatedly:
- Taking space and making your voice heard
- Being assertive and setting boundaries
- Finding allies and building supportive networks
- Learning from other women
- Sharing knowledge and increasing visibility
- Acting even when you do not feel completely ready
- Staying connected to your values
- Working collectively rather than trying to change systems alone
One participant described finding allies as one of the most impactful strategies because it is important to recognise “who is willing to help you achieve your goals.”
Another highlighted the importance of women working together:
“The beautiful power of women is that we can work together as a team.”
This sense of solidarity may be one of the most important outcomes of the videos.
The stories showed young women that the barriers they encounter are not necessarily individual failures. Many are connected to wider systems and expectations. And because the barriers are collective, the response can be collective too.
The power of seeing yourself in someone else’s story
Perhaps the most encouraging feedback came in the mentees’ final reflections.
One participant wrote:
“By watching those videos I felt both supported and inspired and I want to thank you for that. I feel that I can do things I want and that it isn’t impossible.”
Another said the documentary made her realise that leadership is not about knowing everything, but about taking action, continuing to learn and staying true to her values.
Another simply described the experience as leaving her feeling “strength and power” after watching women doing important work in their countries.
These comments capture something that statistics alone cannot.
Representation can change how someone sees herself.
When a young woman sees someone with a different background, career path, age, culture or way of leading and thinks I could do something like that too, visibility becomes a form of empowerment.
That is exactly what Echoes of the Amazon set out to achieve. The project describes the documentary as an invitation for girls and young women to recognise the strength, resilience and transformative power of female environmental leadership.
From watching to doing
The feedback from the Amazons mentees suggests that the documentary succeeded not simply because it presented inspiring stories, but because those stories became personal.
The women on screen gave participants language for experiences they were already having. They helped them recognise barriers such as being interrupted, underestimated or excluded from decision-making. They challenged ideas about expertise and leadership. And they offered practical strategies: take space, find your people, speak up, keep learning and start before you feel completely ready.
Most importantly, the videos helped shift the question from:
“Am I ready to be a leader?”
towards:
“What can I start doing now?”
That shift is at the heart of the Amazons Project.
Environmental leadership does not belong only to people with the perfect degree, the most senior position or years of experience. It can begin with a young woman deciding to speak up in a meeting, protect a local place, organise her community, share what she knows, find an ally, challenge an unfair expectation, or simply believe that her voice deserves to be heard.
Thank you to all the girls who shared the feedback.
Amazons Project 
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