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ABOUT THE MILLENNIUM FELLOWSHIP - CLASS OF 2022

United Nations Academic Impact and MCN are proud to partner on the Millennium Fellowship. Over 31,000 young leaders on 2,400+ campuses across 140+ nations applied to join the Class of 2022.  200+ campuses worldwide (just 8%) were selected to host the 3,000+ Millennium Fellows.

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UNITED NATIONS ACADEMIC IMPACT AND MCN PROUDLY PRESENT ANILA SAI NARAYANA, A MILLENNIUM FELLOW AND CAMPUS DIRECTOR FOR THE CLASS OF 2022.

University of Colorado Boulder | Colorado, United States | Advancing SDG 3 & UNAI 1

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" I believe health equity and environmental justice are key to ensuring that every person has the opportunity to thrive. Through advocacy and collective action, this kind of a future is possible for all. I am so excited that joining the Millennium Fellowship will not only grow my own skills and impact, but also connect me to like-minded peers and experts who are invested in creating healthier and more sustainable futures for our communities. "

Millennium Fellowship Project: Plant It Denver

Plant It Denver aims to enhance the wellbeing of people experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity by offering food and land access, and vocational training, thereby providing community and supporting health. Many of these individuals struggle with a lack of sense of community, autonomy, and pride; they often face barriers to resources that can improve their health and quality of life, like food access and education. Plant It Denver aims to alleviate some of these burdens in equitable ways, primarily by creating a multifaceted food access system for patients attending the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless's safety-net clinic. Through Plant It Denver, interested patients will receive a nearby community garden plot, allowing them to grow fresh food, acquire skills in small-scale agriculture, and experience the many mental and physical health benefits associated with green space. Depending on funding, a community garden will either be built near the safety-net clinic, or patients will receive plots in already existing community gardens. Recognizing the barriers people face in navigating food assistance systems, Plant It Denver will also hold informational workshops on how to effectively utilize existing state and national food assistance resources. Lastly, patients who are unable to participate in cultivating the community garden plots will receive fresh produce at the clinic through a no-cost grocery store or similar model, to supplement food from food banks. I envision that such a model would reduce the stigma associated with obtaining food from food banks as well as fortify the diet of recipients with fresh vegetables and fruit, which can often be lacking in food bank meals.

About the Millennium Fellow

Anila Narayana is a senior at the University of Colorado Boulder, majoring in Geography, with Certificates in Public Health and Neuroscience. Her ultimate goal is to help foster a safer, healthier, and more just world, particularly through addressing issues of health justice and sustainability. In the future, Anila aspires to become a physician with a keen understanding of how patients’ physical and social environments influence their wellbeing. She is also interested in researching the physical and mental health co-benefits of community-driven climate action, like the development of community and urban gardens.

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