Mihir Bhagwat

Mihir (17), is from India. Mihir carried one question for years that no one around him could answer: why do children always pay the price for decisions they never had a say in? He decided that talking about peace online wasn’t enough — real change meant going offline, door to door, into the warzones themselves.

At just 13, Mihir chose Humanities over STEM, facing mockery from peers and quiet doubt from his own parents. But he stayed the course. By 16, he was delivering direct humanitarian aid to Iraq, proving young people don’t need permission from big institutions to lead real, cross-border relief work.

In Basra, Iraq, Mihir ran two on-ground camp seminars with the Iraq Red Crescent Society and Cultural Thinkers Foundation, bringing civic education directly into one of the world’s toughest environments. He also organized a Conflict Management Workshop, giving war-affected youth practical tools for dialogue and resolution.

Beyond the frontlines, Mihir guided over 10,000 students through free UN simulation protocols, counselling, and civic education workshops — ensuring every young person, regardless of background, could access this knowledge for free.

His work has reached hundreds of thousands online, including features by major media channels — proof that one determined teenager can turn a hard question into real action.