Kallan Benson

At 16, Kallan Benson is already a veteran activist with 7 years of experience working for a sustainable future. Kallan is a national organizer for Fridays For Future USA and integral to the international movement. She initiated the national strike movement on December 7, 2018, as one of the first two youths to establish strike locations. Through the Mother Earth Project, she co-directs a collaborative art activism initiative, Parachutes for the Planet, which invites participants to express their concerns about the future through community art. Because Kallan is an introvert who is often uncomfortable receiving attention, she is driven to seek creative ways to express her activism and ease others into action. She has earned the nickname "Butterfly" for a ubiquitous pair of wings from which she draws confidence in crowds. Greta Thunberg famously asserted, "You are never too small to make a difference." Those who work with Kallan quickly learn not to underestimate the "Butterfly" effect.