Swimmable Futures: Reimagining Water Stewardship through Youth and Community

Authors

  • Elizabeth Hameeteman Technische Universität Berlin image/svg+xml
  • Tilly Stroo Wavemakers United

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58981/bluepapers.2026.2.20

Published

2026-03-23

Issue

Water & Heritage for Sustainable Development

Section

methodologies and case studies

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Elizabeth Hameeteman, Tilly Stroo

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Swimmable Futures: Reimagining Water Stewardship through Youth and Community. (2026). Blue Papers. https://doi.org/10.58981/bluepapers.2026.2.20

Keywords:

water, youth, community, engagement, stewardship

Abstract

Wavemakers United (WU) is a global initiative reimagining water stewardship by linking sport, youth leadership and community action. Responding to the limits of technocratic governance, WU frames water as a civic commons: shared, cultural and co-governed. By amplifying existing initiatives like Swimmable Cities and Drinkable Rivers, it mobilizes youth as ambassadors, educators and policy contributors who cocreate more inclusive and resilient water systems. From riverbank restoration to Olympic activism, WU combines hands-on learning with public imagination, shifting focus from regulatory compliance to justice-centered restoration. With more than 50,000 students and young professionals engaged across more than 60 countries, WU shows how water literacy, civic participation and intergenerational care can reshape access, equity and meaning in urban waterscapes. This article examines WU’s model as a pathway toward systemic change – one that empowers communities not only to care for water, but also to co-author its future.

Author Biographies

  • Elizabeth Hameeteman, Technische Universität Berlin

    Elizabeth Hameeteman is Innovation Manager at Wavemakers United and a Postdoctoral Researcher at Technische Universität Berlin. She holds a PhD in History from Boston University (2022), with research focused on desalination as a post-WWII adaptation strategy to water scarcity and climate variability. Elizabeth is also the founder of Environmental History Now, an award-winning online platform that showcases the environment-related work and expertise of graduate students and early career scholars who identify as women, trans and/or nonbinary.

  • Tilly Stroo, Wavemakers United

    Tilly Stroo is the founder of Wavemakers United, a global initiative that engages youth in sustainability, water, and climate resilience through sport and education. Since 2016, she has built international youth networks with the Dutch Water Envoys and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, advancing innovation for clean water. Wavemakers United trains young professionals as ambassadors and promotes international cooperation for lasting impact. In partnership with the Dutch Embassy and the City of Paris, it co-hosted the Future is Now event at the Paralympic Games in 2024.

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