Our Cs
Here are 8 students who embody these skills and through their actions have shown the power of these skills to create change and their potential to make our world better.
CURI USITY
COMPASS ON
I learn what is needed to meet ambitious, evolving goals.
As I work towards my goals, I take care of myself and others.
Farhan Siddiqui
Farhan Siddiqui, an 8th grader from Ahmedabad, is committed to clearing out the Pirana garbage dump yard in his neighbourhood. He identified that decomposition of garbage causes fires, pollution, and harms the health of those living around. He conducted extensive research on the dump yard and conducted surveys to identify the effects of it on people. He even collected soil samples and had them studied at research centres to understand the impact of the garbage on the ecology. His aim is to draft a research paper on the garbage dump yard, which he hopes would push the Government to take some action.
Priyanshi Singh
Priyanshi, a 10th grader from Pune, observed that several families did not have the resources to afford meals for themselves. She saw children suffering from hunger and was hence deeply motivated to join the 'Robin Hood Army'. She worked with a team to provide surplus food from restaurants to under- resourced households. She even got the organisation to serve the under-resourced sections of her own community. For Priyanshi, her biggest success was seeing the smile on the children's faces when they received a hearty meal for the day.
CREAT VITY
COLLAB RATION
I imagine a better reality and believe that things can change.
I work with love, in partnership with others, towards shared goals.
Namratha Chippa
Saisree Anusha B
Namratha, an 8th grader from Hyderabad, aimed to reduce plastic waste and reuse it in creative ways. She explored the ill effects of plastic and its impact on aquatic animals, water bodies and air pollution. She mobilised a group of six friends and collected plastic bottles and wrappers, which she compressed to form 'Eco Bricks'. They used these 'Eco Bricks' to create a table, which was durable. Through this process, she spread awareness about the urgent need to reduce the use of single-use plastic items.
Saisree, a 9th grader from Hosur, is a proofpoint of the power of the collective. She identified an open drain in her colony and realised that it was affecting the health of the residents. Once she investigated the matter, she realised the need to bring the community together to solve this problem. She mobilised members from the 20 families living in the area to create a welfare association and explained the ill effects of the open drain to them. Collectively, they worked on having the problem resolved.
CR TICAL THINKING
COUR GE
I seek to understand why I do what I do.
I take ownership and act.
Priyadarshini Deshmukh
Priyadarshini, an 8th grader from Pune, believes that every individual can be a leader, irrespective of their age. As a leader and changemaker, she took on the menace of people spitting tobacco in public spaces. Through research and conversations, she found that this problem adversely affected cleaners, slum dwellers and animals. She went about solving this problem by conducting presentations in communities about the ill effects of spitting. She also gathered a group of friends and painted a wall beautifully, in an attempt to discourage people from
spitting.
Nandani Ved
Nandani, a 10th grader from Delhi, strongly believes in building confidence within students for them to be able to voice their thoughts. She worked on building this mindset in her peers by conducting sessions in lower grades. She even conducted personal goal setting exercises in her own class. Over the past few months, Nandani has worked on building a safe space where students are willing to experiment, learn and reflect on their own actions.
C MMUNICATION
CONSC OUSNESS
I listen and share, knowing that in doing so we learn and grow.
I reflect, seek self awareness and I can control how I see the world.
Koyena Biswas
Koyena, an 11th grader from Raipur, believes in building confidence and expression in students. She recognised that some of the students in her school fear speaking in English, which she envisioned would affect their academics and the opportunities they could avail. She took classes in Grade 9 and 10 as a part of her project. She divided the class based on their existing levels and provided specialised tasks and activities to each group. She even created a strategy called 'Brainstorming', which helped the students build critical thinking and active listening.
Deepigashree Shankar
Deepigashri, a 9th grader from Chennai, believes in providing quality education to all children. She views education as a journey towards building articulation, innovation, creativity and life skills in students, as opposed to rote learning. She worked in collaboration with an NGO called 'Katha on Ratha', where she conducted story telling sessions with students from Grade 1 and 4, to build confidence in students. She used creative teaching methods such as quizzes, flash cards and puzzles.