Meet Sagarika:
Sagarika is a high school student living in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and founder and managing director of Kids4abetterworld - an innovative technology platform“Kids for Kids” which aims to educate, motivate and encourage children to conserve natural resources, protect biodiversity and have a positive impact on climate change.
K4Bworld organizes sustainability awareness workshops, recycling and waste management projects, beach and desert clean-ups, and marine conservation projects. The organization enables children to connect and lead sustainable development projects in their own communities.
Sagarika is climate advisor to CRIN (Child Rights International Network) and youth ambassador for’Azraq ME, a leading marine conservation NGO in the United Arab Emirates. She is also a member of the Earth Prize Youth Council. His work has been widely recognized in the United Arab Emirates and around the world by the UNEP.
What don't adults understand about young people? What's the most common misconception they have about young people?
Adults need to understand that many of the decisions they make have an impact on us, the young. We are the future generation and have the right to be included in climate discussions. We have the right to express our opinions and influence the policies that affect us. Adults often ignore the voice of young people and the impact of our work. This has to change.
What was the first moment of enlightenment that encouraged you to take action for the society in which you live?
I've always had a great love for animals and nature. Around the age of 10, I was shocked to watch a NatGEO video about whales that had washed ashore following an oil spill and turtles found dead with plastic in their bellies. I couldn't understand how our actions as human beings could cause so much damage to the environment. And so was born the desire to protect our environment and make a difference for our planet.
What difficulties did you face at the start of your career? How did you overcome them?
The most difficult challenge was to convince other children to take part in our environmental projects. I discovered that most children don't realize that climate change will have an impact on our future and that we need to be better educated and better prepared to combat it. I realized that most children won't care about protecting our environment if they don't start to love nature and feel responsible for it. For this to happen, we must first change our current way of life. Climate education can help meet this challenge.
What advice do you have for young people who want to make a positive impact? How should they start?
My advice would be to start where you are, use what you have and do what you can. The important thing is to think deeply about the world around us and start noticing where we can make a difference, even if it's in a small way. When we all start thinking this way, we'll have the power to change the world.
What would you like to say to decision-makers?
Treat every young person as an agent of change. Listen to our voices and respect our opinions, and above all, don't forget to include us in the decisions that have an impact on our future..
Copyright: Sagarika Sriram, photo courtesy: Sagarika Sriram
