Gavi Kothari 16-years-old co-founder of Tech Help for All

What does Tech Help for All do, and what is its vision?

My friend and I set up Tech Help for All with an aim of removing technology illiteracy from the world. When we both looked at the impact of the pandemic and how people were struggling with basic technology and apps used on a day-to-day basis, we knew we had to do something about it. We started creating tutorial videos for basic apps and uploaded the videos on YouTube. Eventually, a few NGOS contacted us seeking our help to expand their reach using social media platforms and by creating websites. This made us think, and we came up with this idea of a start-up that would help NGOs and companies establish websites, social media pages, fundraisers, etc.

How did your start-up help the NGOs?

Due to the pandemic everything from education to jobs and businesses became digital. We asked the NGOs to bring together children without access to the latest technology and students from less privileged backgrounds, and worked towards educating them about the World Wide Web. A lot of people and organisations started recognising these NGOs for their initiative and started funding them.

What is your role as the Head of Technology in GlobalUplift?

GlobeUplift is a civic and social organisation that conducts several workshops on social media platforms. They approached us when they discovered we were helping out various NGOs. They needed help with creating a website, and eventually gave me a position in their non-profit. As the Head of Technology, I help them maintain their website and also create and edit videos.

Tell us about your journey as an entrepreneur and a tech enthusiast.

I was always interested in technology. Once my Board examinations were done, I came up with this idea to create a start-up, and with the whole pandemic situation. I used this opportunity to help those in need of education on technology. This is why all the tutorials are available for free. I contacted a lot of people and organisations initially, but didn't receive much work. Slowly but steadily, I started receiving more and more offers from a lot of NGOs and companies.

How do you manage school and your start-up?

When I completed Class XI got an opportunity to work on my start-up. But I had to put my passion on pause to focus on schooling when Class XI commenced. When I realised I was a tad ahead at school, I went back to entrepreneuring. Now that I have a team of people who volunteer at Tech Help for All, I am able to focus more on my schooling and examinations. I now work for my start-up and other volunteering activities for about six to seven hours every Sunday and focus on school for the rest of the week.

What do you think are the pros and cons of social media with respect to kids?

I don't think social media is completely bad for teenagers. If they have the right connections, then social media sites are going to be very beneficial for young people in the future.

What are your other interests? Who is your inspiration?

Apart from my studies and organization, I love making robots. I sing, and also help my brother with his dance lessons. I am very passionate about gymming. My sole inspiration has been my parents. They are very hardworking and have always been open to whatever I want to do and become.

What is the one thing you want to contribute to society?

What I want to do for society. I do with Tech Help for All. I want to help everyone have a basic knowledge about technology, and use it to bridge the generational gap between parents and teenagers. As we don't know when the pandemic is going to come to an end, I want to help less privileged children with adequate technology for them to continue their studies online.

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Aryan Khanna Editor-in-chief and COO of The Grow Project

What role do you play as the editor-in-chief and chief operating officer of The Grow Project?

The aim of The Grow Project is to help students grow mentally, physically, and financially. This is a student-nun media production organisation where articles, blogs, podcasts, and many more related to finance and self-discipline are created by and for teens. We focus on issues such as procrastination, self-discipline, stress, and also finance-related topics such as cryptocurrency. The organisation's growth has been so rapid that we have about 10 departments today. As a COO, I assign tasks at the start of every day, and some work varies. I mainly do the administrative work, and implement ideas based on the inputs from the team. I also replace the CEO when he is not available for important meetings. As the editor-in-chief, I review articles, blogs, and social media posts, and revert to the writers if there's a need.

You also founded an organisation named Raahat. What is it about?

Raahat is the Hindi word for comfort. The basic idea of Raahat is to make people comfortable. It is a non-profit organisation that aims to solve global issues by raising funds. Raahat is a collaboration of Grow Projects and a website called Five Rights. The funds raised are transferred to the largest and the most trusted fundraisers in India for COVID-19. When the pandemic stabilises, we are planning to switch the funds to a different cause on an international scale.

What motivated you to bea public speaker?

 Until 2020, I was an academics-oriented person and wasn't into any extra-curricular activities. When my school time was reduced during the pandemic, I realised I had to get out of the monotonous scholastic cycle. I wanted to be more passionate and less restricted. This motivated me to become a public speaker. I wanted to make a change in people's lives and mindsets. I wanted to make them believe they can follow their dreams and passions.

What is your learning as a public speaker?

I observed that many people do not realise the talent they have, and so don't work on that talent. The same goes with public speaking. Public speaking doesn't depend upon grades or levels because it is an endless process of growth. I was once assigned to a public speaking club. I didn't know how anything worked there, so I worked hard to improve my speaking skills. And when I did, the entire club applauded me. That's what gave me the motivation, and led me to where I am today.

Do you think internships help people improve their skills?

Internships are learning experiences. I worked as an intern in Stentorians. It allowed people to voice their opinions and also write on various topics. It taught me how to produce an article regardless of whether it is a research or non-research topic. I also worked as a voice-over artist, which taught me a lot about voice modulation, and helped me with public speaking.

What are your other interests and hobbies?

I play quite a number of sports. I have loved swimming since I was six. Here, too. I worked hard to improve my skills, and even won a district-level competition. I love writing. I have been enjoying lawn tennis for the last four to five years.

Who's your inspiration?

 Many The first would be Harry B and Jocko Willink, who’ve achieved a lot. They inspire many young people. Then there are those you want to work with and are easily approachable. Riyad Maroof Hassan and Arnay Agarwal are two young authors I want to work with. The others include Roman, my dedicated. hardworking COO: Abhaas, our media team HOD; and Ronit, the most positive person I know.

What are your future plans? What is the one thing you would like to change in society?

I would like to change the narrow mindedness of people their prejudice against those from other races, the LGBTQIA+ community, and those with mental health concerns. I would also like to change the mindset of people who don't try again after failure.

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Vedant Harlalka 15-years old programmer and robotics-enthusiast is skilled in using Arduino to innovate

What is Arduino?

Arduino is a micro-controller or a small programmable circuit board. You can program it to control sensors and motors, and make any machine you want. It's a tool to convert your ideas into reality. Let's say, you want to know how close your car is to the wall in the parking lot Take an Arduino with an ultrasonic sensor, code it in C++, add a buzzer to it, and the machine is ready to alert you about the distance. You can make countless inventions, basic and complex, with Arduino.

Tell us about your recent invention.

Whenever I went to a grocery store, the public hand-sanitiser dispensers had to be touched. This could be a source of spreading the virus. So, along with two seniors, I designed an automatic hand-sanitiser dispenser using Arduino, sensors, etc. and coded in C++.

You have recycled DVDs to make 3D printers.

The printer is my first long-term project along with a classmate. Now DVDS are being replaced by pen drives. So there is a lot of DVD drive waste, and these are available at very low prices. On the other hand, a 3D printer costs several thousand rupees, and we managed to make one for much less. Instead of using traditional motors, we used DVD drives. But it was quite a complex project. There were many moments when we wanted to give up on it. In the end, everything just came out well.

Your idea of circular cities was recognised by The University of Western Australia.

When I was in Class IV or V, I was intrigued by the way YouTubers spoke confidently in front of the camera, delivering a tech review on something that was useful for me. So I kept watching these videos and wanted to try something like that. I think I was in Class VI when I started a YouTube channel where I started posting tech reviews of things such as headphones, speakers, smart watches, etc. By then I had leamt the entire process: scripting, shooting, post-production, editing, and publishing Just after the hand-sanitiser project. I received a notification from my school that the University of Western Australia was conducting a video competition in which students from Class VIII to XII from across the globe could participate. Participants were asked to make videos on building circular cities, which generate zero waste. It was not easy competing against so many people. My classmate and I made a video on a waste management plant Plastic, one of the most polluting wastes, is made up of hydrocarbons. The Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) we use in our cars is hydrocarbons too. But these are different forms of hydrocarbons. We sat for hours brainstorming on ways we could use convert plastic waste into useful fuels such as CNG. And we came up with a good plan. Our entire skill set came into play while making the video. We were grateful when the university sent us a mail acknowledging our idea.

Tell us about the awards you have received. Do you think awards make people successful?

The most recent one was The Rising Star award for a video I made for a young scientist competition. Just before COVID started, there was a three-round entrepreneurship competition. For the final round of the competition, I went to Vishwakarma Institute of Technology Pune, where I interacted with the Top Thirty Minds of India. I have also won prizes at Model United Nations and school competitions. I believe that the work you do makes you successful if you keep on doing good work such as giving back, to your community, that's what makes you successful. If that happens, then accolades will pour in.

Who is your inspiration? My inspiration from childhood has been APJ Abdul Kalam, because he has had one of the biggest roles in developing science and technology in India. The ways in which he interacted with and encouraged students is truly inspiring.

What are your hobbies?

I am into long-distance cycling, so almost every moming I go on rides of 40-50 km. It is quite beneficial in many ways. You get to interact with so many new people from many industries. It is a hobby but it also exercise. Also, I have never seen Arduino and programming as work. It's more of a passion, stress-buster, and hobby for me. Unless you are passionate about what you do, there's no way you can actually work on it in a good way.

What are your future plans? Is there something you would like to change in society?

I aim to pursue either Computer Science and Engineering or Mechatronics. One thing I would like to change about society is the mentality that a child is too young to pursue their passion, and that only school should be their haunt. It is outdated, and young people should be encouraged to blend into professional environments.

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Mihir Mutyampeta founder and President of MPower for Youth

What is the ideology and vision of MPower for Youth?

As the name suggests, MPower for Youth focusses on youth empowerment. I define youth empowerment as preparing young individuals for the future, by maximising their ability and potential. In the past, we raised funds to support less privileged people, mainly orphans, by providing technological resources for better education. We are also working on providing monetary assistance and resources to children to embrace computer science as a subject. We have also collaborated with a small start-up to provide free resources for anyone to start learning computer science. Summing up, we aim for people to find their passion and be skilled masters.

What inspired you to start such an initiative?

It all started when I saw young kids working with their parents at construction sites. I wondered why child labour still existed. I finally arrived at the conclusion that firstly, their families cannot afford education, and secondly, students are not exposed to various paths in their future. Taking this into consideration, I thought of making kids aware of the various paths in their life instead of following the age-old tradition. This would help them contribute to society. This was the basic idea behind MPower for Youth.

What is your work as a research scholar and student advisor at Lumiere Education?

Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a selective international research program where high-schoolers and college-goers gain experience. After an interview, the selected students are matched with a mentor who will allow them to work on a specified research program. I was interested in computer science, and was connected with a mentor from the University of Pennsylvania (The Wharton School), in the U.S. I researched machine learning, which is a specific part of computer science. While I learnt a lot about machine learning and upped my research skills. I also improved my patience and perseverance, because it took a lot of time for me to get tuned to it.

Please share your experience of being an ambassador for a MUN program.

Model United Nations, commonly known as MUN, is held among children who act as delegates, chairs, and co-chairs. The organisation that held my MUN conference, conducted one every month. As an ambassador, my work is to influence people to join the MUN as a delegate of a conference. I recruited people from my school to join the MUN program, which created an impact on youth empowerment, and subsequently made me proud of myself.

Tell us about some of your projects and accolades.

My first project was the one I did for the Lumiere Program, which culminated in the research paper I wrote. Since then, I have improved my machine learning skills. Currently, I'm working on a personal research project named EduML In this project. I am analysing the current literacy rate across districts in India. With this, I'm looking for economical ways to improve literacy rates in India. Coming to my awards, I received the third place in the ambassador award for MUN. I bagged the first place in a debate. Besides this, I'm also a swimmer, with the first place in 50-mt backstroke at a Cambridge school meet in Hyderabad.

As a teen entrepreneur, how do you manage time?

Time management, in general, depends upon the person. According to me, setting priorities is important. I make sure I focus the majority of my time on academics as I'm in Class XII right now. With this, I can make sure that my academic performance doesn't decline. I also make sure that my initiative works without any friction and that the content produced is sensible.

What is the one difference you want to create as a social entrepreneur? Do you think children must pursue entrepreneurship?

As a teen entrepreneur, my goal is to enable the current generation of youth to accomplish whatever they set their mind to. I would also help them figure out the right path for their future. I would like them to break their personal and social barriers to speak out for themselves. This is what constitutes the idea of youth empowerment. Entrepreneurship must definitely be pursued by students.

What are your hobbies and interests? Who inspires you?

I'm good at gardening and love to spend time in our garden. I also love to watch movies in various languages. I also cook food and like savouring Indian flavours. My inspiration comes from my work. It also comes from observing my community and people whose potential is not being realised completely. My role model APJ Abdul Kalam essentially came from an economically weak background and went on to achieve great things. I aspire to do at least a small portion of what he achieved. I think being able to contribute to the country is the biggest privilege one can experience.

What is one thing you would like to say to society?

Take the time to explore your interests. If you mess up, take that as a learning of life because life teaches you something productive.

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Anvi and Anya both own and run organization that sells tie-dyed clothes

Why did you want to start Anvya?

We are Anvi and Anya. We are 14 years old, and we are the owners of Anvya. It is a social enterprise where we sell tie-dyed t-shirts and use the money towards a social cause. We focus on the education of the girl child and COVID relief.

Tell us about your inspiration.

We grew up in an environment where our parents were involved in so many community services. So naturally we were inspired by them. We wanted to do the same, and all by ourselves. We wanted to prove that even children, whose skills are still developing, can do their part.

Why do you want to focus on girl child education? Do you think everybody should use their creativity to do something like this?

We both believe education is extremely important, and in India, many children, especially girls, are deprived of the right to education. We didn't want them to be deprived of this because of financial issues. We are doing our part, and we think everybody can do that because when that happens there would be a balance and better life on earth.

Tell us about your journey.

When we got bored at home during the lockdown, we tried tie-dye for the first time. We had learnt it at school. The first attempt was an unsuccessful one. After continuous attempts, we perfected it, and we knew we wanted it to be a business. The business idea later evolved into a charitable one. Of course, we couldn't have started it all by ourselves, so we pitched this idea to our parents. They absolutely loved it and supported us all the way. Last September, we launched Anvya and we have an Instagram page.

We have sold 150 to 200 t-shirts, and have received enough money to fund the education of many girls. We had extra money after this, so we moved it towards government's COVID relief funds because we have seen people suffer from COVID in our neighbourhood. Through this venture we learnt how small actions make big impacts in our society.

How do you think a new website will help people know more about Anvya and help encourage a social cause?

Building a website will help us to reach out to more people. We will be doubling our audience, and hence, helping more people. It will also help us build a community and help others more.

What setbacks did you overcome to continue this journey?

Anvi: When we started, I was afraid of what others might think of this idea. But then Anya just made me feel comfortable about this. The more I asked her if it would work, the more she would give me a positive vibe.

Anya: We had some setbacks such as the one time when we wanted to give up, because it became very hard for us to balance school and Anvya. At that time we knew we had each other and pushed through it.

What are your personal future plans?

Anvi: I want to do something with computer science or architecture.

Anya: I want to become either a lawyer or an architect.

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