My Science School

My journey from a student to a social entrepreneur and a youth changemaker has  been amazing, and at the same time, quite enlightening. I'm very grateful to get the support of not only prominent individuals, but also my family, organisations, and even young changemakers. I have wanted to create change since I was 10. Initially, my efforts were restricted to protecting the environment. It was during the pandemic that I overheard a conversation between my mom and my domestic help where she was hesitating to talk about something as basic and natural as menstruation. That's when I realised that in order to change an individual's mindset, society's mindset needs to be changed. I set up Break The Ice with this mission in mind. Recently, I was invited as a panelist and a mentor for Business Blasters, the Delhi government's start-up programme.

Tell us about your organisation Break The ice.

Break The Ice is an international youth organisation working towards discussing all things taboo. We aim at creating a community where everyone can talk about anything they want to without any judgment and hesitation. We do believe we have started that chain of enlightenment by reaching 16,000+ individuals and expanding the team to 50+ young changemakers, across 10+ countries. We are a UN SDSN youth member organisation and are working with the Crimson Youth Entrepreneurship Society, a Why did you want to educate people to feel free to talk about anything?

I want society to understand that taboo and stigmatised topics need to be talked about because they are important. Unless we talk about them, they will simply be pushed under the carpet of ignorance and we will not grow as a society.

Why do you support SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) number four (Quality Education)?

SDG 4 talks about providing quality education to everyone. I believe it's the base to achieve all the other SDGs. Unless people are educated, they won't be able to take conscious action.

Tell us about The Cohort Collective programme.

The programme taught us about career development as well as personality development. I am honoured to be the youngest cohort of the programme and be among the eight people selected out of a pool of 100+ applicants. It's a year-long programme where we get ongoing support.

What are your future plans?

I love Psychology and English, and wish to explore them as a career option. I am also inclined towards the work the UN does and wish to be associated with it in whichever capacity possible. Along with my team, I want to take Break The Ice to a level where we become a global safe space.

Throw light on your other projects.

I am a mentor under the government's Desh Ka Mentor programme. I am working with GirlUp India as a cohort member. I am also a global lead ambassador for climate change, and a tutor for less privileged children.

Who is your inspiration?

 It would definitely be my mom. She has always supported me in every venture of mine. Whether it is some help, or working with me till night, or just the confidence she has given me, she is truly the pillar of support in my life. Even when I thought of opening Break The Ice, she was the one who motivated and encouraged me to give action to my idea.

How do you manage time between studies and work?

I try to keep to-do lists for all the work I have. They usually work well for me and give me time to relax as well. Along with that, I try to finish my work well before the deadline so that it doesn't pile up in the end. I do have periods of procrastination, but it also helps me understand how well I work under pressure.

What are your hobbies?

I love to dance, I'm a classically trained dancer. I also love to write. Whether it's short stories or poems, I love to express my thoughts and emotions on paper. I'm a published poet, an achievement I'm proud of.

What is something about society that you wish to change?

I wish to be in a society where equality prevails. I want to erase every bias that exists in society, and eradicate discrimination as well as stigmatisation.

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You founded SpunkGo. Tell us more about it.

 SpunkGo is an all-girls global organisation I started about two years ago. My inspiration to start this organisation was when I took a course from a university online and realised the power of online learning. I realised the reach and impact of technology and how we could use it for better means such as education. SpunkGo holds monthly life-skill webinars on various topics to provide diverse exposure to our audiences. We've had speakers from big companies and start-ups as well as non-governmental organisations. The whole point of these webinars is to empower and broaden the horizons of young women across the globe, specifically in developing countries in Africa and Asia. The feedback and support we are getting is so encouraging that we feel our impact is real, tangible, and useful.

How has the journey been?

While I started SpunkGo myself, I got help growing the idea from my father, crowdfunding via a New York organisation and a tie-up with KeyNote Women Speakers, who provide us with accomplished global speakers. I wanted to start something relevant globally, makes best use of technology, and makes a positive impact on the community. My Instagram friends in different countries helped me a lot in establishing SpunkGo, and it's amazing to look back and see we are in over 20 countries today with local chapters. The main motivation to start was the educational attribute of SpunkGo. I've grown up in an area where I've always had access to education. I, however, realise that in many parts of the world, young women don't have that type of opportunity. and I wanted to help people utilise the resources they had access to, which in some cases is the Internet. I want to live in a world where anyone, irrespective of background or circumstances, has equal opportunities.

Why did you particularly focus on educating girls?

I am aware that in some parts of the world girls really can't have the same opportunities as boys, and I wanted to break that gender barrier. I wanted to empower these women so that they felt they could do anything they want to too. It's not just the mindset that's holding them back but also the lack of opportunity and mentorship. This is the community I wanted to help fulfil their potential.

 

What do you want SpunkGo to achieve in five years?

In five years, I really hope SpunkGo has grown to 1,00,000 young women members and is in many more countries than today. We have had a lot of support, awards, and media coverage, and I think all this will help us achieve this goal. I'll probably be in college, so I know I need to build a team that can run

How do you manage time between school work and social responsibility?

This is a great question, and I think a really important aspect is that my parents both work so they understand the need to balance work and family. They give me support the right values, and that little bit of strength to go about my work. At times, I need to calm down and reflect on the tasks at hand. In terms of management. I think that this is a really important aspect to stop and take stock of what has been done and what is required. I like to break tasks into smaller tasks and go about doing each so the entire job gets done. Coordinating with 30 other girls around the world in different time zones is not always easy but it's also the fun part of SpunkGo. Looking at the big picture is also very helpful. I'm really busy when it comes to academics at school so I need to sometimes give myself a break. Playing with my younger sister is the best way to relax. At times, it does get busy as apart from school work, I am also working on my Property Tech start-up. But as long as you are passionate about what you do, time gets made for these things.

What are your other hobbies?

I've been playing tennis for about nine years now, and I can get lost in the world when I play the piano. Since I live outside India, to be connected to my roots, I have been a Kathak dancer for over 10 years. When I am not doing all this, I binge-watch Netflix!

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 The founder and executive director of Salubrious. She brings in technology to end gender discrimination and empower the less privileged . Meet Vaishnavi Jaiswal as she speakes about her journey to Hasini lakshminarayanan, founder of the first step,a you tube channel that features interviews of young achievers .

What prompted you to get into entrepreneurship and break gender barriers?

Passion for technology has been a part of my life since childhood. After years of doing social work, I wondered how I could apply my skills in an interdisciplinary way, and founded Salubrious.

When I figured out my love for coding, I found that most coding resources were biased towards men, and that few women had adequate opportunities due to these barriers. This didn't feel right to me! It made me realise we're seeing huge disparities when it comes to access to tech in an area that provides so many opportunities. As I researched and read about women who excelled in this field, I discovered they did not receive the same recognition as men did, but were still accomplished. We interview women in the field, including entrepreneurs. Today we have countries, and have reached about 50,000 students across the globe through sessions and workshops.

How does the organisation function?

Salubrious mission is to "Educate, inspire, and empower the youth", to break gender barriers and stereotypes, and use technology to make a sustainable difference in the world. At present, we are focussing on entrepreneurship and technology for less privileged communities. Tech Connect was launched in August 2020, and we have been conducting workshops and engaging women in tech as  speakers and mentors for students who need guidance. We teach STEM in an applicable fashion and not in a theoretical fashion to amplify the notion that STEM is a force for social good in a variety of ways, regardless of what your passion is. We cover both social entrepreneurship and tech leadership in every programme we conduct.

Tell us about the Salubrious podcast. And why did you choose Sustainable Development Goal Number 5 - Gender equality?

Launching at the end of March, this podcast will feature change-makers with great social media presence. The major inspiration for picking gender equality was to picture a world where no matter your background or race, everyone is treated equally. Having people from diverse backgrounds, skills, socio-economic levels, sexualities, and ethnic backgrounds all come together to solve the problems that our society faces. Based on the current statistics, I feel there are bigger issues that should be addressed regarding gender bias such as men and women being paid differently though they both do the same work for the same organisation. According to the Monster Salary Index published in March 2019, women in India earn 19 % less than men. IT services showed a sharp pay gap of 26 % in favour of men. A classic example that pay gap exists even in key industries.

What is the one message you would like to pass on to the younger generation?

I would simply say, remember that by being yourself, showing up, and doing the work, you are paving the way for girls to envision a career in fields not limited by gender.

Pursuing a career in male-dominated fields can be difficult, and you may not receive much support from your community. However, you should be aware that many online communities exist to support and help you in case you need resources. You just have to search and you will find them. With so many people with similar resources surrounding us, it's hard to realise that things aren't the same for everybody. Make the most of the privilege and use that to create social change in your little pocket of the world.

What is the one thing you would like to change in society?

There are certain issues that we didn't create but are facing now, such as climate change and cyberbullying. The one thing I could change or work for is to hear young voices and let young people speak for themselves. Not just about gender discrimination, I came across age barriers as well. A person's age has nothing to do with their impact on the work, and youth today must remember to find what their calling is. Among all the distractions, find that one skill that gives you happiness and satisfaction the most.

What are your future plans?

Though I know what my true calling is and what I love to do, my vision may sound like something a 15-year-old can't promise. I would want to work further to bring down gender discrimination through the biggest resource - technology. And as far as Salubrious's future plans are concerned, it's just the same! This is a diverse mission rather than a middle- and upper-class one. Apart from the barriers and the discrimination, I am confident that we will succeed with implementing the right curriculum, teachers, investors, and so on. One day, I envision a world filled with equal opportunities for men and women that leads to a diverse society.

Greta Thunberg: Synonymous with climate activism, this teenaged Swede has at least three species named after her in just the last few years-Thunberga greta (huntsman spider); Craspedotropis gretathunbergae (snail); and Nelloptodes gretae (beetle). The beetle seems to have antennae resembling her two long pigtails. But scientist Michael Darby says he chose the name because he was "immensely impressed" with her campaigning.

  In August 2018, at age 15, Thunberg started spending her school days outside the Swedish Parliament to call for stronger action on climate change. Soon, other students engaged in similar protests. Together, they organised a school climate strike movement under the name Fridays for Future.Greta Thunberg has received numerous honours and awards including an honorary Fellowship of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, inclusion in Time's 100 most influential people, being the youngest Time Person of the Year, inclusion in the Forbes list of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women (2019), and two consecutive nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize (2019 and 2020).

Credit : Times of India

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