Sagarika Sriram
on Kids for a Better World
“What’s vital is for adults to recognize that children have a voice. With adults, change comes a little bit harder because they tend to believe they have more real-world experience just because they are older than us children."
This is Sagarika Sriram’s credo! Sagarika spent her childhood reading stories about our planet, about “our natural superheroes”, as Leen Gorissen calls them, superheroes who had to face terrible challenges: “a whale that washed ashore after an oil spill or turtles found with plastic in their stomachs.” This deep love for nature sparked a new passion and led her to take action. and joined an environmental group, helping them in organizing cleanup campaigns in Dubai.
At only 11 years old, using her knowledge of Coding, Sagarika created Kids for A Better World, a platform educating more than 100,000 youths globally to drive sustainability projects in their communities: “We’re creating our own system of inspirational change makers!” From a young age, she realized that it's impossible to connect with an issue if you don't fully understand it: "With the climate crisis, I see how most children don’t get it or why it's so important for them to play their part. Unsurprisingly, they don’t do anything to tackle it and are mere spectators to a crisis that’s unfolding around us, one which will affect them and their future, most of all.”
Education is the foundation of everything. We spend so much time in school, so the information we receive is vital for our future. Sagarika believes children should not feel forced to lead a sustainable life - it should be their choice. However, they should not only be inspired, but equipped and educated to create change. Our responsibility is to expose and teach them about the factors that impact our environment, the importance of the SDGs and how each human, young or old, has a role to play.
Through her workshops on sustainability, recycling, or waste management, Sagarika supports children in how to make an impact, lead more sustainable lives and activate their inner fire. As an Advisor with the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, Sagarika is a champion of Children’s Environmental Rights who has been included in the BBC 100 Women List for 2023.
It's not uncommon for children to feel unheard. Sagarika says “Age is often used as a factor to dismiss valid points made by many Gen Z activists, but children have the knowledge and the intelligence for being able to have a say in the policies and the rules that are in place!” Being inspired by Gitanjali Rao or Melati Wijsen, Sagarika understood that “such inspirational change is what taught me to never give up!”
Read Sagarika Sriram’s answers for Inspirators and discover how making climate awareness for children should be the norm!
Thank you, Sagarika, for being a Kid for a Better World!
#INSPIRATORS QUESTIONNAIRE
Name: Sagarika Sriram
Company / Institution: Kids4abetterworld
Title: Founder; Advisor with the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child; Climate Pioneer in the BBC100 Women List for 2023
Website: www.k4bworld.com
LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sagarika-sriram-23b533214/
Country of origin: India
Country you currently live in: United Arab Emirates - UAE
Your definition of Regeneration: To me, regeneration means having the courage to think, act and behave differently to create long-lasting change.
Main business challenge you face: As a student/child climate advocate, encounter the challenge of lack of funds for new campaigns, somehow a lack of formal support for my organization and for skills development that I need to be able to increase our impact in the community.
Main driver that keeps you going: My belief that no person is too small to make a difference.
The trait you are most proud of in yourself: Self–belief and my resilience to succeed despite all the odds.
The trait you most value in others: Tenacity of purpose. Never giving up.
Passions & little things that bring you joy: My pet, listening to my favorite music, spending quality time with my friends, and enjoying the outdoors – long hikes and swimming in the ocean.
The Inspirators who determined you to take the regenerative path:
Melati Wisjen
A starting point for companies or professionals that are beginning the regeneration journey: Listen to young people and hear their ideas. We are the generation that will be the most affected by the climate crisis.
Most used and abused clichés in sustainability that bother you: “Green “ products with zero impact on our natural resources. They simply do not exist.
An honest piece of advice for young people who lose hope: You are not alone. Your actions will always matter as long as you don’t stop.
Books that had a great impact on you / Must-Reads for any regenerative professional:
Climate Justice: Hope, Resilience, and the Fight for a Sustainable Future by Mary Robinson
The Zero Waste Cookbook: 100 Recipes for Cooking without Waste by Giovanna Torrico & Amelia Wasiliev
Movies / Documentaries you would watch all over again: An Inconvenient Truth; anything from National Geographic.
Websites / Podcasts you visit frequently: CNN, National Geographic.
Music that makes you (and your heart) sing: All music!
Places you travelled to that left a mark on you: Kenya and my first visit to the Maasai Mara!
Global Regenerative Voices you recommend us to follow:
Sophia Kianni
Mary Robinson
Dr. Wanjira Mathai
Vanessa Nakate
Trends in Regeneration we should keep an eye on:
Regenerative ecommerce - online businesses that are fully accountable to ensure their commitment to the planet. Integrating the SDGs into their online platforms. This hugely increases customer conversion as they can see the real impact of buying from a sustainable business.
Events we should attend / Best places for networking (online or offline):
UNFCC – COP conferences
WEF
For children – your Eco committee at school, community and everywhere!
Reasons to feel optimistic about our future in 2030: Children are the future generation and they are getting increasingly educated and aware of why we need to fight climate change. We have the tools to work collaboratively and reduce emissions. Through this collective action, we can and will create change.
Reasons to feel pessimistic about our future in 2030: The lack of political will greatly hinder our actual progress towards implementing the SDGs.
Regenerative Leadership qualities much needed today: Leaders who are emotionally intelligent, who understand that we cannot leave anyone behind and who are willing to challenge existing systems by engaging themselves wholly to achieve change.
The Inspirator you are endorsing for a future edition is:
Vanessa Nakate – UN Goodwill Ambassador
The quote that inspires you:
"The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it." (Sir Robert Swan)
Your quote that will inspire us:
