🏆 Meet the 2024 NGFP-Young Voices Award Winners Here
Zahwah
The NGFP-YV Winners
Teach the Future is proud to announce the winners in the 2022 SOIF Next Generation Foresight Practitioners – Young Voices Award competition.
We are excited to be in partnership with SOIF for the Young Voices award, which aims to
showcase the voices, hopes, and projects of youth (12–17-year-olds).
Youth from all over the world submitted their ideas on how to make the world a better place. The projects must demonstrate a clear connection with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
The first-place winner receives a USD 1,000 prize to help realize their future-focused project and catapult their idea into action. Three others receive each a USD 500 prize. The top finalists are also recognised for their ideas and efforts.
Congratulations to our winners and three runner ups!
Nataly and her teammeate Stephanie from Peru win the USD 1,000 top prize.
Tia from Pakistan, Rahmina from Kenya, and Zahwah from Pakistan win the $500 runner up prizes.
The following six applicants are acknowledged for the excellent work:
Raheen (Pakistan) Emmylou (South Africa), Deona (USA), Dyna, (Cambodja) Zawan (Bangladesh) , Nino (Georgia).
We look forward to working with all our applicants and winners and helping them to create the change they envision in the world.
TOP 10 NGFP AWARDS
Nataly & Stephanie
- WINNER -
PERU
Award winners Nataly and Stefanie are two Peruvian Quechua student passionate about social change, entrepreneurship and science-based projects.
Project:
Their product - Yura Warmi - proposes the manufacture of feminine sanitary pads with a bioplastic based on banana peel. Achieving work on the SDGs from Good health and well-being, Quality education, Reducing inequalities to Climate action. About Yura Warmi Immersed in different recognitions and global competitions such as Global Teen Leader 2022 by We are Family Foundation, Girl Up Project Award 2022, Girls for Change 2021 Generating actions that have a direct impact on society, developing and implementing content programs and multidisciplinary strategies.
TIA - RUNNER UP
PAKISTAN
About Tia
A current A-Level student, is a passionate young girl with zeal for significant causes, specifically: Women Empowerment and Climate Justice/Conservation. She has worked towards translating this passion into action in various ways. As the founder of This Is Us, she has impacted over 100 young girls in unique ways & received an award for advocacy to the SDGs for it; she is working on extending this passion as the Co-President of Aurat Raj. A rising passion, Climate Justice is a cause for which she has always had a special place in her heart; having worked in heritage/conservation with activists such as Marvi Mazhar, Tia is looking forward to developing a program under her various brushstrokes including as a council member of a UN-affiliated Climate Action Society. She looks forward to more and more action from the youth to elevate our future! Beyond this, Tia enjoys sports (Netball, Rowing) and spending her free time with her loved ones.
Project:
'This Is Us', an organisation Tia founded in 2019 in the wake of a sexual harassment incident. Through This Is Us, Tia aims to establish confidence in girls from a young age through honing leadership skills, community building and more. To empower, reclaim, and sustain is our leading motto. This has been promoted through various platforms and projects: two editions of our 2-week DISCOVER Virtual Leadership Programs, Run-a-Thon’s to conquer the public space, a literacy program, and a safe space of our community members built over 3+ years!
With each step Tia take as a young voice, she aims to impact the world's citizens to the fullest, keeping in mind her role in this world. (www.thisisuspk.com)
RAHMINA - RUNNER UP
KENYA
About Rahmina
She comes from a humble background , where her mother who’s a single mother is struggling to make ends meet for her younger brother and herself. The struggle of her mother has given her even more motivation to make a change in this world. She started her journey in environmental conservation when she was 5 years old. She founded her organization called Kisumu Environmental Champions which is a kid-teen group that focuses on the restoration of the Lake Victoria Eco System through their campaign by the name LetLakeVictoriaBreathAgain . She is also an indigenous black climate activist at Fridays For Future and the youngest climate champion at Wangari Maathai Foundation. She was awarded The Presidential Trailblazer Award On Women Inclusion On Climate Action by The President Of Kenya, His Excellency Uhuru Mwigai Kenyatta and she also holds the title Little Princess Of Africa.
Project:
Her project of using water hyacinth in making environmentally friendly products such as cards, bags, papers, bookmarks, table coasters, furniture, wristbands and hairbands is one of the main contributions towards the restoration of Lake Victoria .
ZAHWAH - RUNNER UP
PAKISTAN
About Zahwah
Recently, she has been declared Pakistan's Youngest Journalist Entrepreneur by an NGO (Media Matters for Democracy) and received a certificate from ICFJ (International Center for Journalists). Zahwah studies in an IB Curriculum School in Lahore, Pakistan. She's very passionate about football. Some of her hobbies are arts, cooking, singing, and dancing. She has a flair for music as well. She likes to be a News Anchor, Reporter, and professional Journalist when she is older.
Project:
Pakistan’s Youngest Journalist Entrepreneur. Journalism for Kids is the first of its kind in the country. Our main purpose of Journalism for kids is to help shape kids’ ideas, sharpen their perceptions and provide them a safe yet stimulating platform where they can express themselves. We are empowering kids to speak up, talk about and discuss their concerns and be the voice of the voiceless in the world of children. In this project, we will address the issues that children face in daily life, for e.g. bullying, cyber security, etc. We will not only address the problems but find a solution as well, highlighting Solution Journalism.
The following six applicants are acknowledged for the excellent work
RAHEEN - PAKISTAN
About Raheen
She is a climate and peace activist, aspiring entrepreneur, standup comedian, actress, and podcaster. She believes intercultural, intergenerational, interfaith, and international dialogue is the only way to create acceptance, tolerance, and mutual growth for a bright future for people and the planet. She has conducted over 500 sessions and interviews including one with the Dalai Lama. She has conducted 20 interviews and 3 international panel discussions on the future of education. She has inspired & empowered 15000 of her followers & friends across the globe for engagement & action for Sustainable Development Goals. Her work has been featured on CNN, Cartoon Network, Voice of America, CTV News Canada, and Pakistan TV. She regularly speaks at schools nationally and internationally.
About her project
Started stand-up comedy to make people laugh and forget their worries, amid the stress at home; She became the youngest female comedian in Pakistan. Joined theater and made plays on child abuse, gender equality, and children's rights awareness. Through this platform, whilst utilizing her vast network of professionals, she plans to educate youth on SDGs, digital literacy, educational resources, opportunities, career counseling, and the power of networking.
EMMYLOU - SOUTH AFRICA
About Emmylou
Originally from South Africa but living in the Netherlands for three years. She comes from a big family, surrounded by music, and that is what she is most passionate about. She can play three instruments, and see music as a way to connect with those around me. She's a vegan, animal rights and climate activist, and believes kindness and empathy to be vital for humanity and nature. She has seen the injustices many people face, from poverty, to gender-based violence and xenophobia. She believes that equal opportunity to education is one of the first steps we can take to minimise these problems and am excited about Curiosity Learning's ability to scale to the Global South.
About her project
Curiosity Learning aims to do that through an after-school club for ages 11 and up called Curiosity Club. Guided by the SDG of quality education, learners are encouraged to learn with, and from, one another through projects they are curious about. Learners choose any topic imaginable, think of a project to do within it, and structure their deadlines. Once finished, they showcase their project and talk about their process, inspiring other learners explore topics they hadn’t previously thought about.
DEONA - USA
About Deona
Deona is passionate about technology, civic life, and global issues. Her strengths lie in organization, leadership, problem-solving, and helping peers. Deona’s belief is that shifting our ways of thinking about the future will help us face uncertainty and issues that are threatening our planet and its people. Her proposed project, Terms of Our Service, will educate citizens about the harms of social media and execute projects that push for social media regulation and hold big tech companies accountable.
About her project
My proposed project, Terms of Our Service (TOS), will educate citizens about the harms of social media and execute projects that push for social media regulation and hold big tech companies accountable. The educational part of the project not only informs users but is a strong first step in the right direction towards a more proper, beneficial use of social media (UN SDG #4). The action-based component comprises team members and citizens globally actively working on projects that improve the construction of social media.
DYNA - CAMBODIA
About Dyna
17 years old, and raised in Kampong Cham province, Cambodia. At age 11, she was selected out of 8000 candidates to attend the Liger Leadership Academy on a seven-year scholarship, and she just completed 11 grade. At Liger, she was given opportunities to be part of many inspiring and impactful projects; She was taught how to be a leader and socially conscious at a very young age. One of her favorite projects at Liger is called Outdoor Leadership where she went hiking in the mountains in Cambodia and used this experience as well as her passion to protect our environment to conduct a two days workshop that facilitates youth to appreciate our natural resources more. In short, her life goal is to be an empathetic and humanitarian leader, with a fervent desire to empower people to have environmental stewardship and foster compassion.
About her project
Her project will consider the well-being of others and the future of our planet. A solution that she designed was to create a campaign that aims to equip Cambodians with first aid knowledge that can be life-saving and free of charge. She will also be motivating people across sectors to undertake standardized first aid training and to learn the simple skills needed to help in a first aid emergency. She wants to enhance injuries intervention in her community, and disseminate first aid knowledge
ZAWAD - BANGLADESH
About Zawad
Zawad is a high school senior from Dhaka, Bangladesh. He is a youth activist, published session musician, and educator who is passionate about making education more inclusive and accessible for all. His most recent projects include winning the PeaceFirst Young Changemaker Challenge and using the grant to help sex workers in Bangladesh leave their previous jobs, break the toxic chain, and start their independent-financially stable startups. He also works with a team of policymakers in his country.
About his project
Our foundation "Sincerely Her" follows the trajectory to empower women and children, while spreading awareness and pertaining solutions to solving social injustices. Our aim is not only centric on helping these women receive a good value of life and elevated living standards but also to break the patriarchy of the society which discriminates against marginalised groups of people.
NINO - GEORGIA
About Nino
Since 2018 the AI, STEAM field has become her passion. In this regard, she has been involved in various courses (engineering school for girls, electronics, CG) and hackathons (STEMEduHack, All Girls Only Hackathon, NASA space app challenge). She's learning coding languages and she became the winner of the “Hour of Code“. She published the article "The use of artificial intelligence in cybersecurity, arguments for and against ". Technovation Girls - 2nd place in Georgia. 3rd place in the Alexander Kartveli lego-robotics competition. My team participated in WRO. In June 2022 her team won the first place at "Sabauni" entrepreneurial ideas competition. She's a mentor of her school robotics club. She's an environmentalist - leader of an eco-club "bio+". She volunteers at a youth center. She's interested in entrepreneurship and business.
About her project
She decided to create such a platform that would raise and solve a difficult problem in Georgia and beyond. The problem is the low level of civil awareness in society, especially among children, and the lack of knowledge about children's rights. Compounded by the fact that they do not know who to turn to in case of a problem The website is called Probot (protector bot), includes quizzes, digital resources, a helper bot, a casebook, and an adapted handbook code of children's rights.