Unleashing collective potential through collaborative action for climate change education with Future17

Before diving into the project, we undergo an interactive four-week online course to equip ourselves with the skills and knowledge for collaboration, innovation and design thinking. Upon completion, we're awarded with a certificate titled ‘Future17 SDG Challenge Program - Skills Induction’. 

I got the opportunity to work in a global team of five coming from Hong Kong, South Africa and Brazil, all in diverse disciplines and levels of higher education, with the additional support of a mentor.

My team was responsible for an India-based kids educational company on climate change, called Earth Quest. They deliver crash courses in the form of animated videos incorporated with fun activities to shape young minds to be global leaders in sustainability.

Earth Quest aims to upscale onboarding schools from around the world to provide equal access to climate education for all, and our goal is to help them make it come true. Our task was to conduct market research and develop sales strategies to extend this climate education further to educate more young learners worldwide. 

The approach we took in carrying out our task was to do initial brainstorming to generate ideas and a task breakdown. Recognising each team member’s strengths and areas of expertise, we then assigned our roles and responsibilities accordingly.

To keep ourselves accountable, we set internal deadlines, allowing us to make steady progress towards our objectives.

Finally, through collaborative efforts, we were able to produce a written report, a database and a presentation over the course of three months.

On the final presentation day, our proposal was pleasantly received by the founder of Earth Quest, Aashna Shah. Witnessing Aashna’s immense gratitude and delight in the results made me proud of myself and my team’s dedication to this project. 

One challenge we encountered as a multinational team is managing the time difference. While it may be a sunny afternoon for one team member, it could be approaching sunset for another, and even midnight for yet another. Regardless, we made an effort to fit a weekly online meeting into our schedules.
 

I formed such great bonds with my teammates and our mentor, it was an absolute pleasure collaborating with such remarkable individuals. I’m also super grateful for our passionate mentor who motivated us, cleared up any concerns my team had and constantly kept us on track. 

Not only did we efficiently complete our duties, but we also took the opportunity to connect on a personal level; we would share our stories and updates about our lives. Hearing the journeys and triumphs of my teammates definitely inspired me to pursue my own aspirations.

My team and our mentor created such a supportive and encouraging atmosphere which strengthens my belief in our collective ability to make a difference. It made me realise the amazing things people can achieve when individuals unite and foster teamwork and cooperation.

Though the team has never met each other in person, we accomplished something truly impactful, one that influenced a company and its potential to create a positive change worldwide. We have to be proactive and learn how to communicate effectively to seize opportunities, unleash our potential and make a lasting difference in the world.

Thanks to Future17, I am proud to say I was able to contribute to amplifying climate education for a better and more sustainable future. This is our world, we should fight together to create the world we want to live in.