TERI honours the youth environmental leaders on World Environment Day
New Delhi, 05 June 2024: To promote interdisciplinary learning and catalyze behavioural changes among the youth, thereby ensuring their holistic development, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) organized a felicitation ceremony under the banner of GREEN Olympiad for Youth (GO4Youth), an annual MCQ-based environment examination for students in the age bracket of 18-25 years. The ceremony coinciding with the World Environment Day, today, celebrated the exemplary achievements of young participants who have demonstrated exceptional aptitude and dedication towards sustainability and environmental stewardship. The event was attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), the Ministry of Education (MoE), and the University Grants Commission (UGC).
GREEN Olympiad for Youth (GO4Youth) recognizes and empowers the future Sustainability Champions
Dr Vibha Dhawan, Director General, TERI, in her welcome address said, "We are here to celebrate our future leaders in sustainability. Today, we honour the remarkable dedication and innovative spirit of young minds who are shaping a greener tomorrow. I urge the youngsters to move away from consumerism towards adopting more environment friendly practices and embrace lifestyle changes. Together we can build a sustainable and resilient world."
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and Mission LiFE, initiated by the Government of India, aims to transform education by promoting critical thinking, problem-solving, interdisciplinary learning, and holistic development, including moral and ethical values. The strategic endorsement of the GREEN Olympiad for Youth (GO4Youth) aligns with these goals, recognizing its role in fostering environmental consciousness and sustainable development among youth. Emphasizing on the need for individual consumption through Mission LiFE, Ms Nameeta Prasad, Joint Secretary, MoEFCC, in her keynote address said, “We are a generation who can make peace with our land. While we cannot turn back the time but can grow forests and bring back our soil.” This was highlighted in the context of the theme for this year’s World Environment Day – ‘land restoration, desertification and drought resilience.’ “This strategic endorsement highlights GO4Youth's role in preparing young people to be responsible, knowledgeable citizens and future leaders, in line with national priorities,” she further added.
Ms Rina Sonowal Kouli, Joint Secretary (HE), Department of Higher Education, MoE, applauded the young citizens for their commendable dedication and commitment to environmental consciousness and sustainable development. Highlighting on the principles of Mission LiFE being embedded in the National Education Policy, she further added, “The aim of NEP is to develop well rounded individuals not only in academia, but as responsible individuals to lead a sustainable lifestyle.” Encouraging the young participants who are an inspiration for their peers, she urged, “Be the brand ambassadors in your own immediate environment.”
Taking the audience through the journey of GO4Youth in the year 2023 – 2024, Dr Livleen K Kahlon, Associate Director, Environment Education and Awareness (EEA) Division, TERI, said, “This annual MCQ-based examination aims to fortify environmental awareness among undergraduate and postgraduate students. The power of youth is undeniable. A lot is happening in the global arena today where the youth is being brought forward into dialogues, policy discussions, debates and deliberations, where we are now looking up to the youth vote to identify and vote for sustainability features. The SDGs also focus on youth as a priority group to facilitate transformative change.” Further, referring to the youngsters as ‘Amrit Peedhi’, she added, “We look up to you to sensitize the youth in your respective cities.”
Sharing their experience as part of GO4Youth 2023-2024, youth speaker and winners Mr Mani Gupta from Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali, Punjab, and Mr Arnav Bayan from Tezpur University, Assam, shared their transformative experiences and invaluable insights, igniting inspiration and driving motivation among attendees. The announcement of the winners and the felicitation ceremony took place also in the presence of esteemed guests and special invitees representing renowned institutes, including UGC, TERI School of Advanced Studies, Bharat Soka Gakkai, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Delhi, Delegation of the European Union to India and CSIR-National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research (CSIR-NIScPR).
In his closing remarks, Dr Dipankar Saharia, Senior Director, TERI expressed gratitude to all the dignitaries, special guests, partners, collaborators, and participants, for their unwavering support towards the success of the event. He emphasized the pivotal role of youth in driving actions for the planet and reiterated the commitment of TERI to continue nurturing future leaders in sustainability. Dr Saharia urged everyone to remain steadfast in their efforts towards environmental stewardship, echoing the sentiment that together, we can build a brighter and greener future for generations to come.
GO4Youth is an annual MCQ-based examination for students that evaluate environmental consciousness, behaviour, and aptitude of individuals. The programme is in collaboration with UGC, MoEFCC and MoE. The remarkable success of GO4Youth (2023-24), is seen in the registrations received from 10,225 students enrolled in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) from 28 states and 7 Union Territories of India.