In 2020, when many students across the world were attending classes from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a grade 11 student in Dubai chose to support those with no access to remote learning. Today, her initiative to promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education and nurture love for biology — Biology for Better — is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit organisation with 20 global chapters, 200 members and a seven-member board of students working tirelessly for the cause.
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Read the full story here: https://bit.ly/2OcE87D
Subscribe to Gulf News on YouTube and watch more of our videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/GulfNewsTV
See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos
Read more Gulf News stories here: https://bit.ly/2HLJ2km
#UAEnews #Dubai #education
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NewsTranscript
00:00Currently, there are about 214 million children out of school worldwide.
00:07When I first read this in an article by UNICEF last August, I found it very disheartening
00:12and knew that I had to do something, anything that I could to help.
00:16Hello, my name is Ria Manas Sharma and I'm a student studying in grade 11 in GEMS Modern
00:21Academy Dubai.
00:25Last year, I founded what is now a fiscally sponsored 501c3 non-profit called Biology
00:31for Better.
00:32We have two main aims.
00:34The first is to promote STEM education for underprivileged children around the world
00:38and the second is to inculcate a love for biology in the youth.
00:42We have about 20 global chapters, approximately 200 volunteers and 7 board members that are
00:49just as passionate for the cause.
00:51After I first read the article, the first thing that I did was speak to my parents who
00:56were not only fully supportive but also helped me maintain my plan.
01:00Then after forming the board by reaching out to various online student platforms, we were
01:05off.
01:06The main activities of our organization include creating educational resources such as worksheets
01:12and video modules for kids living in rural parts of India and Africa.
01:17We do this in collaboration with our non-profit partners such as E-Vidya Loka, Village Schools
01:22Africa and Sukrpa.
01:24For our second aim, we try to maximize our outreach with the youth by various social
01:29media campaigns, our magazine and blog which collate the latest biological research.
01:34In addition to that, we also have a podcast where we interview biologists on their work
01:40and their experiences in order to inspire more students to perhaps get into the field
01:45in the future.
01:47Lastly, we also host webinars for everyone to attend, the last one being on med school
01:53and the next one, something to look forward to, being a panel discussion on ecology with
01:59two professors in collaboration with another initiative, STEM for Girls.
02:03In the future, we plan to expand as much as is possible and open up as many chapters as
02:08we can, strengthening our community.
02:11You too can be a part of this by starting up a chapter or club in your own school or
02:15locality to help empower these children.
02:18Meanwhile, my team and I will continue to do what we love to do and have full faith
02:23that one day these small actions may lead to a big change.