Foreign
THE International Baccalaureate Organization (IB) is excited to announce the awarding of 28 grants to the 2022 Dr Siva Kumari MYP Student Innovators’ Grant finalists. Launched in 2019, the grant empowers Middle Years Programme, MYP, students to embark on community-impact projects. It is an opportunity for MYP students to build vital skills to become the socially conscious leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs the world needs today by enabling them to create, innovate or expand their projects.
Nantume Masturah – Period poverty, teen pregnancy and early marriage, Xi’an Liangjiatan International School, said: “This project offers sewing lessons to teach young women how to make masks and reusable period pads. It also offers counselling services intending to address and tackle period poverty, teen pregnancy and early marriage. I chose this topic for my project because many young women in my community are facing period poverty. This leads many of them to choose to marry early and results in teen pregnancy.
The Dr Siva Kumari MYP Innovators’ Grant is a great opportunity as it will help to improve my project by allowing me to introduce new machines and materials and assist young women further to work and gain vocational skills, improving their financial situations, and reducing the levels of period poverty.”
The IB offers the Siva Kumari MYP Innovators’ Grant in collaboration with Ashoka, a pioneer in social entrepreneurship that supports young changemakers. The IB and Ashoka both recognize that the capacity to adapt and make change is a critical skill in our rapidly changing world.
For the Siva Kumari MYP Innovators’ Grant 2022, the 28 projects selected included 22 individuals and six teams, totalling 41 students from 21 IB World Schools across 12 countries. Students are eligible to receive a share of grant funds worth over $148,000. This year’s projects explore a wide variety of topics, including sustainable gardens and food production, support for students with autism, video games, period poverty, technology and STEM education.
Finalists receive access to grant-based funding to enable their idea to become a reality, with varying awards based on project needs, mentoring and guidance from a career-level or industry expert to provide knowledge and expertise, and access to a network of peer and IB innovation fellows spanning up to 30 IB World Schools.
The grant seeks applications from MYP years 4-5 students who are motivated to start or continue a social impact initiative. To apply for the grant, students must undergo a competitive two-stage application and review process supported by a global panel of 40 IB educators and alumni. The support and funding enable students to make a strong, positive, long-lasting change in the world through their projects.
The MYP programme is a challenging framework for students aged 11-16. It is a five-year programme that encourages students to make practical connections between their studies and the real world, preparing them for success in further study and life. Designed with the whole child in mind, the curriculum balances the cognitive, social, and emotional aspects of learning so that students develop personal understanding, an emerging sense of self, and responsibility in their community.
The IB would like to congratulate all students who have been nominated. The Siva Kumari MYP Student Innovators’ Grant finalists 2022 and their projects are announced on the IB’s public website.
A.I
Tags: Dr Siva Kumari International Baccalaureate Organization Nantume Masturah
