@youngactivistssummit Today was incredible! We’re experiencing so many emotions right now. 🙌💚 A huge thank you to our amazing #YAS25 laureates for being fearless, inspiring, and showing us how the digital world can drive positive change! 💻✨ And, of course, thank you to everyone who joined us today at UN Geneva and online from all around the world. 🌍🫶 #YAS25 #youngactivistssummit #fromhashtagtoaction ♬ son original - Young Activists Summit

🪔 Anthem of Persistence

Jab Tak Hai Jaan is more than a love song—it is a declaration of endurance, a vow to keep striving “as long as I live.” Its soaring melody and Gulzar’s poetic lines mirror the spirit of the five youth laureates celebrated in the United Nations‑backed technovation prize. Just as Shah Rukh Khan’s character embodies relentless devotion, these innovators embody relentless commitment: Dev Karan restoring ponds for climate resilience, Rena Kawasaki bridging youth and politics through civic robotics, Salvino Oliveira opening digital pathways for favela students, Marina El Khawand transforming tragedy into a humanitarian medicine network, and Aminata Savane empowering women through digital inclusion. The song’s heartbeat of persistence becomes their anthem—linking cinematic passion to real‑world innovation, proving that as long as youth have life, they will keep driving global change.

🎶 🌏 📊 🥁 🛺 🙏 🌾 🐅 📱 🎤 🕉️ 🔊 Jab Tak Hai Jaan | Yash Chopra | Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina, Anushka | A. R. Rahman | Gulzar

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Five young innovators have lit up the global stage, winning a United Nations‑backed technovation prize.

Their pioneering projects in climate action, robotics, and digital learning prove that youth are not just the leaders of tomorrow—they are the changemakers of today.

🌐 Chorus of Global Youth Innovation

Each laureate embodies a different facet of innovation—Dev Karan’s environmental tech, Rena Kawasaki’s civic robotics, Salvino Oliveira’s educational empowerment, Marina El Khawand’s humanitarian medicine network, and Aminata Savane’s digital inclusion. Together, they form a chorus of youth energy driving global change, amplified by the United Nations prize that transforms their local projects into global movements.

🌱 Climate Action Sparks Hope

Dev Karan, 17, India: Co‑founder of Pondora, he developed mobile tools and IT‑based sensors to monitor water quality in traditional ponds. These ponds are vital for harvesting water, preventing floods, and reducing soil erosion. His replicable model—“one pond at a time”—is restoring ecosystems and empowering villages to safeguard their environment. Karan emphasizes that change requires “going down into the swamp” rather than staying in ivory towers.

🤖 Robotics with Purpose

Rena Kawasaki, 20, Japan: At just 14, she co‑founded a youth initiative that connects students and politicians through Zoom sessions. Her project uses digital platforms to amplify youth voices in policymaking, ensuring that robotics and technology are not isolated inventions but tools for civic participation. Kawasaki’s background as a student activist highlights how early engagement can reshape democratic dialogue.

📚 Digital Learning Revolution

Salvino Oliveira, 27, Brazil: Founder of PerifaConnection, Oliveira works to amplify the voices of favela youth and help first‑generation students access university. His project blends digital storytelling with mentorship, turning technology into a ladder for education and opportunity. Coming from Brazil’s marginalized communities, Oliveira’s work shows how digital learning can dismantle barriers and create pathways to higher education.

🎶 Youth Energy as Global Anthem

Marina El Khawand, 24, Lebanon: After the devastating 2020 Beirut port explosion, she founded Medonations. What began as a single social media post to help an elderly woman access medicine has grown into a global network with collection points in 65 countries. Medonations has delivered free medication and consultations to more than 25,000 people. El Khawand’s background as a young Lebanese activist embodies resilience, turning tragedy into a global anthem of solidarity.

🌟 Toward a Shared Future

Aminata Savane, 25, Ivory Coast: Founder of Centre Marée de Lumière (Tide of Light Centre), she began blogging in 2020 to counter COVID‑19 disinformation. Today, her organization provides digital skills and leadership training to hundreds of women and adolescents in vulnerable communities. Savane’s journey from blogger to digital rights advocate shows how youth can make the online world safer and more inclusive.

🏆 About the UN Prize

The technovation prize is part of a United Nations‑backed initiative to spotlight youth innovation. It is awarded annually to projects that demonstrate how technology can address global challenges—from climate resilience to education equity. Winners are selected by an international jury and supported with mentorship, funding, and global visibility. The prize is not just recognition; it is a platform that connects young changemakers with policymakers, investors, and communities worldwide. By honoring these five scholars, the UN underscores its belief that youth are central to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

#GlobalChange 🌍 #YouthInnovation 💡 #TechForGood 🤖 #DigitalFuture 📚 #ClimateAction 🌱