As a part of the I&S curriculum, MYP 4 is currently learning Social and Resistance Movements. It is a Project-Based Unit that allows them to investigate an issue at a local level and propose a movement for the same. To inspire our young minds, a guest speaker session was organised with Manu Chopra.

About the speaker – Manu has co-founded CS+ Social Good to change the conversation about computer science and gear it towards social impact. He was awarded as India’s Most Brilliant Mind under 20 by Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Azad. He has used technology in initiating a movement and working towards tackling extreme poverty in India by providing dignified digital work to rural Indians. His work has moved over 100,000 rural Indians out of poverty. Students in his classes have built projects that reached over 30 million people in 15 countries across the globe. He graduated with a degree in Computer Science from Stanford University in 2017. Manu’s aspirations to bring a social change started in his school days. Our students’ interaction with him not only guided their inquiry for the summative assessment but also inspired them to start thinking about bringing social change.

Reflection – Today, a guest lecture was held in lesson 5, with computer scientist and philanthropist, Mr Manu Chopra. His goal is to eradicate extreme poverty in India by 2030. He spoke to us about his inspirations, experiences studying at Stanford, and his mission to help the poor and unemployed in rural villages.

3 things I learned from the lecture today are:

• Passion for a cause is not discovered but rather cultivated through research and experiences. So, one should not feel discouraged if they do not feel inclined towards helping for a purpose yet.
• The two essentials needed to make a difference are scope and intention. There must be something that needs improvement, and the targeted communities must have the intent to get help.
• The three steps involved in the process of making a change are, defining, ideating, and prototyping.

2 things I found interesting are:

• Mr Manu mentioned that he believes technology has the power to solve all of the world’s problems. For instance, he created an anti-molestation device to protect women. I am intrigued by his perspective, and I am inspired to explore programming and coding.
• The speaker also talked about how helping others is actually the most selfish thing one could do – given the immense self-satisfaction that one can get from lending their hand to another. This statement is ironic and very true.

1 question I still have is: What role can I play to make a change in the world?

The lecture by Mr Manu has motivated me, and now, I would like to search for a cause that I am passionate about. In conclusion, this guest lecture has influenced me greatly, and Mr Manu has imparted a lot of valuable wisdom to the students today. I am very grateful to Ms Shweta for organising this event, and I hope to be a change-maker too.