Aicha (13), Lina (15) & Maya(15) from Tunisia interview Emer Beamer from the Netherlands.

Emer Beamer is founder and Learning Lead at Design-athon Works, Empowering Children  to Design a Better World. She is also an Ashoka Fellow and has  co-founded both Butterfly Works,  Co-Creation for a Better World and  NairoBits, Design College for youth from slum areas, Nairobi, Kenya.

Kais (13) from Boston, USA and Kenza (10) from Dubai, UAE interview our guest changemaker Hamza Ali Haroon.  

Hamza started his career in corporate America. And after 7 years, he decided to return to Pakistan to serve his country. He advised the Minister of Science and Technology on several technology-focused policies and projects such as civilian drones, electric vehicles and electronic voting. He is a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School where he focused on public policy, leadership, negotiation, and technology. Today, he trains executives and writes about critical policy matters for national newspapers. His most recent writings and speeches focused on the climate urgency for Pakistan. Hamza is also an avid golfer and was crowned the National Junior Golf Champion of Pakistan in 2007.  

Hamza’s work links to several Sustainable Development Goals including Goal 13: Climate action.

Kenza (11) from Dubai, UAE, and Aicha (13) from Tunis, Tunisia, interview our guest changemaker Kingsley Ezeani from Nigeria. 

 

Kingsley Ezeani is a Mid-Career MPA graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School and a graduate of the University of Oxford’s Said Business School where he earned his MBA. He is a co-founder of CashEx, a startup that aims to solve the problem of high remittance fees experienced by African migrants in the UK and the US. He is an entrepreneur with 12 years of experience building and scaling technology businesses in Africa.  

Kingsley’s work links to several Sustainable Development Goals especially to GOAL 10: Reduced Inequality

Kais (13) from Boston, MA, USA & Maya (15) from Tunis, Tunisia, interview Milain Fayulu from the Democratic Republic of Congo.  

Milain Fayulu is the founder of Congo Clothing Company, a fashion brand selling a range of genderless clothes that merges western and Kuba influences and aims to raise awareness about the use of rape as a weapon of war and rehabilitate survivors. He is currently pursuing a Masters in Political Science at MIT.  

Milain’s work links to several Sustainable Development Goals especially to GOAL 10: Reduced Inequality

Aanya (14) from Boston, MA, USA & Nkoyo (9) from Johannesburg, South Africa interview Yogesh Kumar who is currently based in the United States in Cambridge, MA but is originally from Delhi, India.   

Yogesh Kumar is a social entrepreneur. He is the Founder and CEO of Even Cargo, India's first women driven e-commerce logistics company and a social enterprise that employs women from marginalized communities and provides them with job opportunities as women delivery personnel. He is currently attending the Harvard Kennedy School.  

Yogesh’’s work links to several Sustainable Development Goals especially to GOAL 5: Gender Equality.

Kshiti (14) in India & Rayan (11) in Saudi Arabia, interview Swapan  Mehra, who is now based in the United States but is originally from  India.   

Swapan is the founder of Iora Ecological Solutions, an environmental  organization working to develop & promote ecosystem conservation  technology in India. He is currently back in school at Harvard  University, completing a mid-career Master’s Degree in Public  Administration.  

Swapan’s work links to several sustainable development goals, mainly  GOAL13: CLIMATE ACTION.

Aanya (14) & Kais (13) both from Boston, Massachusetts, USA, interview Professor Deborah Hughes-Hallett who is currently based in Arizona, USA.   

Professor Hughes-Hallett is an Adjunct Professor of Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and Professor of Mathematics at the University of Arizona. She graduated from Cambridge University in England and has taught at Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey, and Universiti Brunei Darussalam. Her work focuses on strategies to improve the teaching of mathematics, and she is interested in promoting international cooperation between mathematicians.  

Professor Hughes-Hallett’s work links to several sustainable development goals, mainly GOAL4: QUALITY EDUCATION.

Karis (11) from Philadelphia, PA, USA and Kais (13) from Boston, MA, USA, interview Emmanuel Birba who is based in the United States in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  

Emmanuel is from Martinique and is an expert in sustainable finance. His work focuses on investing in climate-friendly infrastructure projects that benefit communities in developing countries. He is currently back in school at Harvard University but before that, he was working in Ethiopia with investment firm Meridiam.  

Emmanuel’s work links to several Sustainable Development Goals especially to GOAL7: Affordable and clean energy.

Kais (12) and Amira (12) both in Boston, MA, USA, interview Ndakuna Fonso Amidou from Cameroon.

With a dream to build the largest general hospital in Cameroon, Ndakuna is the founder and CEO of Harda healthcare clinics and hospitals, making basic healthcare more accessible and affordable to underserved communities in his country. 

Ndakuna’s work links to several Sustainable Development Goals, particularly to GOAL 3: Good Health & Wellbeing.

Kais (12) and Amena (12) in Montreal, Canada interviewed Sarah Sachs who is based in New York. 

Sarah is a Principal at Buro Happold, an engineering firm that designs building and city solutions for an ever changing world.

Sarah’s work links to several Sustainable Development Goals especially to Goal 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities and Goal 13 Climate Action.

Kais (12) and and his friends from Grade 6 Class at Kells Academy in Montreal, Canada interviewed Ahmed Zahran who is based in Cairo in Egypt.  

Ahmed is the co-founder and CEO of KarmSolar, a utility company specialized in developing energy solutions for a wide range of communities and industries.  

Ahmed’s work links to several Sustainable Development Goals especially to Goal #7 Affordable and Clean Energy.

Ali (12) and Rachel (15) from Montreal, Canada interviewed Daniel Sweeney.

Daniel is based in Cambridge, MA in the United States and works as a lead researcher at the MIT D-Lab working on biomass fuel and clean cooking innovation. 

Dan’ work links to several Sustainable Development Goals especially to Goal #7 Affordable and Clean Energy, Goal #3 Good Health and Well-being and (13) Climate Action.

Kais (12) and Ismael (10) from Montreal interviewed Wempy Dyocta Koto.

 Wempy is a prominent business leader from Indonesia who invest and supports entrepreneurs in a number of ways: from being a mentor, to serving as an advisor to entrepreneurship programs, to being a startup competition judge.  

Wempy’s work links to several Sustainable Development Goals especially to GOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth and GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.

Kais (11) in Montreal, Canada and Farhaan (12) in Paris, France interviewed Abdelhameed Sharara who is based in Cairo, Egypt.  

Sharara is the founder and CEO of RiseUp, a platform that connects entrepreneurs to the resources that they need to succeed. Every year, his team organizes RiseUp Summit, the largest entrepreneurship event in the Middle East and North Africa region.  

Sharara’s work links to several Sustainable Development Goals especially SDG#8 Decent Work and Economic Growth and SDG#9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.

WATCH >> Full Interview | Short Interview

Kais (11) from Montreal, Canada, Anis (13) from London, England, and Nora (14) from Jeddah, in Saudi Arabia interviewed Charles Newman.

Charles is based in Brooklyn, New York and is an architectural designer who is dedicated to international development and to improving the lives of those most in need. His projects are often located in parts of the world where resources are limited so he tries to develop low cost and high impact design solutions, together with the communities that he is serving.

Charles’s work links to several Sustainable Development Goals especially SDG#11 Sustainable Cities and Communities

Kais (11) from Montreal, Canada,  Meriem (14) from Bizerta, Tunisia, and Anis (13) from London in the United Kingdom interviewed Sarah El Battouty.

Sarah is an architect and the founder of ECOnsult, an award-winning design company and a leading green building consultancy in Egypt. Sarah and her team are constantly innovating to make buildings more ECO-logical and ECO-nomical.

Sarah’s work contributes to several Sustainable Development Goals, especially to: SDG#11 Sustainable Cities and Communities.

Kais (11) from Montreal, QC, Canada and Nora (13) from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia interviewed Sofana Dahlan.  

Sofana is one of the first female lawyers and a social entrepreneur who empowers the next generation of creatives and helps them protect their Intellectual Property.

Sofana’s work contributes to several Sustainable Development Goals, particularly to SDG#5 Gender Equality, SDG#8 Decent Work and Economic Growth, SDG#9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure and SDG#11 Sustainable Cities and Communities.

Kais (13) from the USA and Maya (14) from Tunisia interview our guest changemaker Andrés Bisonó León who is from the Dominican Republic but is currently at MIT in Cambridge, MA.  

Andrés is ClimateTech entrepreneur. He is the co-founder and CEO of SOS Carbon a spin off company from MIT that developed a unique patented technology to turn the sargassum seaweed invasion problem into an economical natural ocean carbon sequestering opportunity.  

Andres’s work links to several Sustainable Development Goals including Goal 13: which is, Climate action.

Kais (13) from USA & Arihaan (11) from India will be interviewing our guest changemaker Antonio Salgado Delgado who is from Mexico.   

Antonio is an experienced program and project management professional who helps vulnerable people overcome the challenges that they face. These include missing persons and their families, migrants, and more. He worked for several international organizations including the INTERPOL, the International Commission on Missing Persons, and the International Rescue Committee.  

Antonio’s work links to several Sustainable Development Goals especially to Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities.

Aanya (14) and Rania (14) from India, interview our guest changemaker Amelia Rey-Bonilla from Columbia.   Amelia Rey Bonilla lives in Colombia, her home country. 

For many years, she has been working to give more people the opportunity to lead healthy lives. She is especially interested in women’s and young people’s health. Amelia is one of five daughters, studied Politics and Public Health, loves cooking for her family and friends, is a mediocre violin player, likes to go on hikes, and has a dog named Leticia.  

Amelia’s work links to several Sustainable Development Goals especially to GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-being

Aanya (14) from Boston, MA, USA & Lina (13) and Aicha (13) from Tunis, Tunisia, interview Ouided Bouchamaoui from Tunis, Tunisia.  

Ouided is a Tunisian businesswoman who was the leader of the Tunisian Confederation of Industry Trade and Handicrafts (UTICA), from 2011 until 2015. As leader of the organization she took from 2013 part in Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet which led the latter organization to receive the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize. The French news magazine Jeune Afrique has identified her as one of the Top 25 Business Women in Africa. In 2014 she won the Oslo Business for Peace Award for her work in UTICA.   

Ouided's work links to several sustainable development goals, mainly GOAL#16: PEACE, JUSTICE & STRONG INSTITUTIONS.

Ali (11) from Montreal, QC, Canada & Aanya (14) from Boston, MA,  USA, interview Aki Higuchi from Tokyo, Japan, who is now located in  Boston, MA, USA.   

Aki is a social entrepreneur, founder and CEO of Selan Inc, a  Tokyo-based company providing bilingual babysitting "OmSister" and  education services "dot.school"  for children of busy parents.  

Aki’s work links to several Sustainable Development Goals especially to  GOAL4: Quality Education

Aanya (14) & Kais (13) from Boston, USA & Kenza (10) from Dubai,  interview Francisco Hernández-Cáceres from Boston, USA.  Francisco Hernández-Cáceres is a three-time Emmy Winner TV Journalist  & Producer using Media to make the world a better place.   

Francisco’s work relates to several sustainable development goals,  mainly to GOAL10: REDUCED INEQUALITIES.   

In this session, Obooters not only ask questions about Francisco’s  background but also about how to be a better interviewer - so check the video to see Francisco tips on how to be a better journalist.

Aicha (11) & Lina (13) both from Tunisia, interview Ameni Mansouri, also from Tunisia.   

Ameni is the Co-Founder of Dabchy.com, a leading web-based marketplace used by nearly 400k people in North Africa and promoting circular and sustainable fashion.  

Ameni’s work links to several sustainable goals, mainly GOAL12: SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION & CONSUMPTION.

Aicha (11) and Aziz (11) both in Tunis, Tunisia, interview Vanessa Paranjothy from Singapore.

Vanessa is the Co-founder of Freedom Cups, an organization that makes reusable menstrual products available to women of all socio-economic backgrounds using “a buy-1, give-1 model”.

Vanessa’s work links to several Sustainable Development Goals, particularly to GOAL10 : Reduced Inequalities.

Kenza  (9) from Dubai, UAE and her cousin Feiza (10) from Birmingham in the UK interviewed Mona Tavassoli.

Mona is based in Vancouver, BC, Canada. She is the founder of Mompreneurs Worldwide, an organization that empowers women, especially mothers, to become entrepreneurs and helps them balance their personal and professional lives.

Mona’s work links to several Sustainable Development Goals especially to GOAL 5: Gender Equality and GOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth.

Kais (12) and his friends from Grade 6 at Kells Academy in Montreal, Canada interviewed Margaret (Maggie) Koshal.

Maggie is a community mobilizer and a strong advocate for girls education. She joined this session with her son Lemara who is 11 years old to talk about the Nashulai, the first community-owned conservancy in the Maasai Mara in Kenya.

The Nashulai Conservancy project is focused on (1) Conserving Wildlife , (2) Preserving Culture and (3) Reversing Poverty and as such it is in alignment with most of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Kais (12) in Montreal, Canada and Kenza (9) in Dubai, UAE interviewed our guest changemakers Adrián López Velarde.

Adrián is from Mexico. He is the co-founders of Desserto, a company that creates a vegan cactus alternative to leather.

Adrián’s work links to several Sustainable Development Goals especially to GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production and (13) Climate Action.

Kais (12) and Zayd (15) from Montreal, Canada interviewed Bas Dijkstra.  

Bas is from the Netherlands. He is the co-founder of Lazy Vegan, a company that promotes a plant-rich diet by creating delicious vegan ready meals.  

Bas’ work links to several Sustainable Development Goals especially to Goal #2 Zero Hunger, Goal #3 Good Health and Well-being and (13) Climate Action.

Kais (12) from Montreal, Canada and Jane (15) from Omaha, Nebraska in the United States interviewed Linda Ketner who is based in the United States in South Carolina.

Linda is a philanthropist, a businesswoman, a social activist, and a politician who serves her community in so many roles. She is particularly known for her affordable housing work that she started in the 1990s and that resulted in tens of thousands of people in South Carolina now living in safe housing.

Linda’s work links to several Sustainable Development Goals especially to GOAL 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

Kais (11) and Ali (11) from Montreal, Canada interviewed our guest changemaker Siri Warren who is based in Oslo, Norway.

Siri is an innovation consultant at DoPurpose Design. She uses creativity to help organizations design their business in a way that inspires and excites.

Siri’s work links to several Sustainable Development Goals especially SDG#10 Reduced Inequality, SDG#11 Sustainable Cities and Communities and SDG#12 Responsible Consumption and Production

///// Special “oboot talk” in collaboration with BMW Foundation /////

Kais who is 11 years old and currently lives in Montreal, QC, Canada and Piero who is 12 years old and currently lives in Paris, France interviewed two Responsible Leaders about their journeys and their links to the Mediterranean:  Soraya Hosni  who is based in Sousse, in Tunisia and is an entrepreneur in the fields of culture and agriculture, and Adrien Joly who is based in Marseille, in France and is the development director of the MUCEM, a museum devoted to the Mediterranean.

Through their work, these two Responsible Leaders contribute to shaping a better future for the Mediterranean and help advance the Sustainable Development Goals.

Kais (11) from Montreal, Canada and Mayillah (9) from Maryland, USA interviewed Lena Slachmuijlder.

Lena is a Senior Vice President at Search for Common Ground. She is a peace builder with a media and arts background. Through her work, she focuses on developing innovative programming to transform the way people deal with conflict.

Lena’s work contributes to several Sustainable Development Goals, especially to SDG#16 Peace and Justice Strong Institutions.

Kais (11) from Montreal, QC, Canada and Anis (13) from London, UK interviewed Nadine Winkler.  

Nadine is the owner of DoddleBags, "the ultimate eco-friendly reusable travel pouch". Her innovative product design work contributes positively to healthy eating and to the environment.   

Nadine's work contributes to several Sustainable Development Goals, particularly to SDG#12 Responsible Consumption and Production and SDG#3 Good Health and Wellbeing.

Arihaan (11) from Gurgaon, India and Amos (11) from Paris, France, will be interviewing our guest changemaker Alison Smart who is from Boston, Massachusettss.  

Alison is the Executive Director of Probable Futures. She works with leaders across science, design, culture, technology, and business to develop beautiful, resonant, and useful climate change tools and resources.  

Alison’s work links to several Sustainable Development Goals including Goal 13: which is, Climate action.

Aanya (14) from India, interview Professor Shea Howell from Detroit, Michigan, USA.   

Shea Howell is a Professor, writer and community activist based in Detroit. She is a founding and board member of the Boggs Center, a space which helps to foster productive, sustainable and ecologically conscious communities. She has a long and storied career at Oakland University, as a professor of political communication. 

Pr.Howell is also very engaged in politics in Detroit  Dr Shea’s work links to several Sustainable Development Goals especially to GOAL 10: Reduced Inequality.

Lina (14) & Maya (14) from Tunis, Tunisia, interview our guest changemaker Alena Vachnova from Slovakia. 

  

Alena Vachnova is a social innovator from Slovakia who is developing a project to end homelessness in her home city Košice. She aims to achieve this by developing affordable housing and supporting services for people with the experience of homelessness. Alena is currently pursuing a Mid-Career MPA at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Alena’s work links to several Sustainable Development Goals especially to GOAL10: Reduced Inequality

Kshiti (14) from Delhi, India & Maya (14) from Tunis, Tunisia, interview changemaker Dr. Anandana Kapur who is originally from India and lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.  

Dr Anandana Kapur is co-founder of CINEMAD India, a film and digital storytelling collective. She leads projects on social innovation, media literacy, and gender inclusion. Her work as a documentary maker is critically acclaimed and has been showcased at over 70 film festivals globally.  She is currently attending the Harvard Kennedy School of Government pursuing a mid-career MPA.  

Anandana’s work links to several Sustainable Development Goals especially to  GOAL#5: Gender Equality

Arihaan (11) from India & Marush (10) from Tunisia, interview Timur Topalgoekceli who is originally from Turkey & Austria but is  currently residing in Cambridge, MA, in the USA where he is attending  Harvard University.    

Timur is the Founder & CEO of Hello Tomorrow Turkey, Turkey's first  deep tech startup NGO, helping a community of more than 5000 innovators  turn their vision into reality and take their technologies to the next  level.  

Timur’s work links to several sustainable development goals, mainly GOAL  9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.

Karis (11)  & Kais (13) from the USA & Jamal (16) from Switzerland interview Professor Zoe Marks from Harvard University.   

Professor Marks is a Lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. Her research and classes focus on race, gender, inequality, peacebuilding, and African politics.  

Professor Marks’ work links to several sustainable development goals, mainly to GOAL10: REDUCED INEQUALITY

Aicha (11) from Tunisia and Kenza (10) from Dubai interview Sarah Al-Charif from Lebanon.   

Sarah is the Founding Director of Ruwwad Al Tanmeya NGO in Lebanon since 2012. Ruwwad is a non-profit organization working on community development through education and volunteering.   

Sarah’s work links to several sustainable development goals, mainly GOAL 10: Reduced Inequalities.  

Lina (13) & Maya (13), both in Tunis, Tunisia, interview Beto Altamirano, from Texas, USA.

Experienced entrepreneur and passionate about public service and technology, he founded Irys, a company that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to build apps and software to engage communities and help city professionals gain real-time visibility through data analytics.   

Beto’s work links to several sustainable development goals, mainly GOAL 11 (sustainable cities and communities) .

Kais (12) and Maia (12) from Montreal, Canada interviewed Leena Al Olaimy who is based in Manama, Bahrain. 

Leena is a sustainability leader who recently founded the Trillion Tree Fund, a social venture that uses Artificial Intelligence to finance mangrove and forest restoration.

Leena’s work links to several Sustainable Development Goals especially to Goal 13 Climate Action and Goal 15 Life on Land.

Kais (12) and Philip (12) from Montreal, Canada interviewed Tom Greenwood, the founder of Wholegrain Digital a web design agency based in London in the UK, the creator of websitecarbon.com a tool that calculates the amount of carbon emitted by websites, and the author of a book on Sustainable Web Design.

Tom’s work links to several Sustainable Development Goals especially to Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure and Goal 13: Climate Action.

Kais (12) and Ivan (12) from Montreal, Canada interviewed Christopher Rockwell Bent who is also in Montreal.

Christopher is the founder of Piccles, a virtual engagement tool that uses drawings to share feelings.

He launched a new campaign to mark Earth Day whereby “for every tree drawn on Piccles, a real tree will be planted”.

Christopher’s work links to several Sustainable Development Goals especially to Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure and Goal 13: Climate Action.

As part of Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots program, Kais (12) and his friends from Grade 6 and 7 at Kells Academy in Montreal interviewed Matt Scott who is based in Washington DC in the United States. 

Matt is the storytelling and engagement manager at Project Drawdown, the World's Leading Resource for Climate Solutions.  

His work links to several Sustainable Development Goals especially to GOAL 13: Climate Action.

Kais (11) in Montreal, Canada and Aziz (11) in Tunis, Tunisia interviewed 

eL Seed, a world-acclaimed artist who uses Arabic calligraphy and unique style to spread messages of peace and unity. 

eL Seed's artwork can be found all over the world and consistently aim at unifying communities and redressing stereotypes. For more information: www.elseed-art.com

Through his work, eL Seed’s contributes to several Sustainable Development Goals especially to Goal 10: Reduced Inequality and Goal 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions.

Kais (11) from Montreal, Canada and Lizzie (15) from Lake In The Hills, Illinois, USA interviewed Wendl Kornfeld.

 

Wendl is based in New York and is the founder of Community as Family (CAF). Through her work, she helps the elders who are "aging solo" become strong and build a team of support from among friends, neighbors, colleagues, and trusted professionals.

Wendl’s work links to several Sustainable Development Goals especially SDG#3 Good Health and Wellbeing.

Kais (11) from Montreal, Canada and Jayden (11) from Sydney, Australia interviewed Claudia Hinterseer.

Claudia lives in Hong Kong and is a senior video producer at South China Morning Post. She uses visual journalism to communicate news and to tell stories about people’s passions and social development as they happen.

Claudia’s work covers a wide range of topics and issues and as such contributes to most Sustainable Development Goals.

Kais (11) from Montreal, Canada and Mayillah (9) from Maryland in the United States interviewed Michael Stott.

Michael is based in Brisbane, Australia and is the Director of City Strategy and Place at urban planning firm Urbis. As an urban designer, a placemaker and a strategic planner, he creates liveable places for people.

Michael’s work contributes to several Sustainable Development Goals, particularly to: SDG#11 Sustainable Cities and Communities.