ACS International School Doha celebrated its first Young Sustainability Awards, an initiative that encourages students to think critically about the environment.

The Young Sustainability Awards called on the school community – students from Kindergarten level to Grade 12, to submit action-oriented initiative. The judging panel comprised of teachers from ACS Doha. Winners were announced at a special ceremony where they were congratulated and awarded their prizes by special guests from the Ministry of Municipality and Environment as well as Ghanim Al Sulaiti, the young Qatari ‘influencer’ and sustainability advocate.

While younger students submitted drawings, ideas and models, older students proposed complete initiatives.

ACS Young Sustainability Awards

Early Childhood winner Ananya Sharma built an eco-friendly planet model based on the concepts of recycling and pollution. Lower School Grade 5 winners, Tania De Rossi and Valentina Melara, submitted a proposal to make the ACS Doha’s new school building (opening in August 2020) a plastic-free campus. Middle and high school winner Abdul Rehaman Shaad Rahiman, focused on the harmful environmental impact of single-use plastic straws.

The awards ceremony shadows Qatar’s own ambitious goals as the country moves towards a culture that aims to live by more sustainable means. From paper to practice, the Young Sustainability Awards showcased the fundamental way ACS Doha is implementing its recently-announced five-year education strategy.

The winning entries received an experiential learning opportunity with leading industry organisations in sustainability, strengthening the ACS core values of learning beyond the classroom and introducing students to future career paths.

Head of School Robert Cody said that the Young Sustainability Awards inspire the students to truly adopt sustainable patterns of living in their own daily lives, creating a new kind of citizen ready for the world.

It brings us one step closer to contributing to a future where the environmental pillar of Qatar National Vision is a reality.’

Ghanim Al Sultaiti, who also co-founded Evergreen Organics Café, delivered a special message for students: If we can inspire one person, it’s a step towards change.

The solution is for you, as (an) individual, to start making change(s) whether (that be) starting with family or even friends.’

According to Dr Murat Dincer, Head of Sciences at ACS, the critical issue of sustainability provides a timely opportunity for  students to explore environmental issues from different perspectives, skills that are helpful not only in the classroom but also in their future careers.

For updates and more information about ACS International School Doha, visit acs-schools.com