March 2023 Students4Good Webinar Recap

March is a month of renewal and growth, as we welcome the arrival of spring and embrace new beginnings. As we move past the cold winter months, we want to continue to spread positivity and highlight those who are making a difference in the world. In this spirit of renewal, we want to introduce some remarkable young individuals, Anaiya Patel, Sanya Somani, and Tarini Dayal, who are dedicated to making a positive impact on their communities. Despite their young age, they have shown exceptional dedication to spreading awareness and helping those in need.

Tarini Dayal is a remarkable 14-year-old from India, who founded the nonprofit organization HumanityXChange in November 2022. Tarini started out as a blogger,  with the ambition to expand her reach and bring attention to taboo health topics. HumanityXChange is a platform that accepts submissions from individuals looking to volunteer and post their writing or artwork, with a focus on spreading awareness and breaking down social stigmas surrounding sensitive topics.

HumanityXChange has introduced a new feature called Check In Saturdays, where they post stories on their Instagram page to support the concept of self-love, the importance of taking care of mental health, and boosting confidence. This feature aims to help people appreciate themselves and focus on their mental well-being.

Tarini has been successful in attracting submissions from not only her local community but also other states in India and some international submissions. The organization has been slowly expanding, and Tarini expects new topics, new faces, a larger team, and more volunteers to write about these topics.. She has been able to reach 242 followers, and she plans to keep growing HumanityXChange to help spread the word about eradicating taboos and openly talking about stigmatized social issues that our world faces even today.

HumanityXChange's website is updated every Sunday with posts on various topics, such as social media for the month of March. Currently, they are recruiting volunteers to express their concerns and perspectives over each issue that they cover every month. Tarini and her team are also working on exciting new upcoming projects and possible collaborations with other youth organizations for the future. The nonprofit's goal is to continue spreading awareness and breaking down social barriers, one taboo topic at a time.

Anaiya Patel and Sanya Somani are two 17-year-old girls from Arizona who founded HealthForHer in December 2020. Their organization is dedicated to providing health and educational resources for women and their families in underserved communities. Over the last couple of years, they have been able to form an international team in the US and India.

One of their biggest projects was the India Wellness Bottles, which provided essential oils and natural remedies for women's health. They also initiated the Port Pillow Project for women going through chemo for breast cancer, inspired by Anaiya's grandma who had lymphoma cancer and had a port for chemo. Additionally, they started the Baby Diaper Bag Project for new mothers.

Anaiya's favorite thing so far was working on refugee projects, where she had conversations with some of the refugee women and heard their stories of being refugees in a foreign country. On the other hand, Sanya's favorite impact was going to India and seeing how different the circumstances are between schools in the rural parts of India and those in Arizona. She was able to learn a lot from them and have a personal/face to face connection.

“HealthForHer has an international reach due to personal connections, privilege to travel to other countries and see how their circumstances are, through other people and social media, and people reaching out to them to join the organization,” said Anaiya. They have two chapters in India that are running without them being there, and they can oversee people who are equally passionate about doing projects there.

In addition to their significant impact on underserved communities, Anaiya loves to crochet and read, while Sanya wanted to start putting herself out there and create a project because she saw during the pandemic that there were people who were underprivileged and didn’t have equal access to things many take for granted.,.

Overall, HealthForHer is a general title so that they can do many things under one umbrella. Over time they have impacted 3000-5000 people globally, and have had several drives for wipes, toys, and blankets.

Here are our top three takeaways from this event: 

• The power of youth leadership - Young people have the potential to be effective leaders and agents of change in their communities and beyond. Through their passion, dedication, and creativity, they can tackle important issues such as mental health, education, and access to healthcare, and make a meaningful impact
• Collaboration is key - Many of the projects discussed in this thread involved collaboration and partnerships with organizations, community members, and other stakeholders. Working together and leveraging each other's strengths and resources can help create a more sustainable and impactful outcome
• Small actions can make a big difference - Some of the most impactful projects discussed in this thread started with a small idea or initiative, such as a kindness locker or a mental wellness walk, but grew into something much larger and more impactful. By starting small and taking action, individuals and organizations can make a real difference in the lives of others and create positive change in their communities.

March Students4Good Recap

By: Anvita Ambardekar

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