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Being tech-savvy is cool but is also a key driver behind kids spending more time indoors. The outcome is not cool for sure! Those who will take decisions in running the planet tomorrow wouldn’t have developed the sensitivity toward nature so essential to take decisions with the planet’s wellbeing as the top priority. The four walls we live within are not actually the perimeter of our home nor the protective cover we need and will need to live well and not just survive in the years to come. There is a significant decline in the condition of our planet due to gross apathy, excessive use of resources, and decisions made by people who, generally, are not equipped mentally to put the well-being of our planet before economics. And a lot of these decisions are unfortunately driven by greed and the penchant for self – aggrandizement. Children today will inherit the planet tomorrow, but do they know what they will inherit? Considering how badly their ancestors have handled the planet and driven it to spin out of equilibrium, can they imagine how potentially challenging their lives on Earth will be? This is what led to the creation of the Children For Environment Mobile App. There is a yawning gap that the founding team realized needed to be filled. A gap that is school-based, and syllabus-driven education has not been able to plug. A lot of theories with little or no connection with the action taking place in the lap of nature plus the pressure to devour and vomit information to score marks have meant that children have very little awareness of how the Earth, its systems and processes, and the natural world are all functioning in tandem with the real world. The – Children For Environment Mobile App – active since April 2022, has addressed these issues by providing content that is visually stunning, is in bite-sized chunks, is totally driven by applied science, and encourages the habit of reading at leisure affording children and parents to enjoy and absorb the facts and concepts without any syllabus and exam pressure. The objective of this initiative is not to make children experts rather it is to ignite sparks of interest that will initiate them onto their own exploratory journey of our beautiful planet. The ethos is Teleology which means everything in nature has a purpose. That ethos needs to be passed on to every child. Children for Environment, founded by Debashish Dutta and Aarti Kore, provides easy access to interesting information and concepts about nature, its systems, and processes, and the natural world in a boundless manner just like nature is. Invocation of curiosity in children and appreciation of nature and wildlife are the natural corollaries of this effort. As the Founder of Children For Environment Mobile App, Debashish is responsible for ensuring the pursuit of the firm’s vision, providing the overall thought leadership, and determining the direction of the content presented to children and the larger audience. In her role as the Co-Founder, Aarti oversees all things technical necessary to create, run and maintain the App.
Debashish's involvement with the core subject spans decades, which prompted the idea and inspiration for this thoughtful initiative. He has been a financial service professional with expertise in enterprise risk management and business controls in a career spanning 23 years across multiple global banks. This enables strong and firm leadership of the startup. Debashish is also a Natural History Photographer well covered by domestic and international media. He is actively involved in raising funds for biodiversity conservation projects and making children aware of nature and wildlife has been a key driver for him.
As an engineer, Aarti spent the first 10 years of her career in the corporate world before branching out on her own in web development where she spent the next 10.
Children for Environment is a self–funded idea that is brand new and drawing great feedback from the media and domain experts. There are 18 categories of topics presented in the form of delightful infographics that are lucid and pleasing to the eyes. With the intent of becoming accessible to children and families far and wide, the subscription rates of the App are minimal. And to ensure zero distraction for the reader, the App runs no advertisements.
The team is focused on its growth trajectory armed with a strategic marketing plan in line with its goal of steady and organic growth without ever diluting its vision. Engagement with domain leaders, environmental organizations, schools, and parents is already in progress. Substantial offline events are on the anvil too.
The – Children For Environment Mobile App – intends to be on almost every mobile phone access a child. It is rare for a subject to be of mass interest, but this one goes beyond - it is about everyone's survival.
“Our children are the future adults, so it is crucial to make sure children and young adults become aware of the basics of this wonderful planet. Our hope is that conscientious adults will make decisions based on the interests of the planet and in the end, hopefully, we will see some light at the end of the tunnel.”
This App is available on the Google Play Store and the iOS App Store.
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