Meet Geeta, an engineering graduate who starts her morning like any other Monday — ready for a long day of coding. But today, he’s considering a bigger question: Can my coding skills make a real difference?
That same day, Geeta saw an opportunity to volunteer at Data for Climate Resilient Agriculture (DiCRA), the world’s first digital public interest initiative focused on climate-resilient agriculture.
Managed by UNDP and its partner agencies, the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, MISEO and ICRISAT, DCRA data brings together scientists and citizen scientists from around the world.
It empowers young people like Isha to use their digital skills to build a sustainable future.
This initiative plays an important role in providing information to decision makers about sustainable agricultural practices against the harmful effects of climate change.
Through youth participation, this initiative benefits everyone: youth find new ways to thrive and find a sense of purpose and help solve complex problems.
They lead the adoption of digital technology, which can play a critical role in achieving more than 70 percent of the 169 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and $55 million in cost reductions to achieve these goals.
This experience gives Isha a sense of accomplishment to contribute to an initiative of national importance to help farmers in the future.
Although this is only one example, it shows how young people can come together to tackle complex problems, which can lead to collective action.
Digital innovation
Digital innovation also has the potential to create new information sources. Stemming from UNDP’s Geo AI project, 100 young UN Volunteers volunteers are now using the same technology for hyperlocal mapping of air pollution hotspots.
This exciting new research engages young people in tackling air pollution by identifying multiple source points such as industrial emissions, vehicular emissions, biomass and solid waste burning.
Young people contribute to various UNDP initiatives by volunteering and supporting those who want to lead change through new and innovative products and services.
Using new and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to support young minds in social development represents immense potential for innovation in this sector.
For example, Sputnik Brain, an AI-powered social enterprise supported by Youth Co:Lab, has developed an AI-inspired non-surgical neural interface that targets the brain’s pleasure system.
It is expected to reduce the burden of stress related problems by $300 billion. “Let’s revolutionize mental health by ending human suffering through biomarker-driven technology,” said Shankar Sri, founder of Sputnik Brain.
Another inspiring example of Youth Co:Lab is Simple X, created by Akashdeep Bansal and Sunil Chowdhury.
Simple X provides accessibility solutions for people with disabilities by extracting text, layout and semantic information from images using AI.
Simple through this initiative digitalization is more than a trend – it’s a way to drive sustainable progress for young people. The new tools and vast information available today enable young people to make significant environmental, social and economic changes.
By taking this digital path, young people are not just part of the change – they are leading it.
So, how do you use your coding skills to change the world? The opportunities are endless, and your future takes shape right in front of you.