GEMS Education hosts youth environmental advocates from across the Emirates for ECOS 2025
Hosted at GEMS Founders School – Dubai and themed 'Bridging Environmental Stewardship with Innovation and Opportunity', the conference highlighted the remarkable contributions of youth in driving sustainability and innovation.
The ECOS event featured an inspiring keynote by Ghaya Al Ahbabi, UNICEF Youth Advocate and COP28 Ambassador, who emphasised the vital role of youth leadership in addressing environmental challenges, while sharing her own journey as a youth advocate in the UAE.
The conference also welcomed Kailash Iyer, Head of Investment Fund at Oxfam International, who shed light on the indiscriminate effects of climate change on society, governance, and the global economy.
GEMS student Aliza Siddiqui, lead organiser of ECOS 2025, reinforced this in her speech, stating that 'the most powerful ideas aren't locked in boardrooms – they're born in classrooms.'
Organised with the support of SustainHERability Girl Up, ECOS 2025 showcased a variety of activities, including the SDG Action Zone, where various schools presented their sustainability initiatives in a dynamic exhibition, as well as the Hack the Heat Climate Competition, which encouraged students to develop innovative solutions to one of four climate challenges.
Each initiative aligned with the United Nations International Year of Glaciers' Preservation, emphasising global efforts to combat climate change.
Participants also had the opportunity to write their own 'commitment pledges' where they were tasked with writing their promises, hopes, or wishes for a more sustainable future. These student pledges are now on display in GEMS Founders School's main auditorium as a testament to student voice and innovation.
The event concluded with a presentation of various awards, including Eco-Innovator of the Year, awarded to GEMS Cambridge International School – Dubai; Sustainable School Award, presented to Al Ain British Academy; and Renewable Future Award, presented to GEMS Founders School – Al Mizhar.
Winners of the Hack the Heat Climate Competition included Team Blue Horizon and Eco-Grow Systems from GEMS Modern Academy as well as TerraByte from GEMS Al Barsha National School.
Winning solutions included creating soil microbial fuel cells, smart devices for coral reef restoration and smart water filters using hydroelectric energy, with awards presented by Barkha Bahirwani, Founder of Green Majlis.
About GEMS Education
Every day, GEMS Education has the privilege of educating more than 200,000 students from more than 176 countries through its owned and managed schools around the world. With nearly half a million alumni who in turn have influenced countless millions of lives, GEMS has been recognised as one of the most impactful companies in any sector globally.
Founded in the UAE in 1959 and now the largest and most respected K-12 private education group in the world, it holds an unparalleled track record of providing diverse curricula and educational opportunities to families from all socio-economic backgrounds.
What began as a single school in a private home in Dubai remains a family business to this day. Its inspiring Chairman and Founder, Sunny Varkey, and his sons, Dino Varkey, the Group Chief Executive Officer, and Jay Varkey, the Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer, continue to provide vision, insight and strategic leadership across the organisation.
Through its growing school network and philanthropic initiatives, GEMS is committed to fulfilling its vision of putting a quality education within the reach of every learner, everywhere.
Each year, GEMS students graduate to join the world's leading universities. Over the past five years alone, they have been accepted into over 1,050 universities in 53 countries – including all eight Ivy League institutions in the United States and all 24 Russell Group universities in the United Kingdom. GEMS alumni have gone on to successful careers in all sectors around the world, including a large proportion reaching CEO and C-suite status.
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