International Youth Day 2022
International Youth Day is observed every year on August 12th to celebrate the spirit of young people across the world. Whether high school students, graduate students or interns, the environment in which young people work and grow is complex – brimming with information, and yet full of pressing challenges. As we collectively try to reimagine a healthier future post the pandemic, the youth have stepped up to offer new and insightful ways of taking action. From providing crisis helplines to coordinating food supplies and so much more, there has been a large-scale mobilization of talent and effort. Even as we emerge from the worst of the crisis, conversations around health are at the forefront of everyone’s minds and we have seen our youth rally together to build innovative solutions.
At TeachAids, we have witnessed our youth demonstrate a passion to learn, channel their skills and work diligently with a sense of purpose and justice while building a better future world. They operate with relentless curiosity and incredible foresight as they approach a range of critical, underexplored topics such as concussion and COVID-19 research. Here is what our advisors have to say about the indomitable spirit of the youth at TeachAids:
Scott Anderson: “Working closely with many of the passionate TeachAids interns in the development of the CrashCourse curriculum allowed me to see firsthand how a determined, passionately curious group of young people can impact lives and change the future of concussion education forever. It was an experience I’ll never forget.”
Dan Daneshvar: “The youth at TeachAids are a special part of what makes our work impactful. Their dedication, compassion and tireless effort is inspiring. It’s been an honor to collaborate and mentor such great minds. I am excited to see the many ways that our interns will change the world for the better!”
Dick Gould: “I am so very proud to be a part of the non-profit TeachAids and its mission to enhance and improve global health. More recently we have transitioned from HIV education to COVID and Concussion education. Perhaps the most exciting part of what I do is to have the opportunity to work alongside such an incredible group of totally selfless young adults. Their dedication to making this world a better place truly inspires me every day. I take great comfort in knowing that these are our leaders of tomorrow. I assure you, we are in great hands! THANKS TO YOU ALL . . . .”
Aparna Khare: “I’ve had the opportunity to work with several young individuals during my tenure at TeachAIDS, ranging from high school students to graduate students. It’s reassuring to see their selfless dedication towards making the world a better place, and knowing that the world is in good hands.”
Sriram Krishnan: “I am consistently blown away by the passion and intellect of our youth at TeachAids. Their curiosity and action-driven approach makes volunteering together a continuous joy and adventure!”
We are committed to empowering our youth with the support system that they need to attain their full potential. We encourage the freedom of thought, voice and experience – many of our young volunteers have chosen projects that reflect their core passions as they work closely with diverse teams and inspiring mentors. A few of our young people share a bit about the highlights of their time at TeachAids:
“I cannot speak highly enough of TeachAids as an organization and Dr. Sorcar as a mentor. No other college experience I have had has so tangibly shaped my view of the world and pushed me to think creatively. TeachAids serves as a model non-profit from which other organizations have much to learn.”
Sepehr Asgari
“My experience volunteering with TeachAids has been one of growth, collaboration, and innovation. TeachAids has given me the opportunity to not only pursue my passions of health and education, but to also have a tangible impact on youth by providing accessible, evidence-based education. Beyond the incredible impact that TeachAids has on topics ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic to concussion education, the TeachAids team has been incredible to work with. From high school volunteers to graduate students and beyond, and each person provides an incredible perspective that has helped me grow personally and professionally. TeachAids has helped shape me into the health educator and researcher that I am today!”
Amy Bugwadia
“In my time volunteering with TeachAids, I have been amazed by how kind and supportive everyone is. I immediately felt welcomed onto the team, which made the opportunity feel even more exciting than it already was. I feel incredibly lucky to have the experience, and I have already learned a lot from the rest of the team!”
Shaina Childs
“The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that education, misinformation, and health are all inseparably linked. In response, TeachAids created CoviDB to help promote the spread of high-quality information regarding COVID-19. The power of CoviDB stems from its dual use of technology and compassion to address these issues of misinformation at scale. In my eyes, the COVID-19 pandemic has affirmed vast, systemic, global inequities, and I’m incredibly grateful that our work with CoviDB has focused upon recognizing and treating COVID-19 related disparities through an educational lens.”
Ryan Crowley
“It has been such a privilege to be a part of the TeachAids family. The work is continually building groundbreaking supports and reliable guidance for the health, wellness, and safety of youth (and even adults) to benefit from. That is the type of vision and action that fires you up.”
Treyvion Foster
“I have really enjoyed my time working with Teach Aids and the Crash Course Concussion program. As a student-athlete who has recently suffered a concussion, the research and initiatives I am working on with Teach Aids are especially important to me. I have appreciated the opportunity to work with other passionate and likeminded interns, too!”
Peter Frates
“As a brain injury survivor I have always looked for ways to increase awareness and improve care for head injuries. TeachAids has provided me the platform to accomplish both of those goals. TeachAids is laser focused and achieves measurable outcomes, and I’m honored to be associated with the organization, and the people that power it.”
Holden Gibbons
“Working on CoviDB with TeachAids let me apply technical and interpersonal skills in a project that directly and concretely helps people with one of the largest challenges the world is facing, making it much more meaningful than small personal projects.”
Micah Gilbert
“At TeachAids, I was encouraged to utilize multiple skill sets and given ample opportunities to learn and grow as a researcher and leader. I am deeply passionate about the mission at its core, health education and creating an equal playing field for everyone to take charge of their own wellbeing, and am excited to see what else TeachAids goes on to concur.”
Riya Goel
“Working with TeachAids has inspired me to see the world from a different perspective. I have learned how to share pertinent information in an easily accessible way and the importance of consistency and accuracy when communicating with the public on a broad scale. These are all essential skills for an individual passionate about Public Health, but through the teamwork I have completed within the TeachAids community, I have also strengthened personal skills like compassion and humility. The people at TeachAids are some of the best people I have ever met and it is an honor to be a part of the team.”
Rachel Hyzny
“TeachAids has invested in me by providing the most amazing mentors and allowing me to work on a project that I am passionate about. I can’t say enough great things about the leadership team and the community that TeachAids has built.”
Peter Knowles
“Working at TeachAids was invaluable to both my personal and professional growth. It is a place where experts from many different fields come together to work on amazing products. At the same time, these experts were truly devoted to mentoring me and catering to my personal interests.”
Roberto Lama
“TeachAids was by far one of the most passionately mission-driven organizations I have ever worked with. I really cherished my time working with the kind, thoughtful, and incredibly knowledgeable team to provide accessible and informative educational materials for so many important topics.”
Christina Li
“TeachAids’ creativity in delivering important health education in novel ways is really inspiring. I have found it tremendously rewarding to see the impact that our work has. I feel very fortunate to be part of such a wonderful team.”
Elodie Mortimer
“At TeachAids, I’ve developed skills I previously thought were out of reach (i.e., video editing, grant applications, etc). I’ve also been introduced to a wonderful group of people who have taught me so much about the world of health care technology and innovation. I feel so lucky to work with this organization!”
Leila Orszag
“Interning at TeachAids has been instrumental in showing me how I can make a change with the code I write. Being able to collaborate with passionate people on projects that matter, while actually applying my skills for social good is amazing. Everyone is so kind and passionate, you can’t help but feel empowered to do more for the world.”
Neel Redkar
“I first became involved with TeachAids in 2020 when I interviewed and wrote an article about Dick Gould and TeachAids’ launch of the Concussion StoryWall. Then and now, I am inspired by the impact of storytelling and how this resource, along with the many other TeachAids innovative initiatives, educates and harnesses the power of healing through shared experiences. Now, as a volunteer editor of the TeachAids blog, I see the immense global reach of TeachAids. To me, one of the disparities Covid highlighted is the inequity in access and information. I am proud to be a part of an international organization that is making a difference in these!”
James Rhee
“Working on TeachAids’ StoryWall project was an incredible opportunity to get hands-on experience in a truly mission-driven organization. Every single individual I worked with was passionate, talented, and exceptionally kind, going out of their way to ensure that I was genuinely learning while we were working to create impactful products. I have no doubt that TeachAids will continue to be successful in their mission to modernize health education and I can’t thank Piya, Dick, and the whole team enough for such an incredible experience. I am forever proud to be a part of the TeachAids!”
Julia Rhee
“My work with TeachAids has been a formative experience for me both personally and professionally. I am so grateful for all of the opportunities that I have been given to engage with TeachAids’ important work across a variety of topics. Additionally, the environment is so welcoming and supportive to all volunteers, especially students, and I have enjoyed all of the projects I have been able to work on in my time volunteering with TeachAids.”
Alexa Ryan
“My work with Teachaids allowed me to work with a fantastic multicultural team with a highly diverse set of skills and talents. It was a humbling experience to work with individuals ranging from domain experts to high school students, all of whom were trying to create a difference during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic. My work at TeachAids reaffirmed the importance of being cognizant of the real-world impact of one’s research in technology.”
Agrima Seth
“Social justice issues in India, through an economic lens, have always intrigued me. Working with the TeachAids team, I appreciate the opportunity to contribute towards building an equitable society in terms of alleviating poverty and creating fair income and wealth distribution. The opportunity to intern at TeachAids has played a fundamental role in empowering me to move closer to this goal.”
Priya Vishwanath
“Volunteering at TeachAids as a young person has been formative for me. Working alongside experts who so readily give their time is inspirational and serves as an example for all youth to follow.”
Kiran Wijesooriya
“Volunteering with TeachAids has allowed me to connect with an amazingly talented team of people who are passionate about their work and always ready to support you with whatever need that arises. I’m thankful for the invaluable opportunity to learn from our leaders, advisors, fellows, and volunteers, all of whom are united over the common cause of making high-quality health education materials accessible. I hope to one day follow in their footsteps of making tangible change in the world.”
Samantha Yamashita
“Volunteering at Teachaids has been an amazing experience for me to meet incredibly accomplished people, while also learning and improving myself through their leadership.”
Nathan Yap
Young people today have a number of lucrative career opportunities at their fingertips so to see them fully commit to pursuing purposeful work is a true joy. A lot of our work is also directed toward future generations of leaders, such as CoviDB for kids and CrashCourse, equipping them with the information and resources they need to thrive. Without the meaningful contributions of our youth to the growth of TeachAids, we would be at a loss. The enthusiasm that they bring to the table has enabled the development of our various unique projects and impacted countless communities across the globe – and that’s the spirit we want to celebrate today!