Harshwardhan Zala - The Ultimate Role Model for Your Kids!
Parents throughout the world are always looking for ways to inspire their children to do good things, follow their passions and head down a path that will lead them to successful careers. Most of the time, those inspirations come in the form of adult entreprenuers, athletes and musicians who followed their passions and achieved amazing success. But it can be hard for a teenager, or younger child, to relate to such people. That’s why your kids new role model should be this 14-year old from Gujarat, India.
Harshwardhan is a tenth-grader in Western India who learned about Army bomb detection teams being wounded while trying to protect people from land mines. Like many young kids, he has a passion for the latest technology toys and saw a way drones could help. As a result, he built a prototype anti-landmine drone that could detect and disarm these bombs. And by using the drones, Army bomb detection teams wouldn’t have to get as close to the bombs and many lives would be saved. This inspired 14-year old’s awesome invention has now landed him a $733,000 contract with the government to take his prototype into production, giving Zala the chance to see his idea lead to saved lives in India and potentially throughout the world.
Many of us have kids in our lives who are just as creative, they just need the support, opportunities and encouragement to turn their ideas into reality. For Zala, he got that support from the local government who helped fund his prototype which cost about $4,600. He then presented it to the Vibrant Gujarat Summit, an emerging business opportunities event this past January. There the Government of Gujarat’s Department of Science and Technology signed the contract to take his prototype to the next level.
Most cities, states and countries we live in have similar events each year where new ideas can be presented and even if yours doesn’t win or get a contract to take it to the next level, every participant gets the chance to show off their idea, get feedback, find others with similar desires and the chance to move their idea to the next level. And by taking advantage of these opportunities, your child could be the next Harshwardhan. All it takes is support, encouragement and role models, like Zala who show that it can be done.
Can’t find a local program? Join the Global Youth Innovation Network, which is committed to providing your kids the support, inspiration and resources they need to take their ideas to the next level.
What are you doing to inspire and support the youth in your life? They are the ones who will have the greatest impact on our future and the ones who will drive the innovations and digital disruptions that will take our society to the next level. Let’s ensure the next generation is filled with Zalas!
Big thanks to Singularity University co-founder Peter Diamandis, and to Dan Swift and Sydney Fulkerson on his team for bringing the story of this incredible young man to my eyes through the Abundance Insider newsletter.
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