Round Square Service Award

King Constantine Medal to Riddhi Kanwal

"This award goes to a deserving student, who has shown an exceptional act of service to others, creating a positive and long-lasting impact on the local environment and community," says Round Square Rep, Manisha Nanda. "Riddhi demonstrated exemplary commitment and tenacity in initiating the Road Safety Project. She believed that road safety education plays a significant role in shaping the attitudes and behaviors of children and young people - ensuring they become responsible drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and cyclists."

 

Riddhi's student led campaign targeted children aged 8-15 and focused on illegal road crossing and consisted of several awareness sessions for children and adults. Riddhi collaborated with three non-governmental organizations (NGO's) and two local schools. She also received support from the Mumbai Traffic Police during one awareness sessions.

 

"Leadership is learning. Learning to adapt, understand, solve, inspire and turn your vision into a reality," explains Riddhi "it builds your confidence, improves your communication skills, makes you learn the art of time-management and how to motivate people to achieve a common objective."

 

She organised an event "Shared Strokes for Safer Roads", and students from DAIS, distributed red roses to all car drivers wearing seat belts, as they cruised into the school driveway to drop off the children to school that morning.

 

The students shouted catchy slogans and waved colourful poster; ‘Slow down for a happy town!’ and ‘Alert today! Alive tomorrow!’

 

Students encouraged commuters to wear helmets and put their seat belts on and cheered for people who did so, earning wide smiles and a thumbs up.

 

This initiative received a grant of $1000 from the Youth Service America (YSA) and Underwriter Laboratories.

 

"I was ecstatic to receive this award," says Riddhi "I am proud of the fact that we have contributed significantly towards the Sustainable Development Goals, to reduce half the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents and have received international acclaim for it."

 

Riddhi graduated from DAIS with an International Baccalaureate Diploma in 2016 and is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration degree at Narsee Monjee Institue of Management Studies in Mumbai.

 

"I wanted to serve humanity and work towards a better tomorrow. To fulfill this ambition, I have been volunteering across various NGO’s throughout my life.I have demonstrated business leadership in a social context with community projects. I want to be a business and commerce specialist and use my skills to make a difference. I see myself as potential co-founder of an innovative start-up that can change the world or be part of a non-profit social organisation that I can drive towards a significant social impact."