Students team up to inspire solar future at school

“On sunny days, it is bright here thanks to the big windows,” says the 16-year-old, smiling. “And on the gloomy days, it’s bright thanks to us.”

This year, her school in Sumy, Ukraine is set to be powered by solar energy, thanks to new panels that have been installed on the roof. The green initiative is the brainchild of Viktoria and her team of four friends, who took part in the UPSHIFT Green Project run by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and ING Bank. 

“We are the first school in Sumy to use solar energy,” says Viktoria, proudly. “And we are happy and proud to make our school green and modern.”

A greener future

The UPSHIFT project helps young people to develop their potential and design green solutions. Viktoria and her classmates first heard about it from their biology teacher, who suggested that they create an environmentally-friendly energy source for their school.

“We are all vibrant girls, and we immediately embarked on an interesting environmental project,” says Viktoria. “But there was one problem: none of us – five students majoring in humanities – had any idea how to build a bicycle generator or a wind farm.”

Viktoria, Anastasia, Maria and two Annas – known as the Vox populi team – spent many evenings together, planning. They researched alternative energy sources and tried to understand how they work. It was not easy, they admit. 

But the girls were determined not to give up and eventually hit upon a solution. 

“We thought it was worth proposing an idea with solar panels,” says Viktoria. “We were inspired by the concept of the UPSHIFT Green Project. Because it’s a step into the future, it’s about caring for the planet and the environment.”

Inspiring a new generation

To their delight, the team’s idea to install solar panels on the roof of the school met with success. The girls received funding of almost UAH 70,000 from UNICEF and ING Bank, and even had the opportunity to work with a mentor. Finally, at the end of term last year, ten heavy solar panels were installed on the school roof.

“I was most inspired by the people in the project who provided trainings to us,” says Viktoria. “They didn’t just talk about how to manage finances, generate ideas or solve problems, they shared the light. This light helped us go further and bring everything to an end.”

The success of this project has only encouraged the girls to think up more green initiatives for their home city. 

“We began to think about the environment in the city,” adds Viktoria. “There is a lot of garbage around and almost no one uses alternative energy sources. Time is running out and we need to think about the future of the planet now, not when it is too late. And, really, it is not that difficult to consume resources sparingly.”

Next year, Viktoria plans to organize garbage collections in the city through Instagram, encouraging participants to post photos and tag their locations.

Other high school students are hoping to use a bicycle generator to power a summer cinema.

And the girls are currently preparing to host lectures about the environment at their school, having already created posters explaining how alternative energy sources work.

“It seems to me that young people are now the driving force behind environmental activism,” says Viktoria, who hopes to become a lawyer. “My generation has more freedom, and we do not turn a blind eye to problems for financial gain. The key for me is that my city and country do not stay in the Stone Age.”