My Dubai Expo: Young poet engages teens on global sustainability problems

Paridhi Bhatia, a pupil at the Gems Modern Academy in Dubai, says the Expo offers teenagers a unique platform

Gems Modern Academy pupil Paridhi Bhatia, 16, reads poetry at Expo 2020 Dubai. Photo: Gems Modern Academy

A teenage poet who performed at Expo 2020 Dubai said the event represents a unique opportunity to be “part of something bigger than ourselves”.

Paridhi Bhatia, 16, read her poems to a captive audience at the I Can event at the world’s fair, where pupils discussed solutions to global sustainability problems.

Paridhi, who is a pupil at Gems Modern Academy in Dubai and writes poems about the environment, said the Expo offered her, and other children, a platform unavailable anywhere else.

“It’s fantastic to be involved in an event with so many different nationalities and cultures,” said Paridhi, from India.

Her poetry is certainly in keeping with the multicultural ethos of Expo 2020 Dubai.

“I write poetry in English, French, Arabic and incorporate Latin as well,” she said.

“I’m most passionate about the environment so a lot of my poems are about this subject.

“I also write about self-identity and respecting yourself a lot.”

The budding poet spoke about the opportunities that Expo offered.

“It gives me a platform to showcase my poetry but more importantly allows me to present myself to the world,” she said.

‘It gives young people the opportunity to showcase their talents.”

The top 10 selected stories from the event will make it to the international I Can Expo 2020 Summit which takes place from December 18-20.

Children are saying they are ready to be catalysts of change, said Sumana Chatterjee, director of communications and international programmes at Gems Modern Academy, "and this summit helped people to get inspired by their solutions to some of the greatest challenges faced by the world today".