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Med student chosen to help ‘change the world’
Author: Wilma Stassen
Published: 17/05/2018

A first-year medical student, Keaton Harris, is one of just 21 young people from around the world that were selected to take part in the Young Sustainable Impact (YSI) Innovation Program. The goal of the YSI initiative is to find viable solutions to help meet the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The 21 YSI candidates were selected from 8 560 applications from around the world. According to the YSI website, all applicants must be under the age of 25 and should be “crazy enough to think they can change the world, and bold enough to actually do it."

“I am still in a state of disbelief!" says the 23 year-old Harris. “I am the only South African chosen for the program. Being able to represent Stellenbosch University, and South Africa as whole on a global level, is definitely a highlight of my life thus far. This is a tangible chance to actually make a real difference," says Harris, who also holds a Pharmacy Honours degree from UWC that he achieved summa cum laude last year.

The candidates are grouped into international teams of three, and are guided to create their own start-up company or design prototype which will offer solutions to one of the SDGs. The project that Harris and his team mates (from Brazil and Canada respectively) are working on, will address SDG 3, which relates to 'Good Health and Wellbeing'.

“For the next few months each team member will be working remotely to develop our business solution or prototype under the guidance of YSI. In August all the candidates will gather in Norway where we will meet up with our teammates to fine tune our start-up idea and to meet with potential investors," explains Harris.

“After our visit to Norway we will have a concrete plan for the implementation of our innovate start-up, and from this point we will work hand-in-hand with investors and YSI in to create a business plan that will develop our start-ups into the modern day age and operation.

“Ultimately, we're hoping that our start-ups will provide solutions that are adopted by the masses, and that will better the lives, health and wellbeing of the rest of the world," he concludes.

 

Caption: Keaton Harris was selected to take part in the Young Sustainable Impact Innovation Programme which looks at ways to meet the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals.

Photo: Wilma Stassen