Youth Incorporated Magazine

Noida; August 2024: Shiv Nadar School Noida organised its annual two-day inter-school event called Lumina -CAS Illumination. This event highlights the transformative power of Creativity, Activity, and Service (CAS) initiatives. NGOs, students from other International Schools (offering IB and IGCSE programs), educators, and community leaders passionate about community service, social entrepreneurship, and youth empowerment participated in the event. Lumina -CAS Illumination event highlighted the school’s dedication and efforts aimed at fostering meaningful connections between students and NGOs, leading to collaborative initiatives for positive social change. Among the invitees was Mir Mustafa Ali Hasan, Strategy & Foresight – Executive Division, United Nations Climate Change.

The two-day event focused on the Service strand through interactive workshops, a Pitch Competition for social projects, and a walkthrough of projects, creating a space for networking and collaborative brainstorming. It also witnessed the students’ competitive spirit through competitions in Art and Sports, followed by prize distribution and a closing ceremony.

Inaugurating the initiative, Ms. Anju Soni, Principal of Shiv Nadar School, Noida, said, “Together we embark into this 1st edition of a unique collaborative venture —LUMINA. Lumina, derived from Latin, simply means light. However, Lumina, for us, implies transcending lives with our inner light, leaving behind an illumination that doesn’t fade away. CAS, no doubt, is an integral part of the IBDP curriculum, but for us, it resonates with our core values. As we spread light with our sense of purpose and responsibility, we do so with respect, compassion, and creative expressions illuminating the community. We define our boundaries like the sky, soaring as high as a bird’s wings take flight and as deep as the fathomless ocean.”

Shiv Nadar School Noida’s CAS projects are globally awarded and recognised, and the school is now networking with global leaders in the IB community. The school’s recent accolades in the IB community were also recognised during the event. These include IBO (International Baccalaureate Organisation) Awards for three CAS Projects – Project Neer (working on water conservation), Dosti (working on providing digital literacy to the underprivileged and Hifazat (working on reproductive health among women in rural areas). 

Addressing the students, Shri. Manish Verma (IAS), the District Magistrate of Gautam Buddh Nagar, Noida, said, “Challenges come in many forms, but with time and effort, you can overcome them. Learn from everything and everyone around you—whether it’s a rickshaw puller, a shopkeeper, house help, or your teacher—there is always something valuable to learn. Always have a vision and dream big. With continuous effort and determination, you can achieve your goals. Remember, it’s not about how talented you are; it’s about how hard you’re willing to work to overcome any obstacle.”

This annual event served as a space for the Shiv Nadar School community to lead, inspire, and be inspired. 

About Shiv Nadar School

The Shiv Nadar School is a not-for-profit initiative of the Shiv Nadar Foundation in K12 private education to deliver educational excellence and provide “Education for Life”. With three campuses in the NCR and one in Chennai, Shiv Nadar School provides students with an environment that challenges them to discover their talent and skills while aiming to nurture ethical, respectful, happy, and purposeful citizens of society. 6000+ students and their parents, along with a team of around 1000+ educators, are a part of the Shiv Nadar School family. 

About HCL

Founded in 1976 as one of India’s original IT garage start-ups, HCL is a pioneer of modern computing with many firsts to its credit, including the introduction of the 8-bit microprocessor-based computer in 1978 well before its global peers. Today, the HCL enterprise has a presence across varied sectors that include technology, healthcare and talent management solutions and comprises three companies – HCL Infosystems, HCLTech and HCL Healthcare. The enterprise generates annual revenues of over US$13.4 billion with 219,000 employees operating across 60 countries. For further information, visit www.hcl.com

About Shiv Nadar Foundation

Established in 1994, by Shiv Nadar, Founder, HCL – a US$13.4 billion leading global technology enterprise, the Foundation is committed to the creation of a more equitable, merit-based society by empowering individuals through transformational education, and to bridge the socio-economic divide. Over the last 30 years the Foundation has directly touched the lives of over 39,000 alumni and students through its marquee institutions in literacy, K12 and higher education. Today, the Foundation has a community of over 100,000 constituents, which includes not only globally dispersed alumni and students but also faculty members, corporate executives, and extended families.

The Foundation has invested over US$1.5 billion in its seven landmark institutions and initiatives across education and art. Currently, over 16,000 students and over 2,700 faculty and staff are part of the Foundation along with more than 26,000 strong globally dispersed alumni community.

The Foundation’s students have gone to study at some of the best institutions globally including the Ivy League in the US and top universities in other countries including Australia, Singapore, China and UK. Students are also working in major corporations, including Goldman Sachs, Honda, HP, Schindler, and several others both in India and across other geographies. Faculty across the Foundation institutions are drawn from the best Indian and international universities, with a strong focus on research and innovation. 

The Shiv Nadar Foundation pursues the philosophy of ‘Creative Philanthropy’. It is a powerful model which envisages creation of institutions that are built to last and continue to impact future generations. It is an approach that allows sustained institutionalized philanthropy for long-term, high-impact, socio-economic transformation.