{"id":43865,"date":"2025-10-01T07:00:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T01:30:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.globalindian.com\/youth\/?post_type=story&p=43865"},"modified":"2025-10-01T08:05:45","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T02:35:45","slug":"trinidad-to-hyderabad-siri-vadlamudi-is-gamifying-climate-education","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/old.globalindian.com\/youth\/story\/cover-story\/trinidad-to-hyderabad-siri-vadlamudi-is-gamifying-climate-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Trinidad to Hyderabad: Siri Vadlamudi is gamifying climate education"},"content":{"rendered":"

(October 1, 2025) <\/strong>In 25 schools across Suryapet and Hyderabad, lessons on pollution no longer mean listening to lectures from a blackboard. Instead, children fold newspapers into eco-friendly bags, sculpt Ganesh idols from clay and leaves, and debate whether a bottle cap belongs in wet or dry waste. Guiding them is 17-year-old Siri Vadlamudi, a Class 12 student at Arca Global International School in Hyderabad, who has turned climate education into something playful yet deeply impactful.<\/span><\/p>\n

Born in Suryapet and raised in Trinidad, Siri moved back to India after completing Class X. As she settled into life in Hyderabad, she began looking for ways to make climate awareness both practical and exciting. \u201cWhen children lead change, the whole community shifts,\u201d she remarks in a chat with Global Indian<\/em><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Siri

Early sparks<\/b><\/h2>\n

Siri\u2019s first brush with environmental activism came in Trinidad, where she created a video on mangrove deforestation near her home. \u201cThe issue was deeply personal to me, as I had witnessed firsthand the ecological damage caused by the loss of mangroves,\u201d she recalls. That project planted the seed for what would later become her larger vision.<\/span><\/p>\n

She also participated in the Trust for Sustainable Living\u2019s essay competition and debates in 2022. During a discussion on whether addressing inequalities could help solve the climate crisis, she was named best debater. While the recognition was gratifying, what stayed with her was something else: \u201chow little awareness many young people had about the urgency of climate change and environmental degradation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Turning games into lessons<\/b><\/h2>\n

The breakthrough moment came after her return to India. Faced with the challenge of explaining terms like \u201cbiodegradable,\u201d \u201cmicroplastics,\u201d or \u201csegregation\u201d in Telugu, Siri wondered if there was another way. \u201cWhat if games could be used to teach climate awareness?\u201d she asked herself.<\/span><\/p>\n

That question led to the creation of the Youth Gamification Club (YGC), which she co-founded with her younger brother, Sarthak. \u201cWe learned to adapt, break down concepts into simple, visual, and relatable terms that children could easily grasp. We introduced games and simulations that made the problem and the solutions come alive,\u201d she explains.<\/span><\/p>\n

YGC has since designed a range of innovative activities. In the Pollination Bee Game, students role-play as bees to understand how ecosystems survive. The life-sized board game Act to Adapt simulates communities facing floods or droughts, helping children think through resilience strategies. Other games like Eco-Me, Eco-Earth and Trash-Tide use video and quizzes to show how everyday choices or plastic waste affect the environment.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Siri