From June 3 to 7, the Foundation received the 4 winners of the VIA creative international finals.
Ashika Mohideen Ashraf, Kamika Nahar, Sarah Jessica Rose Simon Jayakumar, Umra Maryam Peer and Pooja Shakar(1) were appointed VIA Ambassadors for safe mobility in 2024 from among the 240,000 students from the 29 countries that participated in the VIA international finals.
Thanks to these students from the C.S.I Ewart Global school, in Chennai, India won the 2023 edition, under the theme “Together, let's improve the safety of young pedestrians on their way to school”.
To reward them for their efforts, the 4 winners were invited to Paris from June 3-7.
They were able to visit Paris for the first time, and meet some of the key figures in the quest for safer roads.
On the morning of the first day, the winners were welcomed by Jacques-Emmanuel Saulnier, General Delegate of TotalEnergies Corporate Foundation, and the entire Road Safety team.
The young ambassadors presented the poster they had created on the theme “Together, let's improve the safety of young pedestrians on their way to school”.
and which earned them the title of VIA Ambassadors for safe mobility.
In the afternoon, the 4 young ladies went to the headquarters of the UNESCO in Paris, in the 7th arrondissement.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has just incorporated education in safe mobility, into the broader context of Global Citizenship Education where they warmly welcomed by Stefania Giannini, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education
“Stefania Giannini encouraged us to keep going, to never give up in our educational mission, particularly as regards young people, everywhere in our country”, explains Sarah Jessica Rose, one of the winners.
After a second day devoted to visiting Paris, on Wednesday morning, the 4 young VIA ambassadors went to meet the Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary General for road safety, Jean Todt.
“Jean Todt mentioned the idea of us perhaps working with the Unicef, to be connected with even more schools in our country, and give our program even greater reach” Sarah Jessica Rose enthused.
Then it was back to TotalEnergies’ headquarters on Thursday afternoon, to meet the President of OneTech and member of the TotalEnergies COMEX.
Of Indian origin, Namita Shah has an exemplary career path that impressed her young compatriots.
“Namita is a great source of inspiration for us. In India, like us, she was confronted with the issue of unsafe roads. She encouraged us to never give up and persevere with our mission” Sarah Jessica Rose explains.
After these inspiring encounters, Ashika Mohideen Ashraf, Kamika Nahar, Sarah Jessica Rose Simon Jayakumar and Umra Maryam Peer went to the Paris Philharmonic Hall, to see a concert.
The day before their journey back to India, the 4 winners looked back on their stay.
Sarah Jessica Rose expresses how proud she is to be a VIA ambassador "This status heightens my credibility, and the people around me tend to listen more when I talk about road safety issues”.
“It also gives me the power to change little things, every day,” she concludes, on the day before her return to India. Kamika Nahar highlighted the “marvelous opportunity to be a stakeholder in the program. I’ve learned a lot of new things about road safety, that I can now pass on to those around me.
“This journey is a dream come true. I never thought I’d come to Paris one day, which just goes to show that hard work is always rewarded,” muses Kamika.
The VIA program has had a real impact on Umra Maryam’s daily life: “I’ve learned that even the smallest actions can bring about major changes. It has also helped us acquire new competencies, such as working in groups”.
“Being an ambassador gives me real credibility. Before, my Dad didn’t always wear his helmet when he took me to school. Now, he never forgets” enthuses Umra Maryam.
Proud to be a VIA ambassador, Ashika Mohideen underlines the spirit of teamwork that federated her team throughout the VIA competition: “We created the poster together, and worked very hard to win the competition. And now, here we are in Paris. It’s incredible!”
“The status of ambassador gives me the opportunity to promote road safety not just at my school and in my town, but on a much larger scale too, as I represent 43 countries” says Ashika Mohideen, proudly.
See you in December 2024 for the next edition of the VIA creative international finals, for education in safe mobility.
(1) not present in Paris
