Six-year-old Taleen Mohammed Ayed was beaming with pride and confidence when she went up the stage to collect her award for topping the Kidspreneurs Competition during the National Science Technology and Innovation (NSTI) Festival held recently in Dubai.
She competed against 24 other participants in her category with a project a related to agriculture she called ‘Taleen Kitchen Garden’.
The kindergartener studying at Dubai National School got her inspiration from a quote from the UAE founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who said: “Give me agriculture, and I will give you civilisation.”
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This quote ignited her passion in gardening and inspired her to start a winning project. “The more we care about plants, the better it is for the Earth and our health,” she said of her project’s core principle.
Entrepreneurship at an early age
The NSTI Festival Taleen participated in was aimed at targeting Kindergarten and Cycle 1 students to develop entrepreneurship and innovation from an early age.
When Taleen signed up for the competition, she was aware she had to present an idea that can achieve tangible results. With this in mind, she came up with a project aimed at encouraging children her age to care about the environment and agriculture. She firmly believes that everyone has a responsibility towards securing the future of our planet.
For Taleen, her project is special because it uses natural components. It is cost-effective, has a clear purpose, and aimed at making a positive impact.
Pleasure in gardening
Taleen told Khaleej Times she takes great pleasure in her daily gardening tasks. She has grown tomatoes and other garden vegetables. In fact, she feels happy and proud to see the fruits of her labour on her family’s dinner table.
Despite being a kindergarten student, Taleen manages her time efficiently and handles her schoolwork, gardening, and entrepreneurship with ease.
Apart from gardening, Taleen also has a knack for building things. She frequently builds homes, using Legos. She also loves to read books in her free time.
Taleen won the award in the Youngest Kidspreneurs category for KG 1 & 2. When her name was announced as the winner, she felt extremely happy and couldn’t stop giggling. She attributes her success to her parents, who have been helping her with the project and always been by her side.