Hasti Modi (Master of Public Administration, 2022) has been volunteering since she was 15 and recently got awarded with the prestigious Diana Award. In this blog, we caught up with her to hear a bit more about her story of volunteering.
Hasti knew she was passionate about the environment and making the world a better place from a young age. To convert her passion into action, at the age of 15, she started her own NGO with an aim to plant and nurture trees in her hometown in India. She identified a public administrative issue in the local government that it did use the allocated budget to plant trees but did not bother to look after them. As a result, many trees died. Hasti worked hard to raise money to plant 131 trees in her local area, she specifically chose Neem trees which release a significant amount of oxygen to their surroundings. Not only did she want to help the planet by planting trees but she also did extensive research into which types of trees would be most beneficial.
Once the planting began Hasti invited guests to come along and get involved with planting trees with her. One guest in particular supported the work that Hasti had been doing and had his own charitable trust which focused on environmentalism within the city. This would prove hugely significant for Hasti and the work she was doing. Together they continue to run several tree plantation drives over the city. Purposefully planned mostly on Sundays, it allowed the work they were doing to be very public and encouraged other people to engage in the project and get involved themselves.
Once Hasti moved to university her work didn’t stop there, she co-founded an environmental club doing similar work and spreading further awareness of the importance of planting trees. During her study abroad in France she again founded a project devoted to planting trees and encouraging more people to get involved and plant trees in their local area.
In September 2020 Hasti was accepted on her masters programme at LSE (Public Administration) and her passion for trees and then environment continued. She reached out to many people in Harrow and collaborated with a ranger who supported her ideas and ultimately got thousands of tree saplings to be planted in the local parks. On her birthday, alongside the other volunteers, they planted 101 trees. These trees were planted between a train track and houses, the addition of the trees not only helped towards climate change but also reduced noise pollution.
During her studies and setting up numerous projects across the world she did an internship with an organisation called the Global Alliance for a Sustainable Planet based in New York. In that she got an opportunity to lead a team of 20 volunteers at COP26.
In July 2022 Hasti was awarded with a Diana Award, the highest honour any young person between the age of 9 and 25 can get for their humanitarian action and/or social work. Alongside this she graduated from her masters at the LSE, and celebrated with her friends and family. As she begins to consider what her next steps will be one thing is certain; she will continue campaigning for more trees to be planted and nurtured wherever she goes.
If Hasti has inspired you to volunteer, check out one of our other ongoing opportunities or book a one-to-one with David Coles, the Volunteer Centre Manager if you have more questions. And why not follow us on Twitter, and Instagram to stay up-to-date with our events and opportunities and read our blog for more volunteering tips and stories.
