ZAMASAMA PRESENTS
A Guide for Teachers and Parents
Written and Illustrated
by
Shamim Padamsee
Children will:
- Understand the scale and consequences of plastic pollution.
- Learn how youth-led action can influence government and policy.
- Explore how change can come from caring, organizing, and persistence.
- Reflect on global movements led by children like themselves to protect their environment.
Discussion Questions
Before Reading:
- Where do you see plastic in your daily life?
- What do you know about plastic waste and the ocean?
During Reading:
- What made the sisters start their campaign?
- What challenges did they face and how did they respond?
- How did their actions begin to spread beyond Bali?
After Reading:
- What plastic items could we stop using right away?
- What makes youth-led movements powerful?
- What’s one environmental problem you would like to help solve?
Activities:
- Plastic-Free Audit: Track plastic use at home/school for a day and find alternatives.
- Poster Design: Create advocacy posters calling for reduced plastic use.
- Local Clean-Up: Organize a beach, park, or a neighborhood clean-up.
- Compare Campaigns: Research similar youth movements around the world and how they succeeded.
- SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production
- SDG 13 – Climate Action
- SDG 14 – Life Below Water
SDG Explanation:
- SDG 12 – Demonstrates sustainable waste practices and advocacy for responsible consumption.
- SDG 13 – Highlights youth as climate leaders advocating for environmental justice.
- SDG 14 – Tackles marine plastic pollution, a growing threat to life below water.
Students will become more conscious of their plastic use and learn that even young voices can push for big changes. They’ll gain knowledge about ocean conservation and feel empowered to act locally for global impact.
Zamasama is a nonprofit platform that brings together stories from around the world to help children discover that beneath our differences—of culture, language, or belief—we share the same hopes, joys, and dreams.
Today’s children are tomorrow’s citizens, and the responsibility of building a more peaceful, tolerant, and empathetic world lies with them.
That’s why it’s vital to instill these values early—through stories that help them rise above the biases they inherit, and see diversity as a strength that unites us all.