With a professional background in environmental archaeology and sustainability, Harris Chrysanthou, Technical Instrument Operator at The Cyprus Institute, was immediately drawn to Purpose in Motion (PIM)’s Tech4Good program in 2021. Although he was initially attracted to the program’s focus on environmental innovation and wanted to guide students in exploring the relationship between environmental sustainability and business, Harris soon learned and appreciated PIM’s Tech4Good program’s holistic approach to teaching students how to use technology to contribute to the wide spectrum of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Confident that he could ignite a passion within students to solve global problems, Harris opted to be a Tech4Good mentor in 2021 and has played a vital role in the program ever since. Throughout the years, Harris has witnessed a transformation of PIM’s Tech4Good program and remarked on how the program has grown to provide a wealth of resources, material and tools to the students that will further spark their interest in social techno entrepreneurship.
Along with these new resources, what Harris particularly values about the program is its structure. Since COVID-19, the Zoom meetings have employed breakout room sessions that increase the convenience of internal discussion within teams and mentorship sessions with the mentors. This year, the program introduced 1-on-1 sessions between mentors and students from Day 1 of the program. And at the end of every meeting, students are informed and reminded about their daily action items.
The output of Tech4Good’s structure is fruitful. Equipped with knowledge and support, this year, a team from Brazil was able to raise funds for their startup, and Harris found their confidence and commitment to be truly inspiring.
For Harris, witnessing the achievement of his mentees is one source of happiness, and receiving appreciation and gratitude from them for his help and consultation service is another. No matter verbally or via email, the “thank you”s from the students often made his day. He recalled on one occasion when he asked a group of students, “If you had one chance to have dinner with a famous person, who would it be?” And they replied, “With you, Harris!” Immediately, Harris was overwhelmed with happiness.
Working with young talent from across the world, Harris has gained a deeper understanding of the different problems, obstacles, mindsets, and prioritizations in different countries. And Harris is confident that the Tech4Good program will continue to spark the interest for and build the groundwork of social impact among future generations and “develop entrepreneurs that seek to change the world for the better,” leading to a more sustainable future for the Earth.
A few words of wisdom Harris would like to share with educators in the social impact sector is to balance theory with practicality. When students confront disappointment in the real world, it is the role of educators to keep students grounded on the logical spectrum by letting students know that they are still young and there is plenty of time to experiment, make mistakes, and grow.
For more information about PIM’s TechImpact Academy programs including Tech4Good, please visit us at PIM TechImpact Academy or contact us at https://www.pimglobal.org/contact-us/ .
“We need to continue to develop entrepreneurs that seek to change the world for the better.”
Harris Chrysanthou Cyprus
Technical Instrument Operator, The Cyprus Institute
Mentor, PIM Tech4Good Program
Previously, Harris held the position of Operations Officer at BeHive and was the former Head of Operations at Gigapower Energy, a renewable energy company based in Cyprus. He was previously a Technical Instrument Developer at The Cyprus Institute, where he was responsible for the O&M of a 70KWth Fresnel Solar Platform. Also, Harris closely worked with the Institute’s research staff on the PROTEAS facility, designing & 3D printing instruments and general machining processes.
