Five Young Innovators Bring A Colourful Twist To Sun Safety

At Ormiston Senior College's Viti Initiative , five students are turning sun safety into something simple, fun, and culturally meaningful. Drawing on their experience with youth-led projects, including donating educational board games about environmental safety to children in Fiji, they have now developed UV-detecting tattoos shaped like kiwi birds. These tattoos change colour to remind children when it’s time to reapply sunscreen, combining creativity, care, and innovation to keep kids safer in the sun.

"The inspiration behind introducing the UV Tattoos came from wanting to protect children and communities from the harmful effects of sun exposure in a simple and fun way," Armaan, one of the members told The Indian Weekender.

The team of students consists of Armaan (CEO), Anish Verma (Finance), Aarav Verma (Sales), Aahana Sharma and Sanah Phondge (Marketing).

Last year, the group helped underprivileged kids in Fiji by donating educational board games about environmental safety and wanted to do something new for their community. They have kept the name simple: “UV Detection Tattoos.”

According to the students, the innovation will "help children by reminding them when it is time to put on sunscreen or play in the shade."

"It will keep them safer from the sun, lower the risk of sunburns, and teach them healthy habits for the future," Armaan added.

From a business perspective, the students expect a positive response because parents and schools are always looking for easy ways to keep children safe. They say the product can be seen as a breakthrough, since it adds a fun, child-friendly twist to sun safety in a market that mostly has plain sunscreen and protective clothing.

Photo: Supplied

The group started their business in 2024 with a hoodie, which then turned into educational board games about environmental safety. They began working on the tattoos at the beginning of this year.

One of the biggest challenges they faced was to execute the idea with the assurance that the tattoos were safe for the community.

They overcame that challenge by getting the products tested and certified.

The students invested $250 to get the first batch of the product. They are participating through the Young Enterprise Scheme (YES), which gives students the chance to run a real business while still at school.

"It offers us hands-on experience in teamwork, problem-solving, and decision-making, while also teaching us important skills like marketing, finance, and communication," one of the team members shared.

Last year, the team worked on Educational Board Games about Environmental Safety and donated the games to underprivileged kids in Fiji from the profits they made. They were recognised by Hon. Julie Anne Genter and also won the Region Finalist Awards for Product Development.

The students are in Year 13 but were selected in Year 11 as they performed well according to their Year 11 course and were given the opportunity by their teachers. This year, they are back for their second year in YES with a brand new product and a bigger mission.

The UV-detecting stickers, designed in the shape of a kiwi bird, by youth for youth, to help protect children from harmful sun exposure.

"The sticker turns clear when sunscreen is applied correctly and becomes purple when it’s time to reapply, making sun safety simple, fun, and culturally meaningful," the team explained.

"These will also be donated to schools that need resources like this in the Pacific Islands," they added. 

Since last year, the students have returned to YES with a stronger focus on impact. They have launched this innovative new product, won the Excellence in Product Development Award, received endorsement from MP Julie Anne Genter, donated resources to Pacific Island schools, delivered sun safety workshops in local primary schools, and completed their Challenge 2 pitch for YES 2025.

The members in the group are now Armaan Hora, Anish Verma, Aahana Sharma, Sanah Phondge, and Aarav Verma.