My name is Shivani Karan and I am the founder of Lane25. 

I was born in Fiji and raised in New Zealand. I have been developing and running programs for youth in under-served communities in Auckland for the past seven years.

My personal journey has been to find purposeful outlets for creative energy. I have worked across multimedia fields, in audio, video, web design and technology. 

I hold a Master’s degree in Communication studies from the Auckland University of technology, where I was also a lecturer for several years. Innovation in education has become a key area of interest. I want to provide opportunities for meaningful engagement with digital media and technology.

Why does this matter -  It matters because the people being left behind have a voice that matters as well and it’s important that we hear all voices. It is also important that we get innovation from those with different perspectives regardless of their capability with digital technology.

Leaving these people behind is not disadvantaging them it’s disadvantaging us.