Ayanda Bokaba

Ayanda Bokaba, 12, flew to New York in December to speak at TED-Ed, an annual gathering of students from around the world who participate in TED-Ed clubs.

She was selected after her entry was submitted by the organisation Think Ahead, which works with schools offering support in their 21st-century teaching and learning.

During her talk, the Grade 7 Carlswald Preparatory School pupil from Midrand spoke about "how criticism affects people's confidence".

Ayanda said she was inspired by how people expressed themselves and how these interactions played a role in shaping individuals' confidence.

"With my talk, I wanted people to use the right type of criticism or change their approach of how they talk to others," Bokaba said.

“Always try to boost someone up with positive criticism, and not destroy them with negative criticism.”

Watch Ayanda’s TED-Ed Talk.