Meet the Indian teens recognised by AshokaInnovators Young Changemakers for driving social change - VS Sewing Machiens
Be it Steve Jobs and
Malala Yousafzai, or Thomas Edison and Martin Luther King Jr, outliers have
proved time and again that it pays to think differently and challenge the
status quo. Sewing Machine Dealers in Chennai “In a world that keeps telling almost every young person, ‘you
can’t’, it’s critical to have a flow of stories and role models that show 'you
can', and that provide an array of ideas and methods.
Ashoka Young
Changemakers provides powerful, carefully identified young people and the
journey of a young person who has “their dream, their team, and the ability to
change the world".
About
the organisation
Innovators for the
Public,
a non-profit organisation, was founded by Bill Drayton in 1980 based on the
idea that the most powerful force for good in the world is the social
entrepreneur. Starting in India in 1981, Ashoka is leading the way to an
‘Everyone is a Changemaker’ world. It is the world’s largest network of
changemakers and social innovators, with more than 3,500 social entrepreneurs in 93 countries.
Recently, Ashoka
picked 12 teenagers from across India out of the 1,200 applications for
the first global edition of the Young Changemakers programme. The initiative’s
aim is to focus on the role of teenagers as influencers and co-leaders as a
means to bring about large-scale social change.
“Ashoka Young
Changemakers help society visualise the new definition of growing up as a
changemaker,” Yashveer adds.
The teen superheroes
So, who are these
Indian changemakers driving social change? The 12 teens shortlisted from
India—Anugreh Sehtya, Sanjana Dixit, Tanmayi Shinde, Akash Singh, Chandani
Grover, Wasudev Ganesh Prasad Mishra, Radhika Joshi, Disha Shah, Kavin Vendhan,
Apoorvi Bharat Ram, Naisargik Lenka, and Kaajal Gupta — have come up with
enterprising startups that are spearheading change in the social sector.
SocialStory spoke to seven
of these teenagers who are doing their bit to address various issues, be it in
waste management, providing employment to vulnerable sections, or
destigmatising mental health, through their initiatives.
1. Wasudev Ganesh Prasad Mishra (20), Nagpur,
Maharashtra
Wasudev Ganesh’s Silaigram is an ecommerce
platform that sells cloth bags made by underprivileged women in rural areas,
thus helping them achieve financial independence.
“My aim for Silaigram
is to walk towards a green and clean community by creating clean and
sustainable daily-use solutions. At Silaigram, we upcycle waste from garment factories
and decor shops to produce beautiful jholas and kurtis,” says Wasudev.
Silaigram comprises a
team of four members, including his mother who has nearly two decades of sewing
experience.
2. Disha Shah (19), Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Disha co-founded Inner Goddess & Big Sister
Programme when
she was just in Class XI. “My main aim for Inner Goddess was to increase
financial literacy in women in the investing space through workshops and
campaigns,” the now 19-year-old says. Her mission was to see women become
financially independent by making them realise why investing is a necessity and
not just a luxury.
Inner Goddess
conducts workshops in corporates, societies, and villages and has been able to
impact over 5,000 women. The team consists of five core members at present.
“It
is a company that works towards the economic empowerment of women
intersectionally, with an emphasis on their financial liberation and personal
strategy development,” she adds.
The Big Sister
Programme, on the other hand, is a non-profit mentorship initiative for
underprivileged young girls. ‘Big Sisters’ between ages 18 and 26 volunteer to
mentor young girls from poorer economic backgrounds. They teach them valuable
skills on finance, and help them become secure and independent right from an
early age. So far, 200 ‘Little Sisters’ have been impacted, and benefit from
having a Big Sister they can rely on.
3. Akash Singh (19), Noida, Uttar
Pradesh
Through Energinee Innovations, Akash works
closely with the GB Nagar District Jail in Uttar Pradesh and is currently
collecting waste from 52 temples across New Delhi.
He
says, “My main goal is to stop water pollution that contaminates the rivers,
lakes, and reservoirs of North India, and to empower prison inmates by
providing them with employment.” Waste such as poisonous incense sticks and
flower waste are upcycled to create beautiful sculptures and artwork by inmates
for the larger community.
Akash has been able
to create impactful change by providing employment to 22 prison inmates within
a year. Eighteen inmates have been granted permanent bail, and Energinee
Innovations has provided four of them with jobs at various NGOs. Through its
initiatives, the team of six hopes to encourage people to adopt sustainable
living practices.
4. Kaajal Gupta (17),
Bangalore, Karnataka
Kaajal Gupta’s app Liberate: My OCD Fighter came to being in May 2018. After
being diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) as a youngster, the
17-year-old wanted to create awareness about this mental health condition.
Through her app, the teen aims to educate users, connect them to a therapist,
and ultimately normalise therapy.
Liberate provides
various resources, including exercises such as cognitive behavioural techniques
and exposure response prevention tools. The app also functions as an
interactive platform that allows the user and the therapist to communicate with
each other through weekly emails to stay on top of their progress. The app can
be found on Google Play Store in India and the US, and has recently been
released in the EU as well.
5. Kavin Vendhan (15), Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Kavin Vendhan’s SMILEY India aims
to address those issues youngsters face that bring down their self-esteem and
hinder self-development.
By enabling a safe
space, SMILEY India provides counselling and mentoring, and holds club meetings
for youngsters struggling to cope with low self-esteem and image issues. Kavin
believes that ‘youth is power’ and having good role models is critical to shape
youngsters into responsible adults and capable leaders.
6. Chandini Grover (14), Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
With Kindness: The Universal Language of
Love, Chandini Grover aims
to change society’s attitude towards stray animals. She started this organisation
the day she witnessed a stray puppy being run over by a vehicle. On that day,
the 14-year-old vowed to do everything in her power to prevent something
similar from happening again.
Since, the teen has
conducted a number of drives in Bhopal to provide food and water, as well as
vaccination and deworming for strays. She feeds around 70-80 dogs daily and
has noticed a significant behaviour change in the neighbourhoods close to her
own as a result of her perseverance. Her core team has six other members.
7. Radhika Joshi (19) Dehradun, Uttarakhand
Radhika Joshi’s Second Chance Project was started in
June 2018 after a close family member suffered from organ failure. The Second
Chance Project is a youth-led social initiative that aims to raise awareness about
organ donation in India by creative interventions such as street plays,
information sessions, and through games and art.
For
younger children, Second Chance spreads awareness by creating colourful aprons
with drawings of body parts to impart the importance and function of each
organ, how organ failure occurs, and how organ donation can save lives.
The core team
comprises of six members and the project now has volunteer-run city chapters
across Mumbai, Delhi, and Dehradun. Second
Chance has sensitised over 800+ individuals about organ
failure so far.
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