Building Community Leaders

Dedicated to addressing unequal learning opportunities and poor education quality prevalent in underserved communities, this program deeply believes in enabling children to become leaders for tomorrow. They aim to tackle the lack of 21st-century skills, the absence of positive spaces, the dearth of leadership, and the deficiency of psychological safety in these areas.

By closely collaborating with various stakeholders in the community, they have realized that these problems are symptoms of deeper underlying challenges. Through a theme-based curriculum centered around these challenges and pressing social issues such as Discrimination, Drugs, Domestic & Sexual Violence, Environment, and Mental Health, the program helps children cultivate a sense of consciousness and awareness.

The project utilizes art, dance, and theatre as mediums to foster the development of leadership skills and advocacy. The curriculum is based on a framework that focuses on providing five key competencies to children: Consciousness, Critical Thinking, Courage, Creativity, and Collaboration, providing participants with the tools they need to become effective yet compassionate leaders and change-makers.

Currently working with over 1800 children in one of their focus communities – Malwani, the second-largest slum in Mumbai, with a Human Development Index (HDI) value of 0.47 – the program aims to develop leaders who can champion social development and advocate for the basic human rights. Their programs not only equip these individuals with essential skills but also empower them to become agents of change in their communities, then the next and the next, and so on – uplifting through a long-lasting positive change one community at a time.