Youth Leaders As Change Makers

The leadership training program focused on sensitizing and enhancing the capacity of youth residents of the National Capital Region of Delhi, on community issues. The program aimed at building the capabilities of 60 youth to become next-generation leaders, to mobilize their strengths to realize their potential. Three key development challenges in the country were explored – Environment, Public Health and Women’s empowerment. A collaborative space emerged with the coming together of experts and mentors from India and the U.S.A, who co-designed and executed the Change-makers Project. The initiative was supported by the U.S. Embassy in India.The Cohort were selected for their passion for a social cause, willingness to work in a group, and keenness toward designing and implementing action projects around the selected themes.

Elements of the learning journey

Input – Two days of leadership training was common to all participants. As a cross-cutting theme across all thematic sessions, it was a mix of theory and experiences from their field-based practice. Leadership concepts introduced by the American Faculty were contextualized for India by in-country leadership trainers and thematic experts.
Integrated into the leadership sessions were two days of separate thematic modules on the Environment, Public Health and Women’s empowerment. Going by LEAD’s ‘merging the Silo approach’ youth were invited to opt for more than one thematic session, aiming for an expanded understanding of interconnections between issues.

For an enriched learning experience, participants were engaged through

Story Telling
Group discussion
Group activities and presentations

A Snapshot of Inputs Delivered

Leadership

  • Becoming aware about the purpose of every action
  • Leading in complex, political, ambiguous environments
  • Managing personal risks & pressures of leadership
  • Building vibrant collaborative alliances and strategies for generating change
  • Being on the dance floor and going back to the balcony

Environment

  • Environment as an interconnected system
  • SDGs, Climate Change and the Vulnerability Framework
  • Finding a balance between Environment and Development
  • My lifestyle & the choices I make, Waste Management & My role
  • Field Visit – Understanding Grassroots Action at Aravalli Biodiversity Park

Public Health

  • Health – Why it is important and Healthy Food Habits
  • Sex and Sexuality
  • Mental Health
  • Substance Abuse in youth
  • Visit to the Delhi Government Mohalla Clinic to observe availability, affordability, technology in health services

Women’s empowerment

  • Body identities
  • Gender and roles
  • Gender stereotyping
  • What is empowerment
  • Equal Participation and Leadership

Social Action

In groups, youth identified projects around issues they deeply connect with. In six months, they planned and executed the projects with need-based process and thematic mentoring from LEAD network

Meet-ups and Peer to peer learning

Youth were offered a blended platform. In person meets and virtual interaction, to share about their projects, exchange ideas, offer and receive feedback, and collaborate to create synergy.

Virtual networking app

The app is a private networking platform available to youth having undergone leadership training at LEAD India. The dedicated App aims to connect youth participants to share, network, collaborate and learn from each other and sustain the spirit beyond the project period

Results

Shifts at the individual level

Shifts at the Collective level