Pravah strengthens Change Looms to empower more young social change agents
Focus on building a unique network of young social change agents across India by 2010; Partnership with The Global Fund For Children tastes significant success
-- Pravah, a leading Delhi-based non profit organization that focuses on change through youth citizenship action, said it will build a pan Indian network of young social agents by 2010 through “Change Looms” - its flagship program. Change Looms was launched in 2005 to equip and mentor young social activists and support them to weave a new social fabric. The program has since attracted over 250 applications from young change makers, with 50 already successfully benefiting from the program and 11 currently under active mentoring. The highlight has been the sheer diversity of issues - from child sexual abuse, tiger conservation, RTI, NREGA and disability - that the Changeloomers have addressed through their work. The other highlight is the success of the partnership with The Global Fund for Children (GFC) which has been supporting the program in that there are few Changeloomers already well on their way to fulfilling the vision of youth activism for a peaceful, just and equal society. Changeloomers-Ishita from The YP Foundation in New Delhi and Iyappan from Sri Arunodayam in Chennai were present to share their experiences of the program and its’ benefits.
According to Ishita, Founder, The YP Foundation, “Learning and sharing is even more important for those who work with social change and social justice as we are part of a very complex society with myriad challenges and conflicting interests. The Change Looms process, from the workshop and the mentoring I received later was extremely critical. It helped us articulate our challenges and at the end we have better clarity on many aspects of our work. We have expanded our work as young people today. Much of the credit goes to the Changelooms team and GFC for their support and mentoring.”
”Change Looms has helped me to learn, meet social sector leaders and get their support to improve my project. It is a platform for young people like me to get exposure and explore ideas. It is a wonderful learning journey for people who wish to make a change in society “added Iyappan, Founder, Sri Arunodayam.
"One of The Global Fund for Children's key missions is to seek and support organizations that foster and promote entrepreneurial spirit amongst youth living in vulnerable and marginalized situations. Pravah's Change Looms program works to ensure that the young social change agents gather the insights, opportunities, and skills they need to pursue their aspirations and have a positive impact on the society. That is why we are so proud of our association with Pravah and the program,” said Dr. Vineeta Gupta, Program Officer, South Asia, The Global Fund for Children.
Sharing her thoughts, Meenu Venkateswaran, CEO of Pravah, said “For Pravah whose focus is youth citizenship action, Change Looms fits perfectly with our vision to build youth leadership for social change and is designed to provide a structured framework to identify and support some of the most outstanding young social change agents across the country. We believe that one of the unique features of this programme is that it seeks to build a strong alumni network where these youth leaders can support and learn from each other and come together to impact issues of social justice. We are extremely happy that we have a global grant making organization like GFC supporting the program. We at Pravah are really excited about Change Looms and the cumulative impact it will have on society in the present and in the future.
Change Looms is an annual program wherein applications are invited from young people with a demonstrated commitment to a social cause, openness to learning and the ability to take people along. Selected applicants are invited to a 1 week residential workshop where they meet to deepen their understanding of themselves and their link to society, build their skills, refine their ideas and program designs, and get an opportunity to receive feedback from peers and experienced social sector leaders. Post the workshop, Changeloomers develop a learning plan and receive constant inputs and support in achieving their objectives. A small grant is also made available to the Changeloomers to help them undertake learning initiatives that support their personal growth and fine tune their organizational blueprint and action plans.
Notes to Editor
About Pravah:
Founded in 1993, Pravah is a New Delhi-based non-profit organization with a vision to build leadership for social change amongst young people. Pravah works with adolescents and youth to impact issues of social justice through youth citizenship action. It has designed and successfully implemented innovative active citizenship programs with diverse groups of young people across India. Pravah has expanded its portfolio to teachers training, incubating new initiatives and facilitative work with other organizations working on youth development. Together with these partners we are currently advocating for youth development and citizenship action.
About The Global Fund for Children:
The Global Fund for Children’s (GFC) is a grant making organization based in the United States. Its mission is to advance the dignity of children and youth around the world. GFC pursues its mission by making small grants to innovative community-based organizations working with some of the world’s most vulnerable children and youth, complemented by a dynamic media program that, through books, documentary photography, and film, highlights the issues affecting children.