Teach For India, joining hands with Kids Education Revolution, is celebrating Children’s Day Week from November 14 to November 20 to bring out stories of student leadership across the country.
With more than 4000+Teach For India alumni reaching out to more than 33 million children, Teach For India has identified children who stand out as change agents, taking social initiatives at various levels of the system from schools and communities to governance and policy. Even as India faces its own challenges on many socio-economic and environmental fronts, its youth offer a ray of hope.
Here are some young leaders from Delhi who are making a difference to society in their own way:
Kumkum Kumari
This Class IX student from Delhi aims to provide justice to the transgender community. She has carried out surveys among the members of this community to understand their feelings and daily challenges. With her team, she has organised street plays and initiated discourses around this sensitive subject, creating awareness among people, including in her own family, by way of impactful, meaningful conversations.
Arshiya Kaushik
A student of Class XI, this Delhi girl has worked with multiple NGOs like Tender Hearts and Prayas. While working with Tender Hearts, she taught a group of children from low-income households. She introduced a new subject called Learn By Eyes, which focuses on teaching through visuals. She has even started sex education classes for women and delivered a TED talk on rape culture.
Sumera Shakeel
The dream of this Delhi girl is to educate and rehabilitate the children of immigrants and children in post-conflict areas. Sumera's belief in the compounding effect of education inspires her to learn more about the causes of political unrest. Her emphasis on empathy drives her to visit places such as the Rohingya camp in Delhi and learn how to facilitate peer-to-peer learning.
Kirti Tiwari
Ethnobotany is not a term many would be familiar with. But this girl from is fascinated by the region's plants and how they can be used in the long term. She wishes to mass produce low-cost herbal medicine to ensure better treatment for people. She hopes to create awareness through study circles and classes regarding the correct use of plants.