Everyone A Changemaker – Details, episodes & analysis

Jasmeen Patheja is the founder of Blank Noise. Jasmeen was born and raised in Kolkata. Her family, traditional Punjabi business people migrated from Burma in the 1960s. Jasmeen attended one of the city’s best schools, but was always told she should prepare to be married by the time she turned twenty-one. Jasmeen always had the urge to use her creativity to make a difference. After studying psychology, Jasmeen was admitted to the esteemed Srishti School of Art Design and Technology in Bangalore. Wherever she went, she was haunted by the experience of being harassed on the streets, even as a young girl wearing her school uniform. In Bangalore, she knew her peers at the Srishti School had experienced similar sexual harassment. 

During her time in college, Jasmeen found ways to express her fundamental belief that an artist should engage directly in the process of social transformation. With her interest in the dynamics between the artist and the audience and public artwork, she produced Blank Noise as her final project for a course on communications for social change. 

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

●       The state of Defenselessness of the body is our birthright

●       Defenselessness is a positive thing

●       Be in our power everywhere not just in public spaces

●       Building a committed community to intervene and be responsible in safeguarding women

●       Creating a safe space for survivors to be heard

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●   Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2WXoA5uYcYUtiu0KO8AQm6

●   YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ashoka

●   Website: https://www.ashoka.org/en-in

QUOTE: “If everyone takes up the responsibility of caring for and protecting one another, while refusing to tolerate sexual violence and being unapologetic about it, our country and the world would be a safer place to live in.”

Parag Mankeekar is the founder of RealLives Foundation. Parag, a doctor in a rural village near Pune, transitioned from individual patient care to addressing broader public health issues. He created a comprehensive health education system to bridge the gap between social behavior and medical treatment. As a hospital administrator, he resolved disputes, revitalized the institution, and prioritized public health. After experiencing the Gujarat earthquake, Parag recognized the need for disaster education among young people and founded a non-profit organization to organize camps and develop educational games.

Parag's approach involves utilizing schools, government agencies, and young individuals to spread awareness about disaster preparedness. Through curricula, disaster camps, and simulation games, information on personal safety and community responsibility is effectively reinforced. This multi-pronged approach ensures that the knowledge is retained by children and also shared with older family members and the broader community.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

●       Travelled all over India on a scooter to experience other people’s lives

●       Industrial Revolution killed the ability and creativity of humans

●       Find inspiration in the stories of others, but ultimately forge your own unique story

●       Teach about humanity and real life experiences in schools

●       Incorporating educational elements within games

●       If life is a game, then only games can really teach you about life

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●   Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2WXoA5uYcYUtiu0KO8AQm6

●   YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ashoka

●   Website: https://www.ashoka.org/en-in

QUOTE: “If we consider life as a game, then it is through games that we can truly learn about life's challenges, including issues like climate change, and the multitude of experiences we encounter in the world.”

TITLE: Bridging The Gap Between Schools & Communities w/Saransh Vaswani

Saransh Vaswani is the founder of Saajha. He graduated from Hans Raj College, Delhi University, a Gandhi fellow. Saransh has also done the Young India fellowship program (Ashoka University). He was also awarded the Echoing Green fellowship in 2014 and was featured in Forbes India’s 30 under 30 list of young achievers.

Saransh believes that public education is one of the most accessible tools for social mobility, better life outcomes for our children and a truly democratic nation. For him,  education is about enabling that democratic path, bringing in voices of parents and families to transform the education system.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

●  Involving parents in children’s education is critical.

●  Parents need a support community to have the right information about their child’s growth.

●  Finding the right partners who will champion your vision is critical for sustainability.

●  Understanding the value of your impact helps you grow in your social entrepreneurial journey.

Subscribe To Everyone A Changemaker

●  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2WXoA5uYcYUtiu0KO8AQm6

●  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ashoka

●  Website: https://www.ashoka.org/en-in

QUOTE

"Public education is one of the most accessible tools for social mobility, better life outcomes for our children and nation. We must work to enable that democratic path, bringing in voices of parents and families to transform the education system."

Anusha Bharadwaj is the founder of Voice4Girls.  Anusha has been a development sector professional since 2002 and her core expertise is in child education and health, adolescent health, gender, public health and rural development. She holds an MBA in Rural Management from Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA) and an MA in Sociology from Annamalai University.  In her spare time, Anusha is a documentary photographer and she believes that this lends a unique perspective into the communities she serves.

Anusha believes that marginalized adolescent girls in India must be enabled to take charge of their future and work towards breaking harmful cycles of economic, social, and gender inequality in their communities. Anusha understood that it is not enough to work with girls in isolation but working with adolescent boys as well and educating them will scale the impact and help build gender-equality society.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

●  You give girl a voice, she begins to change her world

●  It is important to involve adolescent boys in the process to scale the impact

●  Working with public systems has been time consuming but also has been the most rewarding

●  The world is broken enough and the only people who can fix it are the children

●  These adolescent girls have inspired many other young women

Subscribe To Everyone A Changemaker

●  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2WXoA5uYcYUtiu0KO8AQm6

●  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ashoka

●  Website: https://www.ashoka.org/en-in

QUOTE: “Adolescent girls and boys are the future of our society who can build and inspire other young women and men to take charge of their future and work towards breaking harmful cycles of economic, social, and gender inequality of their communities.”

Biplab Paul is the founder of Naireeta Services. Born in 1970 in the small town of Chinsurah in West Bengal, Biplab went to a local school where he engaged in Indian Scouts and Guides. He fondly remembers his scouts training as teaching him to be empathetic to the needs of others. Biplab completed his master’s degree in economics from Jadavpur University of Kolkata (1994) before taking a course on environmental education at the Center for Environment Education, Ahmedabad.

Biplab’s time of over a year exposed him to the problems of the rural poor in an arid region of Gujarat. This changed his perspective and he began to understand the importance of using technology to improve the lives of those in underserved communities. The painful experience of cycle of farmers struggle to make their livelihoods convinced him that water was the basic need for people to lead better lives. Biplab then started working toward an innovative solution that could eventually reduce gender violence, maternity mortality, child mortality, and social conflict, besides known problems such as crop failure and poverty.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

●  My mother supported me and taught me to work for the good of others

●  Bhungroo allowed the farmers to grow crops all year round

●  Grant cannot sustain you for long. 1:5 Model is a successful financial model

●  Being in the shoe of the farmers and empathize with their struggles is powerful

●  When you are able to make community part of the solution, you are successful

Subscribe To Everyone A Changemaker

●  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2WXoA5uYcYUtiu0KO8AQm6

●  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ashoka

●  Website: https://www.ashoka.org/en-in

QUOTE: “Working with communities of farmers who have been hit by endless cycle of natural disasters, one needs to be in their shoes and have empathy and then work to change their course of livelihood.”

Ashok Kamath is the founder of Akshara Foundation. Immediately after obtaining his M.Sc. from IIT Bombay, Mr. Ashok Kamath joined Analog Devices Inc., a Boston-based manufacturer of integrated circuits. Later he set up the Analog Devices India, and retired as its Managing Director in March 2004. He opted to leave behind a successful career in the corporate sector and involve himself in the development sector.

Ashok believes that children should not be deprived of quality education just because they do not have access to it or the resources to realize their dreams. He believe that the use of technology and shared digital infrastructure has become more relevant now than ever and that it is important to leverage their combined power to impart education to all children. He believes that quality education can bring a change to their lives as it did to him and eventually impact the nation as a whole.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

●  Quality education made a difference in my life

●  Unless you bring in the community into the system in a big way, it's not going to work.

●  Having access to the teacher and to technology at the same, the child is put in a more equitable space

●  Scalability, sustainability, and replicability is needed to really penetrate the system.

●  Advice to upcoming social entrepreneur: integrity

Subscribe To Everyone A Changemaker

●  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2WXoA5uYcYUtiu0KO8AQm6

●  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ashoka

●  Website: https://www.ashoka.org/en-in

QUOTE: “Good education made a difference in life. So, we need to work together to make good education available to all the children in our country. So that they can make a difference in the future for our country.”

Merlia Shaukath is the founder of Madhi Foundation. Merlia is an alumna of Stella Maris College, London School of Economics and Political Science, and the University of Oxford. She comes with an experience of nearly 10 years in the development sector with leadership roles in organisations like Teach For India and Athena Infonomics.

She envisions a world where every child has a truly equal chance to achieve their potential. She believes that the foundational literacy and numeracy learning gaps among children must be eliminated over the next ten years, in order to avert a monumental crisis and societal breakdown, where schooling does not equate to learning, and education is significantly devalued. By working with the government of Tamil Nadu, Madhi Foundation is committed to ensure that every child achieves foundational learning.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

●  Access to quality early childhood education is the greatest leveler against social inequity

●  Government has a big role in scaling the impact in education sector

●  Empathize with the government and understand the ground reality

●  Working to change the education system is a long journey and requires patience

●  Build a team where they are aligned to the mission and vision of the foundation

Subscribe To Everyone A Changemaker

●  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2WXoA5uYcYUtiu0KO8AQm6

●  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ashoka

●  Website: https://www.ashoka.org/en-in

QUOTE: “The government is the only machinery that you can work with if you want to create scalable impact in education system, but one need a lot of learning, listening and empathising with what our teachers and children had to say”

TITLE: Developing High Quality Public Education Systems w/Madhukar Banuri

Madhukar Banuri is the founder of Leadership For Equity. Born to middle class parents in South India, Madhukar began his education being exposed to farming and studying in a government run school in his village for the first 7 years of his life. He has more than 11 years of experience in the education sector, and had previously worked with Pune City Connect and Teach For India. Madhukar has an engineering degree from BITS Pilani.

He envisions an India where there is equality in access to excellent education to each and every child irrespective of their birth; where teachers are invested in the learning of their students; where education officers are deeply committed and empowered to support schools; and where the government leaders empower systems with the sole intention to better academic outcomes that prepare students for students for future generations.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

●  People, Policy and Process bring about sustainable change in any ecosystem

●  Empowering the government systems to deliver quality education at scale

●  Advising and advocating with senior leadership on designing policies in the areas of teacher and officer development

●  Young talents to play a big role in the education sector

Subscribe To Everyone A Changemaker

●  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2WXoA5uYcYUtiu0KO8AQm6

●  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ashoka

●  Website: https://www.ashoka.org/en-in

QUOTE: “Public systems are, by definition, the gatekeepers to equity and that sensitive and effective public systems will ensure that all children receive an excellent education, which is their fundamental right.”

Arundhuti Gupta is the founder of Mentor Together. Arundhuti studied Bachelor of Commerce from Mount Carmel College, Bangalore and Master's in Finance, Manchester Business School. As a soon-to-be college graduate in 2007, she had several ideas about how she could make a difference in her city, but needed an initial push and a safe space to explore her abilities. Mentorship she accessed fortuitously helped her get started and discover how empowering working with young people was. At the start of a career in Finance then she chose to instead pay forward the mentorship she received, to ensure it wasn't left to chance, and Mentor Together was born in November 2009.

Mentoring young women from different social and economic backgrounds helps them to advance in their career and succeed in life. Mentoring relationships and mentoring networks can come in at crucial times in their life to really help them with a range of different types of support they need; emotional, career and life skills.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

• Mentoring ensured young women to have better equality of opportunity
• Changing existing societal norms
• Get out of your comfort zone
• Mentoring is relational
• Mentee becomes a mentor

Subscribe To Everyone A Changemaker

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2WXoA5uYcYUtiu0KO8AQm6
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ashoka
• Website: https://www.ashoka.org/en-in

QUOTE: “Right support and guidance can empower women to advance in their career, help the communities and encourage more young women to pursue their career.”

Vishwanath S is the founder of Biome Environmental Trust. He is a Civil Engineer from Mysore University and a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning from CEPT, Ahmedabad. He holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Urban Environmental Management from Rotterdam in the Netherlands. He has designed and implemented many water , wastewater , rainwater harvesting and ecological sanitation systems. He has also worked on policy teams for the writing of the State Water Policy, rainwater harvesting policy and bye-laws for Bengaluru city, wastewater reuse policy for the state of Karnataka and as an adviser for the National Wastewater Policy . His current interests include the integration of livelihoods aspects with rainwater harvesting, wastewater reuse and groundwater recharge.

Rainwater harvesting not only brought drinking water security but it also brought gender equity to women in rural areas and brought livelihoods to communities as a whole. Vishwanath empowered many others in the community to champion the vision to educate the public and practice rainwater harvesting.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

• Scarcity of water led to rainwater harvesting
• Rainwater harvesting is simple and easy
• Rural women livelihoods impacted
• Working with schools, industries, individual homes, communities and villages to practice rainwater harvesting
• You don’t do it alone, you empower others as you go to champion the vision

Subscribe To Everyone A Changemaker

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2WXoA5uYcYUtiu0KO8AQm6
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ashoka
• Website: https://www.ashoka.org/en-in

QUOTE: “Technology when put to good use can aid and enhance environment sustainability and bring livelihood to communities.”