Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC)

📣📣Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity, apply now: https://lnkd.in/dwTih4Vu #ApplyNow #SustainableMobility

Cheers to a month of creativity, camaraderie, and change! 🎨 As we bid farewell to the YLAC Artivist Fellowship, let’s celebrate the journey we’ve shared. 🎉 Congratulations to all our talented fellows from across India, now officially Artivist graduates! 🎓 Their dedication to the fellowship themes—Gender Justice, Climate Justice , and Disability Rights —has left a lasting impact. In just 6 weeks, they transformed themes into stunning art , dreams into campaigns , and passion into purpose. From reflective writings to moving music and powerful canvases, their creative expressions have made a real difference. Your creativity and commitment have inspired us all. Here’s to the art, the activism, and the incredible memories we’ll treasure forever! 🎉Our galleries and hearts are filled to the brim. Shipra Baduni | Shubhra Jha | Ishita Bagchi | Teesta Shukla | Priyank Badola | Gunjan Periwal | Vedriti Yadav | Jaanvi Saraf | Ananya Kakar | Akshita Maan | Anvita Parmar | Shivangi Tyagi |

📰 A Defining Moment in History: 26th November 1949 📰 On this historic day, 75 years ago, India adopted its Constitution—forever transforming the landscape of democracy, justice, and equality. As our founding leaders called upon the nation to protect its hard-won independence, they laid the groundwork for a future built on the core principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity. Today, as we celebrate this milestone, let's reflect on their vision and renew our commitment to upholding these values in every facet of our society. Together, we can ensure that the spirit of the Constitution continues to guide us into the future. 💛🇮🇳 #75YearsOfConstitution #ConstitutionDay #DemocracyEndures #JusticeLibertyEquality #ActiveCitizenship

The Quantum Hub (TQH) and Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC) teams gathered yesterday for our bimonthly all-team check-in. We kicked things off with a quiz that covered everything from scientific inventions to Koffee with Karan one-liners. With team members scattered across hybrid and remote setups, these in-person meetings are always a refreshing break (and a reminder of who really knows their Bollywood trivia). We were also privileged to host Bertrand de LA CHAPELLE, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Internet & Jurisdiction Policy Network, for a thought-provoking discussion on transnational cooperation on issues such as data privacy, content regulation, and domain management. His emphasis on the importance of nuance in regulatory conversations, the need for frameworks and data privacy agreements to be user-friendly, and the challenge of preserving the joy of innovation while mitigating real-world risks resonated deeply. His insights into multi-stakeholder governance processes and fostering dialogue among civil society, the private sector, and governments were especially valuable for our teams working on both tech policy and digital empowerment programs for young people in non-urban areas. Thank you, Bertrand, for your time!

The YLAC team is all over today’s opinion pages discussing two important issues! 🗞️ In their op-ed in The Economic Times, Arushi Chopra and Venika Menon talk about the persistent issue of urban voter apathy witnessed again in the recent state elections. Cities like Mumbai lagged behind the state average in Maharashtra. The authors explore the causes of this disengagement and propose solutions to reignite urban voter participation, such as setting up mock polling booths in schools and leveraging tech for streamlined voter registration. Meanwhile, Himani Chouhan and Ishita Bagchi in Mint today highlight the less explored dimensions of India’s gender digital divide. The piece underscores the critical role of digital access in enhancing women’s economic participation. Informed by their visits to rural districts in Rajasthan and Uttarakhand for the YLAC Digital Champions Program, they emphasize that access to the digital economy goes beyond device ownership and that we also need to address social norms around the usage of technology. Read the full articles through the 🔗 link in the comments! Janaagraha | Praja Foundation | Digital Empowerment Foundation | Donald Lobo | Veddis Foundation | Osama Manzar | Shilpa Kumar | Pavan Bhat Kundapura |

🚨 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗔𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀! 🚨 We’ve got great news for all those who shared their interest in the program but faced challenges in forming a team. ✨ 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙨𝙠𝙚𝙙, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙! ✨ 𝗕𝘆 𝗽𝗼𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱—𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗱𝘂𝗮𝗹! 🎉 To help you better understand the program, we’re hosting an Information Session on 24th November, from 11 AM to 12 PM. This is a great chance to dive deeper into the issue of mobility and get all your questions answered. 👉 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://lnkd.in/g4XVNRM3 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀, 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁: https://lnkd.in/gUjyp4He Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to champion mobility solutions in the Delhi NCR region! 🌟 Shipra Baduni | Priyank Badola | Aakriti P. | Urvashi Dinkar | Raahgiri Foundation | Nipman Foundation | OMI Foundation | The Association of People with Disability (APD, India) | Delhi Greens | Lung Care Foundation | Indian Institute of Technology Delhi | Ashoka University | Delhi University | Youth Ki Awaaz | Young India Fellowship at Ashoka University | Young India Foundation | Girl Up India | Enactus India | O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) | School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi | Lady Shri Ram College For Women | Maitreyi Degree College for Women | M.Sc. (Economics), TERI School of Advanced Studies, New Delhi | Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) | ComMutiny - The Youth Collective | Pravar Chaudhary | Pravaah | Centre for Sustainable Energy | Centre for Social Mobilization and Sustainable Development (CENSODEV) | Shiv Nadar University | Amity University | Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University | Dr. B. R. Ambedkar University Delhi (AUD)| Jawaharlal Nehru University | Jamia Millia Islamia | Delhi Technological University (DTU) |

📣 In today’s Alumni Spotlight, meet Aditi Sowmyanarayan, a YLAC Artivist Fellow who’s using her voice through art and writing to advocate for inclusion and awareness around autism! Reflecting on her experience in the YLAC Artivist Fellowship, Aditi shares, “The fellowship helped me learn strategies to give more structure and create a greater impact in my advocacy work.” As a non-speaking autistic writer, Aditi found that working with neurotypical peers opened doors to genuine inclusion. “Here I was, a full-blown autistic who uses text to communicate, and we decided to run a campaign to promote social inclusion of autistics among teens!” “I was already doing advocacy work when I joined the Artivist Fellowship, but it helped me create more structure and impact in my work," Aditi shares. For Aditi, storytelling has become a powerful vehicle for change, something she’s carried forward into her work. She believes, "A well-written story, combined with visual elements, can engage others, help them form perspectives, and spark empathy without sounding preachy.” Her latest novel, Thus She Rose, embodies these principles, exploring “the victory of the human spirit” through Zooni’s journey. Aditi describes it as a story about ambition, greed, and complex relationships. Through her advocacy blogs, Aditi invites readers to step into the world of invisible disabilities. Thus She Rose was launched at the India Inclusion Summit last week—a launch to remember! 🎉 A big shoutout to Bookosmia- India's No.1 publisher 'for kids, by kids' for believing in Aditi’s most ambitious tale. Aditi’s journey is a testament to the power of art in advocacy. She continues to raise awareness and inspire others to embrace inclusion meaningfully. 🌟 #AutismAwareness #StorytellingForChange #CreativeAdvocacy

With just one day to go before Maharashtra heads to the polls 🗳️, we are grateful for the time and attention various political leaders have given to our Maharashtra Urban Mobility Charter. We have made in-person representations to Shri Shiv Prakash (National Joint General Secretary, Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP)), Shri Anil Desai (Shiv Sena UBT), and Shri Anil Deshmukh (Indian Nationalist Congress Party - SharadChandra Pawar). Additionally, we have reached out to the Indian National Congress, ShivSena under Eknath Shinde, and the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction). Together with our partners, Parisar and Waatavaran, under the Sustainable Mobility Network, we have actively engaged with various manifesto committees, advocating for the inclusion of our demands in their election manifestos. Our team has also engaged with the media to build public awareness about mobility challenges. Ananya Sharma from Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC) and Shweta Vernekar from Parisar wrote for the Hindustan Times on how an effective bus system is essential for promoting social and economic inclusion. Ranjit Gadgil from Parisar also highlighted the demands outlined in the charter within the context of Maharashtra's current mobility landscape for Citizen Matters. Regardless of which party wins, we hope that the ultimate victory belongs to public transport.🚍. Join over 1,500 supporters who have endorsed our charter and are campaigning for better streets 🚶♂️, better livelihoods 💼, and better transport 🚆 in Maharashtra! 🔗 Link to endorse our charter and read our op-eds in comments. #MajhiMobility #MaharashtraElections2024 BHAGWAN K. | Aparajita Bharti | Shweta Vernekar | Priyanka Kumble | Mohsinkhan Pathan | Jayashankar Vengathattil | Nidhi Punetha | Ananya Sharma | Siddharth Sreenivas | Suhas Joshi | Virat Singh | Rhea Karan | Malvika M | Civis | Jhatkaa.org | Centre for Sustainable Development | Centre for Environment Education | RNisarg Foundation | Clean Energy Access Network | Sarg Design Studio| Fridays for Future India| SAVE PUNE TRAFFIC MOVEMENT | Urban Research Foundation

Postcard from Delhi: Hertie School Connects with the Heart of Indian Policy Making! Last month, our Managing Director Dr. Axel Baisch MBA engaged with Delhi's vibrant academic community, building educational ties and policy discussions. Dr. Baisch conducted a series of lectures on "Cultural Diplomacy and Higher Education" across prestigious Delhi University colleges, including Hindu College, University of Delhi, Janki Devi Memorial College, Lady Shri Ram College For Women, and Jesus and Mary College (JMC), Delhi. These sessions explored the rich historical educational ties between India and Germany, highlighting opportunities for Indian students in German higher education. At the second edition of Hertie Sustainable Dialogue, hosted in collaboration with Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC), Dr. Baisch delivered a keynote address sharing insights from the Centre for Sustainability - Hertie School. He discussed the ongoing climate mitigation projects and collaborative initiatives between India and Germany, emphasizing the potential for future partnerships. During our visit to the School of Public Policy, IIT Delhi we explored potential research partnerships in climate policy, adaptation, and healthcare. We look forward to collaborating with this premier institution on these critical areas. Under the shadow of the iconic Qutab Minar, we wrapped up an engaging coffee chat with young policy enthusiasts from Delhi. The conversation flowed from the evolving landscape of global public policy to career opportunities for policy professionals, enriched by Dr. Baisch's six years of experience engaging with India. We look forward to strengthening these connections in Delhi's dynamic policy landscape. Hertie School Benjamin Steffen Nitij Singh DAAD India German Embassy New Delhi VL Narasimham Rajana

Seeking more accessible public transport? 🚏 Fed up with safety issues while travelling? 🚧 Want to engage with advocacy actively? 🙋 🚀 If yes, the Mobility Champions Student Ambassadors Programme is perfect for you! Join us for a Q&A session with Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC)'s Priyank Badola, Aakriti P., and Urvashi Dinkar! Whether you're already interested in the program or unsure how to get involved, come and ask your questions. Let’s discuss ways to move our cities forward and address the pressing mobility issues shaping our urban spaces. 📅 Date: 24 November 2024 ⏰ Time: 11 AM to 12 PM 📍 Register now: https://lnkd.in/gw6DFAmb