Young minds bright ideas

The summit will comprise talks by youth icons, discussions on issues that concern them, storytelling by young changemakers, counseling clinics, comedy and music.

CHENNAI: City-based non-profit organisation Nalandaway Foundation, and the US Consulate in a collaborative effort will be curating The Youth Speak Summit, a platform to bring together young people with ideas, to discuss challenges, and a string of topics ranging from mental health, sexuality, and abuse to jobs. “The purpose of the event is to bring together young, passionate, socially minded and entrepreneurial 18 to 30-year-olds, and provide an avenue for them to learn and share about things that matter to them,” says Sriram, founder, Nalandaway.

Sriram
Sriram

The summit will comprise talks by youth icons, discussions on issues that concern them, storytelling by young changemakers, counseling clinics, comedy and music. “There will be a minimum of 10 counselors during the course of the event. So, the participants can book a one-on-one session with them,” he says, emphasising on the importance of mental health.

The line-up of speakers include Vishal Talreja, co-founder Dream a Dream, Ashoka fellow, Neelam Palrecha, founder of Peri Ferry, PA Ranjith, film director, Poorvaja Kumar, owner of Humans of Canines, Avis Viswanathan, the Happynesswala, Aditi Gupta, founder of menstrupedia, and Akkai Padmashali, transgender rights activists. “The goal is to make it a fun, non-threatening space for collaboration, networking and expression,” shares Sriram.

As part of the summit which will see some of the most inspiring minds in the country, Nalandaway Foundation, US Consulate, Chennai is also presenting a ‘Social Entrepreneurship Pitch Fest’ in partnership with Ashoka Youth Venture. “Today’s youngsters have really great ideas, and through this SE pitch they will have a chance to get it off the ground. This is the first edition of the summit and the hope is to make it an annual event,” explains Sriram.

(The Youth Summit 2018 will be held on December 1 and 2 at MMA Centre. To register for SE pitch, visit: youthspeak2018.org. Last date: November 15)

SE Pitch Fest

The competition is for people between the ages 18-30. Five best ideas will be selected, and winners will win a cash prize of `50,000 to build a prototype of their idea. “The potential changemakers will be mentored by Ashoka Youth Venture,” said Sriram. The focus of the ideas should be to create positive change in the community. Candidates must have a plan to implement a pilot within three months.

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