Change Looms Awardees Change Looms has received approximately sixty applications from across India each year since its launch.  Below are the young changemakers who have been recognized each year. 

SBIPACSA – The school based initiative for the prevention and awareness of child sexual abuse, is the initiative of 3 young people from Chennai - Vipin, Nancy and Alankar. The objective of organization is to empower children towards protecting themselves against sexual abuse, through “Personal Safety Education” and capacity building of adult stake holders. From August 2004 they have taken Personal Safety Education to over 1000 students in 10 schools and 250 teachers and parents. They have also facilitated the formation of SACSA (Schools against Child Sexual Abuse) in Chennai, which is a forum of school representatives to take a proactive stand on the issue. Recognizing the role of schools in Child Protection, they put forth an idea of a talk by a Principal who had initiated a child protection policy in his school to educators and school managements. They then facilitated the same under the aegis of Tulir-CPHCSA and in collaboration with the US Consulate. They have published a ready reckoner/pamphlet titled Schools & Child Sexual Abuse: Roles, Responsibilities & Response.  

Jivan Dan - is the initiative of 7 young people from Assam, led by the anchor person Gerald Minj. The lands of the advasis are mortgaged with the rich money lenders. As is the rule the adivasis sink deeper into debt leading to the money lenders ultimately gaining control of the land. This worsens the socio-economic conditions of the adivasis leaving them more vulnerable to exploitation. Jivan Dan seeks to liberate the land of the adivasis from the rich money lenders and give it back to the original owners- the adivasis for cultivation; to instill a sense of ownership and pride in the adivasis with regard to their land.

Pukaar is an initiative of two young men Rajesh Yadav and Sameer Sheikh who grew up on the streets of Bombay. Their own life experiences have been the motivation for setting up Pukaar – a project that provides a platform where youth living on the streets can come together and work for themselves. Here young people can direct and manage their own programs and support each other towards development.

Pukaar is committed to the protection and development of young boys, girls and children on the streets. The core purpose is to encourage street children and youth to achieve better well-being, relationships, livelihood and shelter. We aim to do this by creating opportunities for them to define their aspirations and access the resources required for its fulfilment.  

Change Looms  Awardees – 2006

Alternative Realities was started by Abhishek Bharadwaj to empower Mumbai’s homeless citizens towards leading a dignified life. Working with the help of active and passionate volunteers, Alternative Realities works issues of identity, health, livelihood and shelter. The volunteers sensitize the general public on homelessness through street plays, and also organize studies, survey and research on homelessness and related issues. Awareness programs on human rights are used as a measure to empower the homeless citizens. Abhishek negotiates with organizations and institutions to use their existing infrastructure as night shelters and arranges access to medical facilities for the homeless. Alternative Realities is planning to help people in applying for ration cards and voter ID’s, and also aims to start seminars and lecture series with officials, academicians and other stake holders on the issue of homelessness. Alternative Realities is based in Mumbai.

Chamna Thuptep in Thadou dialect means ‘promises of peace’ or ‘commandments of peace’. Having grown up with conflict in Manipur, Rebecca Haokip started forming ‘peace cells’ in the localities and villages of her district to help and strengthen participation of the community in non-violent conflict resolution. Confident that youth can lead the way to peace, Rebecca mobilizes youth in villages into ‘peace cells’, and trains them to organize peace workshops in their communities. The peace workshops provide a space for communities to freely discuss issues, relax, meet and interact with the other tribe/clan, suggesting and planning together for peace. Encouraged by the positive response, Rebecca wants to train more young peace workers to open new peace cells, and is also planning to arrange social analysis workshops for community leaders and summer programs on peace for children. Chamna Thuptep is based in Manipur. 

SAHER (Society for Awareness, Harmony and Equal Rights) is a Community Based Organization (CBO) started by Rama Syam and Masood Akthar. After the riots in 1993, Masood started a theatre group to channel the energies of youth towards positive action and social responsibility. Later, Rama introduced the idea that the best way to address the issue of communal differences would be to make people recognize their basic, common needs and to focus on education of women. Braving political pressure, Saher has organized activities and collaborated with others to opportunities for the local community to address their social, educational and economic needs. They have worked extensively with the Municipal Ward Office, the local Corporator and the MLA of the area on civic issues. Among Saher’s many initiatives are street plays, Interschool Sports meets, police-public interactions, inter-communal workshops in sensitive communities, information meets on the Slum Rehabilitation Scheme. In the coming years SAHER wants to establish a Community Facilitation Center to house activities ranging from livelihood programs for women, adult education programs, civil rights workshops, health camps, career counseling and guidance for school-going children and drop-outs, and police-public interactions. The center will also house a library and a Labour Resource Bank, in which a database of the skill-sets of local youth will be advertised for possible job requirements. Saher is based in Mumbai.    

Save Satpuda was set up by 3 young environmentalists, the Save Satpuda project aims to address the issue of conservation while ensuring that tribal land rights are protected. They are working in the Satpuda landscape which is the largest contiguous Tiger habitat in the world and also the source of more than 100 rivers originating from central India. The Satpuda mountain range is crucial for the tigers continued survival into and beyond the 21st century. The famous tiger reserves of Melghat and Pench in Maharashtra and Pench, Satpura and Kanha in Madhya Pradesh all lie within the Satpudas. These young people believe that people and wildlife have to co-exist. They are working to ensure that the protection of the forests do not alienate the tribals who depend on the forest for their survival as much as the wildlife in this area. And to this end their initiative is to protect this landscape by establishing and replicating three models of landscape conservation i.e. education, conservation and research. 

Dhriiti – The courage within - has been set up by 11 young people, with a core team of about 5, most of whom are from a management background. Dhriiti seeks to address the problem of unemployment, disguised unemployment and underemployment. They believe that these cannot be resolved by creating more jobs in the government and the high investment public/ private sector. What is needed is an attitude that supports the spirit of enterprise and an environment that promotes small and medium term enterprises.Dhriiti’s primary objective is to promote entrepreneurship and micro enterprises through a creative and professional approach of training, mentoring, guiding individual initiatives, and stimulating a culture of enterprise to create a chain of sustainable, efficient & competitive micro enterprises that lead to a better condition of life and living.    

Affiliates – 2006  

Chitrika Ponduru Weaver Cluster Development was initiated by Vijaya Switha Grandhi, a development professional and a social entrepreneur working to improve the livelihood of artisans of a handloom-weaving cluster in Ponduru, Andra Pradesh. While the people marketing the weaver’s products are becoming richer, the weavers are resorting to suicides due to mounting debts. The inequities and issues of trader control over the artisan value-chain has inspired her to experiment with new institutional forms were the control over the markets is in the hands of the artisans. Through a support organization, Chitrika, she aspires to train youth leaders to work as community marketing professionals and build systems for the artisans to manage and run their livelihoods. She plans to collaborate with the government to scale up the efforts to help artisans learn a living from their traditional craft. Chitrika is based in Ponduru, Andra Pradesh.  

Jai-Jui is an initiative started by Praniti Shinde to bridge the urban-rural divide and promote socio-economic development in Solapur, Maharashtra. Committed to rural development, Praniti and her team are working to create employment opportunities for youth, economic independence for women, better education facilities, awareness amongst farmers on innovative agrarian schemes, and training for Panchayat members on new government schemes. Jai-Jui has formed six self-help groups of women from slum communities to provide training to women on manufacturing of various products, organized campaigns on environmental awareness, and arranged health camps in rural Solapur. Praniti has been successful in implementing innovative fundraising schemes for her projects. In the future Jai-Jui plans to set up a village BPO where rural youth will be trained to digitalize public documents. Jai-Jui is based in Solapur, Maharashtra.  

Steps for Change is a group initiative represented by Pawan Sharma and Anand Mishra. Tackling the problem of unawareness and social apathy towards social issues, Steps for Change uses theatre as a medium to mobilize the general public and promote volunteerism. Through the medium of mime, puppetry, street- and stage plays, issues concerning the common man such as water, education, waste management, and domestic violence, are brought forth. Steps for Change do not only concentrate on the past and the present of a problem, but also on future implications of inaction, so that everyone is aware of what lies ahead if they do not awaken. The organization has performed more than 1000 street plays for different NGOs on issues like AIDS, peace and communal harmony, blood donation, education, disability, and female foeticide. They have also started an initiative called “Khoj” to provide education to marginalized and working children.. Steps for Change is based in Delhi. 

Youth Parliament (YP), an organization created and run by young people, represented by Ishita Chaudhary and Vidyun, was founded by Ishita to instill a sense of commitment, responsibility and connection between young people and their environment and society. YP serves as a non-judgmental platform for young people’s ideas, opinions, voice and vote, and giving them a medium to analyze, discuss and create. The a vision is serve as a resource base that reaches out to young people, allowing them to conceptualize, develop and execute their own initiatives on issues they are passionate about. Over the past 4 years the organization has developed numerous projects in partnership with schools and other organizations on a variety of issues, including education, corruption, disaster relief and rehabilitation, India’s political and legal system, right to information, media, and HIV/AIDS.. Youth Parliament is based in Delhi.