Young ideas for a better world
Some youngsters in Bengaluru have taken it upon themselves to do their bit for society. Their task is tall but they are learning, unlearning, and figuring out things along the way to build a better world for tomorrow. Open Sesame spoke to three school-goers who are running social initiatives.
Walk, talk and stay fit
Class 10 student Agastya Palangala started ‘Healthy You(th)’ in 2020 to promote good eating, sleeping, and exercising habits. He conducts nature walks, treks, awareness drives, talks and workshops in government schools across Bengaluru. He also posts blogs on health and lifestyle on his LinkedIn page.
Ask what prompted Agastya to start this initiative and he says, “Constant consumption of junk food, messed-up sleep patterns and a lack of physical activity — I realised these habits were common among my peers. They became even more common during the pandemic. I wanted to spread awareness about how unhealthy these habits are.”
He has interacted with around 750 people during field programmes, and his online campaigns have garnered over 10,000 views. “While social media has its cons, it can be used for good too. You can reach people globally and impact more lives with ease,” he points out. Agastya has been selected to showcase his work at the 1M1B summit at the United Nations in New York.
Footwear for all
Class 10 student Sia Godika has distributed 24,000 pairs of shoes to the needy since she started ‘Sole Warriors’ in 2019. She collects used footwear through collection drives, gets them refurbished, and then delivers to NGOs who distribute it forward. The initiative accepts all kinds of footwear and it won her the Diana Award for social action and humanitarian efforts in 2021.
Sia says she was pained to see labourers in her locality, Koramangala, working and walking barefoot. “Even their children were roaming around without shoes,” she recalls the scenes from 2019 that inspired her to help the likes of them.
Sia currently has 30 core volunteers while others come in to conduct collection and distribution drives. Going forward, she wants to establish key volunteers in each city who can replicate the initiative.
“Thousands across the country don’t have shoes and suffer from foot diseases and allergies as a result of it, while there are others who throw away shoes that are in good condition. If one helps the other, no one will have to walk barefoot again,” she says.
Advocacy for the differently-abled
Mitravanda Vivek advocates for the rights of the differently-abled and the need for inclusion and diversity.
“It is hard for us to make our way through the broken footpaths and gutters on the streets. It made me wonder how much more hard it must be for people with disabilities. I realised it is the society that restricts (their mobility) and not their own disability,” the Class 9 student shares what prompted her to start ‘Handicapables’ in 2020.
Mitavanda uses a two-pronged strategy — awareness and advocacy.
So far, she has conducted sessions to create awareness on the importance of an inclusive society, she has taught Indian Sign Language (ISL) to people, and she has espoused to make public spaces in Bengaluru more disabled-friendly.
She currently works with a team of five, and her initiative is a part of the Future Leaders programme by 1M1B (One Million for One Billion) Foundation.
In the next two years, she wants to take her initiative far and wide, and even rope in Persons with Disabilities (PWDs). She would also like to see more youngsters take up a variety of social causes in the coming years. “Age doesn’t matter. If you have the passion, you should go for it,” Mirtavanda advises.
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