Sreeja V
@Wordsmith · 1:49
Can young minds be ignited for social activism? Vithika Yadav Managing Director Designathon Works and Head Love Matters / RNW India in conversation.
Vithika also cofounded Love Matters India, which is the first ever website in India to give complete, honest and unbiased information on sexual and reproductive health and rights. She also serves as the chair of the Global Advisory Board on Sexual Health and Well Being. Welcome, Vitika. You have championed so many causes involving human rights, human trafficking, gender rights, and sexual and reproductive health and rights. You have led teams across organizations
vithika yadav
@Vithika · 2:26
To also be able to be vulnerable in front of your team, even if you're a leader, is extremely important because at the end of the day, you're human and your intentions must be clear. For us to foster a culture of respect and trust and accountability, it is extremely important that I'm able to display the same right. For me to build that culture, it is very important that the starting point is also with me and perhaps that's what I bring to the table
Sreeja V
@Wordsmith · 0:41
My second question is you did something phenomenal by deciding to focus on sexual and reproductive health and rights through Love Matters, and I wanted to know what paved the way for this journey
vithika yadav
@Vithika · 4:51
And that really also prompted the research around young people. And why is it so difficult, why is it such a challenge to connect with young people and to ask them what are their sexual health and well being needs? Everybody was talking about teenage pregnancies and unsafe sex and STDs and STIs. And the solution was really from the approach that of course, young people must not do any of these things, but nobody was really asking young people the questions that they had, right?
Sreeja V
@Wordsmith · 0:13
Coming to designathon children as change makers is the vision mission that the organization is working on. What has inspired this philosophy and how are you executing it?
vithika yadav
@Vithika · 2:35
And so what they end up doing is children learn 21st century skills to collaboratively work together and develop solutions, to also be introduced to new technologies and then to take action. And through this methodology, children get a platform where they can see that how they can get engaged in issues, why is it so important to engage with issues and how can they contribute?
Hi, Vitika. I really appreciate the perspectives that you have shared in this excellent conversation, and I just chimed in to ask you a question. So how, in your opinion, can young minds be ignited and drawn towards social impact initiatives? And how can we bring about more sensitivity to such causes?
vithika yadav
@Vithika · 5:00
You. Hi Ramia, thank you for your question. I think one important thing that you've actually already mentioned is that we need to work with young minds, right? We need to work with children, we need to work with young people in context of social impact initiatives and why is that important is because the world that we aspire to have is not going to be possible if you do not work with children