Nysa Yadav, who is a part of Future Leaders program by 1M1B Foundation, is a student of Inventure Academy. She aims to address the mental health issues among senior citizens across India through her project ‘Inaayat’. In conversation with Higher Education Digest, Nyasa talks about Future leader Program by 1M1B, Project Inaayat, her career plans and much more.
What is Future leader Program by 1M1B? How did you get to know about the program and the reason for joining?
Future Leaders is a program by 1M1B Foundation (1 Million for 1 Billion) for finding and nurturing the world’s most promising youth leaders. Through a tested and intense selection process, these Future Leaders are given access to high impact leadership development coaching and opportunities.
Future Leaders are the youth in high school who have the potential to create meaningful influence on topics of relevance. The topics can be based on their own interests and passion; as well as current issues which affect people, society, and economy
Students undergo a classroom curriculum facilitated by 1M1B trainers helping them get skilled in Industrial Revolution 4.0 skills and work on real-world projects that create real on-ground impact; projects are identified by students based on their passion.
I got to know about this program in the 9th grade, and I was extremely keen to join such a program that seemed ideal for me. But due to academic constraints, I waited and joined this program in the 11th grade. Joining 1M1B and starting Project Inaayat under them has been one of the best decisions of high school, as it not only helped me work on something I am truly passionate about but also brought out many different sides of me that I didn’t even know existed. I would strongly recommend every young aspiring entrepreneur to join this Future Leaders program and take a step towards their entrepreneurial journey.
Where did the idea for ‘inaayat ‘ come from and how did you start?
Growing up, I have been extremely close to my grandparents but moving cities and the pandemic has caused our relationship to grow apart. Since my grandparents live so far away from me, I realised the impact this pandemic has on their health. As I talked to elders living in my community, I learnt that it is a common issue faced by most of them. They feel locked up and isolated from friends and family. During these times, the elders are often overlooked in our society and not given as much attention and so they feel lost in this foreign virtual world.
To help combat this issue I started Project Inaayat. Inaayat is a word with many deep and beautiful meanings. But the reason why I chose to name this initiative Project Inaayat is because of it means ”blessings” and I correlated this with the elderly as they are blessings in disguise in our lives!
Who is your target audiences and how do you reach them?
Our target audience is elders above the age of 60 from all over India and over 3,000 elderly have been engaged through this initiative till now. We have participants joining us from Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, and Delhi too! We reach our target audience through various old age homes that we have partnered with from all over India, these homes, help us spread the word about this cause and allow interested individuals to participate. We have also grown immensely through word of mouth. A lot of good feedback has been passed on to many friend groups and so and so forth.
How do you aim to expand it across the world?
I hope to expand this initiative across the world by working with international old age homes and incorporating them into this initiative as well. This is because this is a global issue and the same hardships faced by elders in India is also being faced by elders all over the world.
What kind of activities you do engage with elderly people?
We conduct activities ranging from antakshari, ludo, bingo to even singing challenges, talent shows and many more. Along with these, we have sessions that improve their overall wellbeing such as early morning yoga and meditation every few weeks which starts off their day and week on a positive note. Along with this, we have many brain-stimulating activities like quizzes, ice breaker challenges and more.
What is the role of 1M1B in your project?
My mentors at 1M1B Foundation have been the backbone for this initiative, by constantly mentoring me and pushing me to explore new fields they have been extremely motivational and helpful. Manav sir’s guidance and faith in this initiative has helped me stay on the right path. 1M1B has also given me numerous opportunities to present my work on an international platform such as the International Youth Conference 2021 which is conducted by the United Nations.
I have also been selected to present my work at 1M1B’s Activate Impact summit to be held at United Nations in New York in December of 2021.
I am forever grateful for my mentors’ support and guidance!
What are your career plans and plans for this project in the future?
In college, I hope to double major in Business and Psychology, they are the two subjects that not only interest me but also play to my inherent strengths. Project Inaayat is here to stay for long run, and I am establishing a managing team and partners that can take over if I am unavailable or engaged in other activities at any time in the future. I aim to improve the number of people impacted by not only growing it nationally but also internationally. And hope to increase its ventures by introducing applications and more.