The idea of Empower-ed was born out of the realization that school students can drive social change. Every school abounds with stories of students displaying empathy, proactive initiative, and leadership to solve problems and grapple with issues far bigger than themselves. Empowering teachers to nurture change-makers and guiding their efforts is the most sustainable way of creating leaders. Empower-ed sees students as fundamental units of large-scale social change; empowering them with knowledge, experiences, skills, and the impetus to lead positive, sustainable social change.

Thought Project is a feminist organization offering training and consultation services to schools, universities, and organizations on issues of gender, sexuality, diversity, and inclusion. Our training methodology is rooted in intersectional pedagogies that unpack privilege and power and how they manifest in our interpersonal and professional spaces. We are strongly committed to facilitating participatory and interactive spaces using tools of applied theatre and arts-based methodologies. These tools are embodied and experiential; conducive to participants' deep self-reflection. We have engaged with over 5000 participants across diverse age groups and cultural identities in India.

Rubaroo simply means to come face to face with oneself; which includes the ethos of our identity. It is a space that nurtures the potential to challenge and break away from societal conditioning but gives one the freedom to choose consciously and question. At Rubaroo, young people are empowered to co-create a space to understand issues in society, nourish relationships, and become socially conscious leaders in their own capacity. Rubaroo’s vision is to create an inclusive and equitable world where individuals transcend boundaries through a genuine engagement with self and society.

Bewajah is a non-profit organization based in Lucknow that works with educational institutions to build agency in adolescents and youth so they can make self-empowering choices in their personal, social and academic spheres as informed and aware individuals; enhancing their subjective well-being. They work with young people with a background in theatre, arts, education, and the social sector who bring together their collective knowledge to create an environment where expression and communication can be used as a tool for emotional and cognitive development.

Had-Anhad started in 2013 with youth & adolescents from diverse schools, communities & colleges through campaigns, leadership workshops/journeys, exposure camps, and sessions. Volunteers engaged deeply with Had-Anhad have taken leadership roles by initiating campaigns and action projects on multiple social issues like exclusion, caste & gender-based discrimination, education, creating political awareness, etc. Engagement with the issues of marginalization provided insight into the direction that one needs to take in order to work effectively for the upliftment of marginalized communities. Had-Anhad was registered as a public charitable trust in 2016 to work primarily towards capacity building, leadership, and education of children from underprivileged sections.

People for Change is an 11 years old youth, women, and third gender rights centric organization proactively functioning in East and West Singhbhum districts of Jamshedpur, Jharkhand. Our work is extensively focused on school-going children and underprivileged children from underserved communities, transgender and LGBTQIA+ recognition, and rural community development. We work towards enriching children and youth through journeys and citizenship action projects. In Jharkhand, we engage in various projects with the government, UNICEF, TSRDS, Tata Motors, colleges, and schools to bring about a progressive change in society in the process.

Aawaaz is an independent organization with a simple aim: “Make quality academic and non-academic learning opportunities accessible to all.” Launched in 2015, The Aawaaz Foundation works with government and low-income private schools to increase access to quality learning opportunities. They have worked with governments of Rajasthan and Delhi, and schools  in marginalized communities like Sangam Vihar on projects like the SMS Learning Program and the Mentorship Project. Aawaaz Education Services (AES), their for-profit wing, has worked with 100+ top schools across India, supporting them with extra and co-curricular activities such as Public Speaking, Debating and Model United Nations. Their education interventions are designed in collaboration with experts from the University of Sussex, Teach for India, and the University of California, San Diego.