Day 2- Youth Innovation Challenge Kick-Off, 2018

The second day of the campus was the kick-off for the Youth Design Innovation Challenge, a social incubator designed to engage youth of Mumbai to work on hyper-local, community based solutions through a 5-month programme. We had around 100 participants from various backgrounds excited and eager to participate in the sessions of the day.

The day began with a welcome address by Mr. James Fennell, Cultural Affairs Officer at U.S. Consulate General, Mumbai. He spoke about the current scenario of urban planning and development. He enumerated the different gender biases and how we all need to play our part to overcome them.

The opening address was followed by the launch of the Safecity Global Digital GBV Toolkit. A collaborative effort between United Nations Alliance of Civilizations’ Intercultural Innovation Award Alumni, On Our Radar based in UK and Safecity resulted in a digital GBV toolkit. The aim is that women and girls, men and boys understand the nuances of gender based violence, familiarise them with international legislation and equip them with resources they can use.

The day consisted of 9 organisations showcasing their innovations to the participants. This was done with the aim of helping the youth understand the importance of defining a problem, knowing the target audience and then creating a solution. You can have a look at the Agenda here.

The first Design Session was conducted by Mr. Amit Kundal, a facilitator from ISDI with the aim of Defining the Problem. Innovations from PVR Nest, Be Happy and RECPnet were showcased. It was a fun, interactive session where the participants had to work individually and in groups in order to realise the effectiveness of teamwork.

A group of youth from the organisation MAVA– Men Against Violence and Abuse put up a play about harassment in public spaces and how we can stand up together against it. They performed a play on the social evils against women and the importance of raising our voices against these.

The second Design Session conducted by Mr. Amit Kundal focused on Knowing your Audience showcasing innovations from Praja, Runa Ray Sustainable Fashion and Point of View. The participants were divided into groups and each group was given stationery supplies. They were asked to choose one of three disabilities, viz. blindness, no arms or no legs, and design a dustbin for people with that disability. This activity was divided into three parts, i.e. finding the problems faced by such people, ideas for modifications in the dustbin to overcome these problems and building a prototype of one of these ideas. The participants at first, although quiet and thoughtful, later enthusiastically participated to build creative models for each dustbin designed for a person with a disability.

The third Design Session focused on Creating a Solution showcasing innovations from Urban Leaves, Litmus Test Project and Suzlon Foundation. The participants were left in awe with how small ideas can revolutionize the lives of so many people.

Have a look at pictures from the event here