About Us

Our vision is to co-create a sustainable national ecosystem that nurtures empowering spaces with and for young people, through joint programming and partnerships, capacity building of people and organizations; and engaging with multiple stakeholders in the adolescent and youth space- focusing on youth development and youth- centric development issues.

 

Pravah- The Beginning

In 1992, when the country experienced a strong wave of violence and polarization on communal lines, a group of young professionals in their twenties, led a small campaign in colonies and colleges to mobilize public opinion against the violence through creative mediums like theater, music, etc. This initiative later began to flow as Pravah.

We became a registered organization in 1993 and since then, our team has grown to include over 45 professionals with vast experience in diverse fields such as human resource development, theater, psychology and social sciences. We now work with more than 100 Indian civil society groups.

 

Philosophy

We endeavor to build future looking, wholesome adolescents and youth leaders through psycho-social interventions leading to economic, political and social inclusion. We believe that social change is effected through deep mind-set change of individuals and along with the empowerment of the socially excluded, it is imperative to hugely shift the attitudes of individuals in powerful decision-making positions in order to change the social structures that marginalize communities. We therefore work with young people from diverse backgrounds to build their agency and enable them to act, such that they become self-aware, deeply empathetic, understand systems and are socially responsible leaders.

 

Approach

5th Space:

Based on the insights gained over the past twenty five years, Pravah has developed a unique approach to youth development embodied in the concept of the 5th Space. We believe that as a society we have ‘legitimized’ four spaces for young people – that of family, friends, career / career-related education and leisure or recreation. There is on the margins – a 5th Space – a space where young people discover themselves by engaging in social action, a space where they engage in active citizenship, volunteering and much more. We argue that the 5th Space must be repositioned as a space that focuses as much on the self-transformation of youth as it does on transforming society through them. It is a space that builds on the aspects of understanding the self, developing meaningful relationships and impacting society – all of which are critical to youth development.

 

Life Cycle Approach:

We work across the lifecycle of a young person from middle school through till their young adult lives as they become active citizens and into adulthood when they turn into social entrepreneurs /intrapreneurs in whichever sector they choose.