Diary of a Collective: Scribbles from the YLC Journey

Introduction

Every movement begins with small scribbles: notes on a page, questions in a room, laughter over chai. The Youth Leadership Collective (YLC) is one such set of scribbles that has grown into a living diary. It started as an experiment within the Shikshagraha movement, wondering what role youth could play in shaping government schools. Today it has evolved into a journey of partnerships, some breakthroughs, integrating technology for amplifying the work being done, and most importantly, young people leading change.

This diary doesn’t follow neat chapters. It is messy, alive, and honest.

 

Moments from the YLC journey so far

 

Here are some pages.

Entry 1: Beginnings in the Office

(Bangalore, April 2024)

It began in our office, with whiteboards covered in doodles, chai cups half-empty, and one deceptively simple question: Who exactly is youth? Was it an age – 18, 25, 29? Or was it energy, agency, responsibility, ownership?

I sat with my colleagues, scribbling on the board, pushing myself to define something that felt bigger than words. The debates stretched across afternoons, spilling into multiple concept notes and presentations. Slowly, clarity emerged.

Youth is not a number. Youth is the fire to act.

 

At the co-creation workshop

 

 

Entry 2: The Dream Circle

(Delhi & Online, Since April–June 2024)

The ecosystem gathered: ComMutiny, Pravah, Bharat Dekho, REAP Benefit, IPEI, PADI, and more. They didn’t all join at once, but across time, lending rhythm to the movement.

For me, it was surreal. Many of these founders were people whose LinkedIn pages I had once quietly admired. Suddenly, we were co-designing, co-writing, and co-dreaming. Together, we even iterated the name, from Youth for Shikshagraha, to Shikshagraha Youth Movement, and finally toward the bold vision of a youth-led Shikshagraha.

It was just a wall filled with sticky notes, provocations, and improbable what ifs. Someone asked, “What if every NSS student became a Jagrik?” – a Jagrik being a Jagruk Nagrik (or awakened citizen) who lives the Constitution in everyday life. Another wondered, “What if micro-improvements were celebrated like IPL runs?”

It was equal parts chaotic and creative.

 

 

 

Entry 3: Pages That Spoke

(Across the Collective, July 2024)

Then came the Coffee Table Book. We wanted to bring together stories of young leaders so their actions could be seen, shared, celebrated and remembered. It was our way of pausing to listen and letting their voices shape how we imagined the work ahead.

Collecting the stories was one part, but reading them together was another. I still remember our team sitting around, underlining passages, debating, and pausing in silence after some.

One page read:“We painted old benches blue, because blue felt like the sky—and suddenly the classroom looked bigger.” Another told of a youth who convinced parents to send their daughters back to school.

Meeting some of these youth leaders later only deepened the awe. They had already done so much, long before we entered the picture.

 

 

Entry 4: The Breakthrough in Puducherry

L – Meeting with Mrs. Priyadarshini, Director of Education, Puducherry. R – Interacting with NSS students in Puducherry.

 

Entry 5: Tech in Translation

(Bangalore & Online, Since July 2024)

As our collective expanded, a challenge emerged: how could we keep track of countless micro-improvements happening across schools? How could these efforts remain visible, trusted, and scalable? The answer lay with the use of technology.

But I found myself in an unfamiliar territory: with our tech team.

Suddenly, conversations weren’t about facilitation or field visits. They were about personas, backend, APIs, chatbot testing. At first, I struggled to keep up. But slowly, I realised this too was part of leadership.

For me personally, learning to navigate these conversations was stepping outside my comfort zone. Building a platform to amplify micro-improvements being undertaken by these young leaders for others to learn from, wasn’t just about tech, it was about building trust, generating visibility, and imagining for scale.

 

 

Entry 6: Building From Within

(Across geographies, Ongoing since mid-2024)

Not all of the work looked exciting from the outside. Much of it was about preparing the ground – designing orientations, setting up dashboards, thinking about recognition, and finding simple ways to keep everyone connected.

It was the kind of work that rarely drew attention, but it kept the collective moving forward. And through it all, I’ve been glad to find myself surrounded by a thoughtful team and mentors who made the journey lighter and richer.

Meanwhile, the team worked tirelessly.

Time and again, I saw how invisible this work could feel, but also how essential it was. Without these gears quietly turning, the larger machinery of the collective would stall.

 

 

Entry 7: Spotlight on Students

(Puducherry, November 2024)

In Puducherry, the showcases were a turning point. Many NSS students who took part had brothers and sisters still studying in government schools. During the orientations, we had spoken about the challenges children faced and asked: what could we do about them? The showcases were their answers.

Later, these students organised a mime performance on substance abuse, ran campaigns to improve attendance, and even put together a career fair mela. These were steps they designed and led on their own, going beyond the expected duties of NSS.

When the Secretaries of Youth Affairs and Education came to see the work, they celebrated the students’ efforts. And delightfully, encouraged them to keep going. The energy in the room that day was a reminder of what happens when young people are trusted to take the lead.

 

Winners of the best social media posts in Puducherry celebrating

 

 

Entry 8: A Story to Remember – Sasitha in Puducherry

(Puducherry, February 2025)

During a school visit, NSS leader Sasitha and her club of 16 members spent the day with children, playing, talking, and staging a role-play on substance abuse.

What began as a small awareness activity turned into something bigger. Some students confided where drugs were being sold near their school. The NSS team shared this with the NSS Coordinator, who then worked closely with the principal, police, and district officials. A raid followed, and the shop was shut down.

Again a lesson learned: when one engages with care and honesty, even small activities can ripple into systemic change.

 

L – Secretaries of Youth Affairs and Education hearing directly from students. R – Sasitha and her NSS team leading change.

 

 

Entry 9: The Roadblocks

(Across geographies, Since inception)

Exams came, then festivals, then holidays. Some weeks classrooms felt half-empty, and our trackers struggled to keep up. Students balanced their studies, NSS duties, and family responsibilities. Motivation dipped, and time slipped faster than our trackers could record.

It didn’t feel like failure – just a note on the rhythm of working with young people inside real schools.

 

 

Entry 10: Horizons Expanding

(Puducherry, Mysore & Mandya, Late 2024 – Ongoing)

From Puducherry to Mysore to Mandya, and more to come, the circle keeps widening. Each place brings new faces, new allies, new sparks.

What began as scribbles in a diary is now being written by countless hands – through WhatsApp groups and coffee-fueled meetings, through classrooms and government offices, through setbacks, celebrations, and first attempts. And I feel grateful to be holding the pen for some of its pages.

 

Youth in Bengaluru performing a street play on Shikshagraha

 

The diary is open. The pages are waiting. What story will you add?

 

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