With the aim to support government agencies and education institutions by building a life skills platform that can aid in the transformation of India’s learning ecosystem, 18 organisations have come together to announce the launch of the Life Skills Collaborative (LSC). In the first phase, the LSC will work in tandem with state governments across Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra and Mizoram to bring contextual, social and cultural inputs to the development of life skills among the young people of India.
Speaking about the launch, Vishal Talreja, an LSC Collaborator and Co-Founder of Dream A Dream, said, “One in three children in India live in extreme poverty and have stunted and/or wasted growth. Children from vulnerable backgrounds are exposed to a combination of adverse experiences causing an irrefutable impact on their physical and mental health. Empathy-based transformative pedagogy, experiential learning, and mentoring can help young people immensely.”
Rathish Balakrishnan, an LSC Collaborator and Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Sattva Consulting, said “Young people often struggle to access education and employment opportunities, limiting their engagement in society and stunting their potential to live a full life. Equipping them with life skills can change this immensely. While there is a lot of interest in life skills, there is a lack of a common vocabulary and effective assessments, which limits its potential. By building credible and system-ready public goods, the Life Skills Collaborative can accelerate the effective adoption of life skills across the ecosystem.”
Geeta Goel, an LSC Collaborator and Country Director, Michael and Susan Dell
Foundation (MSDF, India), added, “The Life Skills Collaborative is an innovative attempt to solve a wicked problem – the development of life skills among the young people of India. To achieve this goal, it is essential to support organizations, institutions and government agencies in building a more inclusive learning environment suited towards promoting life skills.”