Celebrating the 13 Changemakers of SST 7.0
On Day 5 of the School for Social Transformation 7.0 (SST 7.0), we pause to celebrate the incredible spirit, dedication, and imagination of our participants.
Each of the 13 changemakers earned their place in the program by completing a one-day community engagement project — stepping into their communities to act, listen, and learn.
Their projects were as diverse as the participants themselves, spanning education, environment, sports, civic engagement, livelihoods, and social justice. Yet, a common thread connects them all: the courage to take responsibility, even if only for one day, and the belief that small acts of change can grow into transformative movements. 🌱
The 13 Changemakers of SST 7.0
1. Habi Sherin
On 11 August 2025, Habi led a bird-watching walk for her colleagues at the Tropical Institute of Ecological Sciences (TIES), Kottayam. Seven participants, including staff, interns, and auditors, walked a 1 km trail, observing and identifying birds such as Oriental Magpie Robins, Racket-tailed Drongos, Loten’s Sunbirds, and Bee-eaters.
What began as a simple session became an exercise in collective curiosity — sparking appreciation for biodiversity and inspiring plans for weekly community bird walks.
2. Mruthyunjaya
Between 14–16 August 2025, Mruthyunjaya carried out an engagement with 11 street vendors in Karatagi, Karnataka. Through conversations with fruit sellers, tea vendors, and local entrepreneurs, he explored their daily challenges and resilience in the absence of formal structures.
He highlighted how vendors’ skills in patience, respect, and customer connection embody lessons of business sustainability often ignored in formal sectors. His reflections pointed toward the need for stronger vendor networks and collective organizing.
3. Haritha KV
On 11 August 2025, Haritha facilitated an awareness class for 33 UKG students at GHS Pullur Eriya School, Kasaragod. Using visual aids, stories, and simple experiments, she introduced children to SDG 6 (Clean Water & Sanitation), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), and SDG 15 (Life on Land).
Her session demonstrated how early environmental education can foster small habits that grow into lifelong commitments to sustainability.
4. Shabnam M
On 8 August 2025, Shabnam conducted a climate change awareness class for 20 science club students at Divine Providence AUP School, Palakkad. Through interactive lectures, quizzes, and a pledge ceremony, she explained how industrialization and deforestation accelerate global warming, connecting it to rising local heat and health issues.
A sapling was awarded to a quiz winner, symbolizing responsibility for the planet. The session filled a critical gap in climate education and proved how awareness empowers children as messengers of change in their communities.
5. Alan Sam
On 12 August 2025, Alan facilitated a sustainability awareness session at Nedugumkadappaly, Kollam, engaging 18 students. Through discussions and group activities, he introduced the concept of sustainability and encouraged children to identify eco-friendly practices they could adopt at home and school.
Alan observed that young learners are highly receptive when taught interactively, and he now plans to create a school sustainability club to keep the momentum alive.
6. Diksha
On 10 August 2025, Diksha organized a Frisbee awareness and team-building workshop for 12 youth at a community park in New Delhi. The session combined basic training in Frisbee with group games to foster teamwork, communication, and peer learning.
Students not only enjoyed the sport but also learned valuable leadership and collaboration skills. Diksha’s initiative showed how sports can become a medium of empowerment and community bonding.
7. Vijaysamraj Balasubramanian
On 11–12 August 2025, Vijay carried out Street Voices: Stories of Resilience, Dignity, and Coexistence across Chennai and Tiruchirappalli. Through heartfelt conversations with five vendors — including a fruit seller, broom maker, flower vendor, and a physically challenged keychain seller — he documented stories of struggle and perseverance.
His reflections emphasized the dignity of everyday livelihoods and sparked ideas for models like “quick commerce for street vendors”, reimagining how society values these essential workers.
8. Sharafali N
On 9 August 2025, Sharafali mobilized 8 higher secondary students in Kodur, Malappuram, to clear overgrown grass along roadside drainage that had caused a recent accident. The 1.5-hour activity not only restored safety but also gave youth firsthand experience of civic responsibility.
Community members recognized their efforts with appreciation and refreshments, boosting morale. The initiative demonstrated that youth-led civic actions can deliver immediate, visible change.
9. Hiba Fathima K P
On 9 August 2025, Hiba and her team hosted a documentary screening and dialogue in Panithittu, a coastal fishing village in Puducherry. Fifteen women and teenagers engaged with Nagarodi, a film about discrimination and marginalization, and later shared their own experiences.
The discussion revealed gaps in awareness of rights but also aspirations for education and better opportunities. Hiba plans follow-up sessions on career guidance, showing how storytelling and safe spaces can spark empowerment.
10. Safvana PS
On 9 August 2025, Safvana conducted a 4-hour biodiversity walk with 15 orphaned and disadvantaged children from Nilla Illam in Pondicherry. Supported by two social work trainees, the children explored plants, insects, and ecosystems firsthand, learning the importance of conservation through experience.
The walk transformed nature into a classroom, empowering children to see themselves as future guardians of biodiversity.
11. Mr. Shrikant Sambhaji Kamble
On 12 August 2025, Shrikant led an education awareness and mentorship session at Panchsheel Buddha Vihar in Mumbai. Engaging 17 students and 7 adults, the dialogue emphasized the transformative power of education as more than schooling — a lifelong tool for empowerment.
The session built community trust and laid the foundation for larger education-focused interventions in urban slum communities.
12. Finu
On 10 August 2025, Finu organized a cleanliness drive at Thonippara Waterfalls, Kollam with 10 volunteers. Over 7–8 large bags of waste — including plastic bottles, clothes, and diapers — were collected, sorted, and disposed of responsibly.
The initiative restored parts of the site’s beauty and sparked plans for installing guideline boards, follow-up drives, and local government action. It showed how community-driven environmental efforts protect fragile ecosystems.
13. Jasim
In collaboration with Native Collective and Changemakers Ashram, Varkala, Jasim contributed to the creation of a community library. Within 48 hours, 150+ books were collected — soon growing to 300 — through contributions from friends, families, and well-wishers across Kerala.
More than just a library, the initiative became a testament to the power of solidarity and collective action, enriched with symbolic gifts like a Quran, Bhagavad Gita, Bible, and works of Shakespeare.
Why These Engagements Matter
These one-day projects may seem small in scale, but they embody the essence of Active Citizenship:
- 🌍 Taking responsibility for the spaces we live in
- 🌱 Inspiring others through action, not just words
- 🤝 Building trust, empathy, and community connections
- ✨ Dreaming of a better future and taking the first step toward it
Together, these changemakers remind us that transformation does not begin with grand plans alone — it starts with showing up for our communities, even in small ways.
Looking Ahead
Now officially part of SST 7.0, these 13 participants will continue their journey of learning, unlearning, and reimagining the world they want to see in 2040.
As they move ahead, they carry with them not just their dreams, but also the lived experiences of communities across India — from Kerala to Karnataka, from New Delhi to Mumbai, from Puducherry to Tamil Nadu.
We cannot wait to see how these sparks grow into movements. 🚀
💚 To our 13 changemakers: Congratulations and welcome to the SST 7.0 family!
To our readers: Which of these one-day engagements inspired you the most? 🌟 Share with us in the comments.
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