Counter Speech Fellowship

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Role

Project Manager

Project Type

Educational Program

Audience

High School Students

Organization

YLAC

Client

Instagram India

Problem

The internet can often become a dark space filled with negativity, hatred, toxicity and bullying. Despite Gen-Z being the first digital citizens, their empowerment and presence on the internet are often dealt with rather punitive measures.

Insight

Create positive communities online which echo a counter narrative, empower and amplify voices of young people.

Strategy

During my two-year stint at YLAC, I spearheaded seven editions of the fellowship, mentoring over 150 participants across India and Nepal. During the COVID-19 crisis I revived this community to build KaroNa Campaign.

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Solution

The Counter Speech Fellowship is an exceptional opportunity for creative teenagers to use their skills to help make the world a better place.
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The fellowship seeks to leverage the power of social media to give teenagers a platform to voice their opinions and advocate for changes in the society that they live in.
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The goal is to use art to generate awareness, build empathy and change mindsets to create a world that is inclusive and kind.
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By giving teens a voice and building their capacity to mobilize people for change, we hope to create a world that embraces differences and provides support to those who need it the most.

My Role

Curriculum Development and Learning Design
The 9-week-long fellowship covered various topics, from mental well-being to sustainability to educational justice. My work focused on making these topics fun and engaging the learners by sparking curiosity in these themes. I developed curriculums using ice-breakers as activities to engage the learners holistically.

Secondly, I recognised the power of learning in groups and as a community - hence each session involved activities like think, pair and share - ensuring that the participants would bond with each other at a deeper level, thereby keeping them invested in the process.
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Facilitator
‍In two and a half years, I have successfully facilitated seven editions of the fellowship, transitioning from an offline to an online module. My focus during this process has been to create a learner-centric environment resting on equity and inclusion and providing a safe space for all.
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Graphic designer and social media manager
I assumed the role of the social media manager of the Counter Speech Fellowship handle and curated the best posts across all editions to foster inspiration and encouragement amongst the fellows.
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Creative Producer
I have produced the Counter Speech Fellowship video, showcasing the fellows' work across four years of the fellowship. Having the highest experience in running this program, I created the story and narrative and managed the logistics for filming.

Key Learnings

Social Media Influencers yield a high full while encouraging and inspiring teens to take social action. This is further accentuated by in-person events and by adding social proof. Thus, creating spaces for this interaction is critical for an experiential learning designer.
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Learning online and offline requires a different pedagogy. Moreover, learner characteristics are more challenging to define online, necessitating more profound user research.
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Active learners need incentives and mentorship to develop their skills as leaders who can inspire the rest of the group members to contribute to the projects and avoid social loafing.
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Setting up communication rules is critical at the outset to ensure that learners respect each other in the learning environment and that the norms are explicit despite individual or cultural differences.