Praajak India

“Another key gap lies in how protection systems are evaluated. Systemic reforms, new laws, or institutional mechanisms are often treated as indicators of success in themselves.

However, the presence of systems does not automatically translate into better protection. What remains under-measured is how communities understand, access, negotiate, or deliberately avoid these systems.

In many contexts, children and families prefer resolution at family or community levels before approaching formal institutions. Ignoring these lived pathways of protection risks producing data that looks robust on paper but remains disconnected from reality.

Addressing this gap demands genuinely interdisciplinary approaches—bringing together social work, psychology, gender studies, anthropology, public policy, and law. Yet such collaboration remains limited.”
— Deep Purkayastha, Praajak

(From the abstract submitted to Flourishing Minds: Positive Psychology and the Power of Youth, University of Calcutta, 10 February 2026)

We are filled with joy and pride as **Praajak collaborates with the NSS Unit of Berhampore Girls’ College** to mark **National Youth Day (12th January)**—the birth anniversary of **Swami Vivekananda**—through conversations on **youth empowerment rooted in gender equity** 🌱✨

This collaboration is especially meaningful for us. Berhampore Girls’ College has been the college of choice for many young women from our **Kabaddi for Empowerment** project—girls who are **first-generation college students**, breaking cycles and building futures with courage and confidence. To return to this space as collaborators is a moment of deep affirmation for our shared work with youth.

As Swami Vivekananda reminded us:

> *“There is no chance for the welfare of the world unless the condition of women is improved.”*

We celebrate partnerships like this that strengthen young leadership, honour young women’s aspirations, and remind us why collective work matters. Looking forward to many more such collaborations that place youth, equity, and hope at the centre of social change.