Name: Avani Goenka
Age: 17 years old
School: Class 12, Modern High School for Girls
Location: Kolkata, India
First of all, congratulations on being chosen as a GenHR Youth Changemaker! To start off, tell us a bit about your work and where you dedicate most of your energy.
Hi, I'm Avani Goenka - an avid social entrepreneur, human rights activist, and social reform leader from Kolkata, India. I believe in the power of invention to positively transform our communities and herald the traditional society to adapt to the current times. With a vision to create a better world for the less privileged and transform Indian society, I founded my NGO called Project 21 in the year 2020. Recognizing the technology illiteracy prevalent in India, I set out on a mission with my Project 21 team to shape a 21st-century tech-inclusive society.
We work relentlessly to accomplish our mission of ‘Building Digital India.’ So far, I pride myself on having transformed the lives of over a hundred underprivileged children by having shaped them into individuals who will ultimately be more employable.
What makes you so passionate about this cause?
I recognized that there was something ‘missing’ in the way the traditional ‘Indian Education System’ worked for the less privileged. During the pandemic, when online education became the need of the hour, and digital literacy and technical skills were increasingly demanded to be displayed by all, I commenced our ‘Online Learning Series.’ As part of the endeavor, I conducted online workshops in the fields of Artificial Intelligence, Digital Literacy, Website, and Web Page Designing and Coding and thus, successfully educated underprivileged children in India and across the world.
How have you been able to impact the lives of the children you’re working with?
I collaborated with Denmark-based Canopy Lab, USA-based Head Start Stem, Brown Kids Read, Astudia Organization, Australia-based Sciencious Organization, and together, we taught digital literacy to underprivileged children. The workshops were hands-on and focused on practical learning. Children were taught the applications of digital literacy skills and artificial intelligence in real life. All teaching and learning in the workshops were executed completely online which helped us to diversify our team and reach a massive audience of students.
What was your impact on the community?
I was exhilarated to witness the success of my venture through the positive feedback coming from all the students that we catered to. The children in Grades 5-7 particularly emphasized the difference that digital literacy and technical skills had made to their education. They have gained skills that will make them more valuable to future employers, as they can now confidently design webpages and operate applications and software. Through the course of the workshops, the students developed an interest in these fields with an ardent desire to pursue Computer Science and Technology in the future. Above all, the workshops were a memorable and enriching experience for them as they learned these vital skills and applied them to hone their familiarity, talents, and hobbies using technology.
What are your ideas for the future of this initiative in India?
I believe that change starts at the grassroots level of education. Firstly, I believe nonprofits and government schools should compulsorily introduce coding and computer lessons for Children in Grades 6-12. Secondly, it is imperative that these children be educated about the job opportunities and employment options in technologically-related fields so that they can put their technical skills to productive use because the children we teach are from humble backgrounds. We are determined to play our part to make this a brilliant reality for many more underprivileged children.
Read more about Avani’s inspiring work:
“17 Year Old Avani Goenka’s NGO Project 21 Empowers Underprivileged Children,” The Kolkata Mail, 13 May 2021
"Project 21: New Era Of Technology Dependency And Online Learning,” Taaza Tadka, 26 June 2020
Interested in being featured as a GenHR Youth Changemaker? Send us an email at genhryouthchangemaker@gmail.com or fill out our application.