By Manan Singh, Founder of YOUNG MINDS

As a child of the development sector, Manan has been volunteering since early childhood. Having been close to the grassroots and worked with marginalized communities, the interaction that most struck Manan was in 2021. During a winter clothes donation drive, he came across a sweeper, living right opposite a public toilet in Lucknow. He saw his son reading a Hindi textbook, and upon asking his father (the sweeper) about plans for his son’s education post-COVID, he received a response that convinced Manan that he intends to work on education, aspiration building, and capacity building. The man had told him (in Hindi), even if my son studies, at the end, he has to come back and sweep just like me.

Fortunately, within a year, he had the opportunity to study the government school system of India during a field study, which was part of his course in the first semester of college. That is when he could study the gaps in the system and decided to work in the field of education.

Since then, his journey has been of on-ground impact, exposure to policy, and personal growth.

A Certified Youth Educator, Manan has been part of various prestigious fellowships like the UN Millennium Fellowship and has been recognized both nationally and internationally. He has been nominated by the U.S. Department of State for the Young South Asian Leaders Initiative and was recognized as one of the 100 Youth SDG Action Ambassadors at the Global Goals Summit 2025 in Malaysia. Manan is also a Global Shaper with the Global Shapers New Delhi Hub (youth body of the World Economic Forum).

 Passionate about Education, Youth Leadership, and Public Policy, Manan is the founder of a youth-led organization called YOUNG MINDS, working towards empowering youth as agents of change for their local communities

Keeping the dream alive to empower children at the grassroots, he conceptualized ‘YOUNG MINDS Dream’, a project that works on building the capacity and providing guidance to middle-school government school students in India through an 8-session model. The model saw considerable impact during its implementation in Sonipat. The project has collaborated with social impact organizations, schools, and college societies to expand its impact across Delhi NCR.

During his work, he also realized the importance of having the youth at the centre of decision-making and bringing out their perspectives. To ensure youth participation, Manan designed a model of a youth-led solution-centric dialogue. Within the past 10 months, over 100 young changemakers and thought leaders have participated in such dialogues at the YOUNG MINDS Changemakers Summit, which hosted 4 dialogues, each on vital global issues. Besides that, YOUNG MINDS has organized standalone dialogues and continues to do so, inviting young people to be at the centre of sharing lived experiences and solutions for a better future.

Personally, as well, Manan has mentored over 300 students and strives towards providing guidance and support to the youth of the country.

He believes that if India can reform and strengthen its school education system, it will be successful in combating a lot of challenges the country faces today. India’s population is young, and young people are not just leaders of tomorrow but active shapers of the present. If empowered, they will contribute towards building a developed nation.

As much as he believes in working on the ground, he takes an interest in studying best-practice models, policies, and historical developments. His undergraduate thesis was on school education policies in colonial India and how the perspective on education evolved during the colonial period. He has experience of working with Members of Parliament and at the apex think tank of the Indian Government, NITI Aayog. Currently, he works as ‘Lead – Partnerships and Programs’ for Public Policy India.

Manan has held leadership positions since Grade 6th and throughout his College time. Commended for his honesty, passion, integrity, and dedication, Manan excelled in studies while pursuing his passion to bring about a positive change in society. A Visharad in Tabla (Indian Classical Instrument), Poet, State-level Basketball Player, and Theatre performer, Manan has honed various skills and still takes joy in pursuing them.

Change, irrespective of how small or big it is, he finds purpose in making a positive impact. Youth today need to be conscious, aware, and empowered citizens. His life journey has taught him that no experience ever goes to waste and is a learning that will help each and every individual in life. His advice to young people is to keep learning, growing, aspiring, and working towards the dream they see for themselves, and while doing that, they must be active contributors in uplifting their community and nation-building, in whatever ways possible.