Deepa Pawar has been selected as one of 26 young #Goalkeepers #YouthActionAccerlerators from around the world! She is representing India on this platform for attaining Sustainable Development Goals with two other young change-makers. Her selection was on the basis of her project for making #HigherEducationSafe in terms of #MentalHealth of students:

https://civicus.org/index.php/what-we-do/innovate/actionaccelerator/deepa-pawar

Mental Health, especially of youth, and even more so of socio-politically vulnerable youth, is of dire need in India.

Using data and stories for Youth Mental Health

In a country where more than half the population is under 25, and where suicide is the leading cause of death among youth, it is imperative to start equipping institutions to deal with youth’s mental health issues in a way that is sensitive to their socio-economic backgrounds. It is imperative to start making various institutions a stakeholder in this cause – and Anubhuti has started this by bringing Mental Health to the common discourse in communities, colleges and schools – thus reaching youth from the most marginalized backgrounds.


“Privilege of mental health has to reach the last person, that is, the most marginalised in our society. Only then can we achieve mental justice and social justice. For many vulnerable youth in India, mental health becomes our basic right because of the kind of socio-political situations we have to deal with on daily basis.

Deepa Pawar, Founder Director, Anubhuti

At Anubhuti, we see mental health as an umbrella of fundamental rights – physical, economic, sexual and political – of all persons. Youth need to develop in all these aspects, without the burden of mental distress. Schools and colleges can be some of the prime stakeholders in making this possible, and therefore, we are working with these institutions for a multi-stakeholder, collaborative approach to improving youth mental well-being for mental justice and overall social justice.

The Goalkeepers Program is powered by CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, Action4sd, Obama-Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates-Foundation, Restless Development Uganda