COMMUNITY CONNECT

by Akash upase from india

Community Connect was a leadership program created to build active citizenship in youth by solving local civic issues. The program engaged with different stakeholders, such as citizens, elected representatives, and the municipal corporation, to build better infrastructure for the city.

Through the project, youth leaders aimed to strengthen the citizen participation mechanisms in urban spaces through youth-led local actions and the recognition of an efficient complaint-filing system in Mumbai.

ABOUT THE PROJECT LEAD

Akash Upase is a youth worker leading Community Connect at the Blue Ribbon Movement. Akash has been part of various projects and organisations that focus on creating conscious future leaders and building safe urban spaces. He is part of other communities like the South Asian Youth Conference, the Human Library, and the Global Youth Alliance on Kindness. He currently serves as the Vice Curator of the Global Shapers Thane hub.

IMPACT SNAPSHOTS

Engaged 5000 citizens in the city of Mumbai on active citizenship and road safety awareness.

• 180 youth participated in various Community Connect programs, improving civic knowledge and engagement in their communities.

• Mobilised 5200+ hours of volunteering through the project.

• Filed 300+ online & offline civic complaints to build sustainable communities and promote ownership within the citizens.

ABOUT THE LEAD ORGANISATION

The Blue Ribbon Movement (BRM) is a Mumbai-based youth-led movement nurturing youth leaders on a long-term social change journey with a 100% consent based model. It engages them through building an understanding of the interconnected systemic issues, solving local civic problems, connecting communities and standing in solidarity. BRM will lead the Community Connect vertical.