Our Programs

The Avanti Young Women Leadership Program gives young girls an opportunity to develop leadership skills through a service learning project around social issues. It was initiated in the memory of the late Avanti Desai, daughter of Mr. Ashank Desai (founder of Mastek).

The training program aims to make them more confident, give them a sense of purpose, allow them to be creative and think out of the box.

The community project is an opportunity for the girls to apply what they learned in the training program.

Previous projects have addressed issues in:

As a result of our program, we have seen our girls emerge as leaders with the following skills:
empathy | collaboration | self confidence | execution | public speaking | vision | decision making | problem solving | social awareness & responsibility

The Gender Lab Boys Program aims to build a generation of boys and men who are self-aware, empathetic and sensitive to gender issues. It engages 13-14 year old school going boys in a service learning program that aims to prevent gender-based violence.

The classroom workshops focus on violent masculinity and its link to gender-based violence and aim to develop empathy. It increases boys’ awareness, enabling them to identify acts of gender-based violence and understand how they can be catalysts of change.

Action projects have addressed issues like:
bullying | sexist abusive language | domestic violence | sexual harassment in public places | corporal punishment

The Community Connect Fellowship (CCF) is a leadership development program that builds active citizenship in young individuals through local civic projects. It includes skillbuilding sessions, constructive dialogue, awareness activities, and an action project.

In collaboration with civic authorities and local communities, CCF fellows have worked on:

We believe that individuals can design their own learning journeys, and not necessarily have to rely only on existing institutions to gain knowledge. Mumbai People’s Un-versity is a platform facilitated by BRM that allows interested individuals to come together to re-think learning for a better world. They decide where, when, how, and what they wish to learn for themselves, rather than being pressured by a degree or job.

The current course is Social Artivism: Bringing change creatively. It intends to build skills in clear communication and the art of dialogue.

We believe that self and social awareness includes understanding how our actions in urban areas affect those living in rural India. RURBAN discussion circles provide a platform dialogue about the link between cities and villages, rethinking development, and catalyzing support for reforms for the poorest of our society.

Currently, BRM is collaborating with Ekta Parishad, an organization working towards securing land, water and forest rights for farmers from the central government. We are raising awareness in urban areas of this rural struggle through a communications campaign in order to demonstrate our solidarity.

BRM’s Media Lab is a collective of creative professionals who bring together their talents to co-create new media that speaks to the concerns and aspirations of our community. We have collaborated with Mumbai’s Center for Education and Documentation (CED), who supports us with its expertise in documenting social change movements for more than 4 decades.

The Lab’s aim is to share stories from the ground, articulate BRM’s vision, create a space for public dialogue, and produce content intended to create change. Currently, the Media Lab is experimenting with producing video content, social media campaigns, and newsletters.

The South Asian Youth Conference brings together young leaders in South Asia around the theme of Peace. Over the last 6 years, we have convened in person and online, weaving a family of rising changemakers who are on their way to becoming a powerful force for a peaceful South Asia.

The conference lasts 3 days and is designed to be a dynamic, positive space where 100 youth delegates from across South Asia can interact, exchange ideas, and discuss social issues. All days include workshops, panel discussions, guest speakers and working-groups to cover themes including art and culture, violence, and gender identity.

The Relead program helps individuals answer questions around career, relationship, money and self.

Relead has also helped NGOs, organizations, and other institutions across various sectors to change the way their learning happens. Our training’s foundations lie in psychology, philosophy, management, ecology and systems thinking, and past participants include organizations like Make a Difference, Desh Apnayen Sahyog Foundation, Masoom, Bhumi and Piramal Foundation.

We aim to develop participants’ skills in:
leadership | motivation | teamwork | conflict resolution | effective communications | self-awareness | visioning | performance