Social Innovators of the Year 2022 - CAYWA Board Member, Ashraf Patel!

It is our honour to share with you that Ashraf Patel, Co-Founder of Pravah, ComMutiny - The Youth Collective and the vartaLeap Coalition has been recognised among 15 global Social Innovators of the Year 2022 by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship in collaboration with the World Economic Forum.

This award celebrates Ashraf for her significant contribution to nurturing young leadership, and is an important recognition for the entire youth development ecosystem that keeps young people at the centre of changemaking and nation building. Our story began with a collaboration between 3 young leaders and that circle of friendship kept growing as each of us joined in. This award is a powerful acknowledgement of the collaborative work of Pravah, ComMutiny - The Youth Collective, the vartaLeap coalition and member organizations of the entire ecosystem. We dedicate this award to the youth workers and youth leaders who have built the pathway of youth-centric development, making this achievement possible.

The overwhelming response by young people towards supporting relief and recovery during the pandemic is proof that they hold the power and energy to build a sustainable, just and compassionate world. As India grappled with the second wave of COVID-19, we saw young people volunteer and lead efforts for relief within and outside their communities.

Pravah and ComMutiny engaged with more than 500 young community leaders who responded to the crisis with utmost responsibility and empathy impacting over 6.2 lakh people in 17 states across the country. In these times. In these times, we witnessed the power of collaboration and interdependence with a shared agenda to foreground hope and collective wellbeing.

Thank you for being a co-voyager in our journey to nurture thousands of young leaders. This award recognises and celebrates the spirit of collaboration and collectives to build inside-out youth leadership - where change, when seeded in the self can make a difference to society. With your support we will continue to co-create and celebrate hope for a world where young people realize their potential by driving meaningful change.

In Ashraf's words "this award is a celebration of youth leadership. It recognises the need to invest in collaboratives and ecosystems that not only impact society at scale but also transform the inner being of each young person they engage with. Young people are not leaders of tomorrow, but are leaders of today and investing in them must happen now."

A well-deserved award for an outstanding person in the global community, well done Ashraf!