Client
IT for Change: Prakriye
Type of work
Participatory Design
Social Impact
Student Work
Identifying opportunities for empowerment of adolescent girls in rural Mysore, using digital tools.
My project looks at building and strengthening leadership qualities among the girls. Through a series of activities, they deconstruct the meanings of leadership and power in the context of their community, and learn ways to exercise power outside of their homes.
Kishori Sanghas (Adolescent Girls’ Collective)
Prakriye works with adolescent girls as well as women of the community. Kishori Sanghas (Adolescent Girls’ Collective) are given sessions on gender roles, rights, mobility and more. The women (Sakhis), are trained to run Information Centres for their village, and are role models for the girls.
Sakhis (women of the community)
Exercises conducted with the Kishoris and Sakhis
I chose the idea of ‘Leadership as Power’ and began sketching out ideas for products, fun activities to learn about leadership, and created prototypes using simple materials. Technology was incorporated to create an alternate space to enable such conversation.
Ideation through sketching and making
The 'Captain Kishori' kit was created in English & Kannada, using appropriate visuals
It was a continuous process of taking these ideas to the field and re-working my prototypes, building on feedback and observation. The final deliverable was a kit with all material required for the activities, an instruction manual, and an infographic of the training modules.
How Might We encourage Kishoris to take on leadership roles in the context of their community?
Through audio recording, drawing and enactment of the girls' routines, we understood the various activities they perform during the day. With the women of the community (Sakhis), we identified spaces for empowerment of the girls-
• Education, knowledge and awareness
• Economic stability, self-reliance
• Physical and emotional well-being
• Mobility in public space, power dynamics and leadership
First field visit:
Understanding 'A Day in the Life' & Collaborative Ideation with the Sakhis
