Marginalized youth and their educational and economic empowerment
2022-2023 students in our residential program in Kerala
The plight of Indian youth disadvantaged due to their caste, class, and gender is shocking. If you simply google “Dalit youth and violence,” you’ll see thousands of stories of youth being killed, hurt, and raped due to their status of being in the lowest caste. And these stories are as recent as last week or last month.
Due to poverty, violence, and discrimination, children are forced to drop out of the govt. school system. Homelessness, poor health, nutrition, and the need to help parents make ends meet are the underlying factors that have a lifelong impact on these youth and their ability to achieve social and economic well-being.
A few statistics* impacting those in the lowest rung of the social hierarchy:
Dalit students have a 30% dropout rate in government-run schools
Dalit children sit separately from other children in schools. Almost 1 out of every three government schools in rural areas prohibit children from sitting together
Almost half of Dalit villages are denied access to water sources
Dalit and non-Dalit people cannot eat together in 70% of rural villages
While policy leaders, caste activists, and government programs attempt to break down these systemic barriers over the long-term, small actions can have radical impact on those whose lives are being affected today .
I run the board of a US non-profit, Blossom Projects, that makes a difference in the lives of Dalit youth in India. Blossom Projects offers a path to education and economic empowerment by providing an immersion, residential program of 1-3 years to youth who have failed or dropped out of school. They rebuild their basic literacy skills, communication, public speaking, and confidence. They re-enroll in online learning, pass the state equivalency exams, take technical or job training, or get employed.
Learn more about Blossom Projects and the impact on Dalit youth.
Making an impact locally in historically neglected communities in the US
Belle Haven Action is a non-profit that was founded by Cecilia Taylor, a third-generation resident of Belle Haven, a neighborhood in the city of Menlo Park, CA in the heart of Silicon Valley. Historically, Belle Haven was a working class neighborhood predominantly inhabited by Black and Hispanic families, with younger families working in tech companies, moving into the neighborhood more recently. The proximity of tech giants Facebook/Meta (a block away), Google (15 min away) and numerous biotech companies in Menlo Park have spurred a wave of gentrification in this tiny neighborhood resulting in renter displacement, homelessness, and rising rents.
Until 2018, when it came to investing in Belle Haven, the city of Menlo Park turned its attention away. There was no advocacy for the neighborhood nor representation in civic government. It was only with the rise of Cecilia Taylor who won a seat on the Menlo Park City Council in 2018 and then became the Mayor of Menlo Park in 2020 (the first female Black mayor in the history of Menlo Park) that the city sat up and took note of the needs of this dynamic and diverse neighborhood.
I’m proud to serve on the Board of Belle Haven Action. From running a kitchen table campaign committee for Cecilia for a seat on the Menlo Park City Council to supporting her important work as Mayor and now Vice Mayor, I celebrate Cecilia as a radical change maker who will inspire generations to come.
Learn more about the impact that Cecilia is having through Belle Haven Action.
(Pictured) Cecilia Taylor, Vice Mayor of Menlo Park; Former Mayor (2020), and current Menlo Park City Council Member, 2023-2026