YOUTH PANCHAYAT | Storiculture Draft

Reimagining

Civic Life through Media, Innovation &

Community Action.

Creative Impact x Youth Innovation x Tech

Youth Panchayat is a Nationwide Network of

Young Changemakers Building Media-driven Solutions to Complex Civic Problems.

We work at the intersection of :

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Media

As a tool for problem-solving, beyond communication

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Tech & Design Thinking

As a tool for problem-solving, beyond communication

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Community

As a tool for problem-solving, beyond communication

Why Media?

Because Stories Shape Systems

India has no shortage of changemakers.

But their ideas too often stay trapped in reports, proposals, or prototypes, never reaching the communities they're meant to serve." -- can we better it "

When Civic Action meets Media Imagination, Movements Multiply.

OUR INTERVENTIONS

Action Lab

Structured mentorship meets

media-prototyping

A sprint where young changemakers work on real societal problems alongside expert mentors - building media vision plans that socialise their impact and reach communities, one modality at a time.

Media Jams

Participatory Storytelling for Impact

A hands-on collaborative format that helps groups identify the core narrative within a civic or ecological issue - and prototype the right media format to amplify it.

Field Notes

Pick and Move the Images

Story as Infrastructure

Visibility is Power

Narrative → Action

Ideas need formats.

From Insight to Imagination

Prototype the Possible

Build the work.

Then make it visible.

From local work to public imagination.

Find the story before the solution.

Culture Shift Engine

Build → Test → Tell → Scale

We believe media is not just a tool for communication, but a way to translate complex ideas into stories that people can feel, engage with, and act on.

Public Imagination Lab

Systems need Stories

Mentors

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Social Entrepreneur &

Angel Investor

Prakash Balasubramanian Iyer

Prakash is a prominent Indian business leader, social entrepreneur, and startup mentor known for his work in the startup ecosystem, especially with early-stage

founders.

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Game Designer &

Creative Director

Scot Osterweil

Scot is a creative director at The Education Arcade and a research scientist at MIT’s Comparative Media Studies/Writing Program. A veteran game designer in both academic and commercial settings, his work explores the playful side of complex academic subjects.

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Director and Producer

Miriam Chandy Menacherry

Miriam is a Director and

Producer creating

award-winning content showcased at national and international festivals and streamed on platforms such as National Geographic, BBC, Al Jazeera, Netflix, and more.

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Creative Producer

Laurence Ivil

Laurence is a creative producer

with over ten years experience researching, directing and producing award-winning media projects and digital experiences. He specialises in participatory design and ethical co-creation, building compelling, community-led storytelling projects that move audiences and spark change.

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Founder of Swacardz

Rahul Hasija

Rahul is a communication designer, participatory facilitator and the founder of Swacardz, a design and coaching consultancy creating gamified tools and learning experiences for socio-emotional and socio-ecological wellbeing.

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Photographer, Installation artist &

Game Publisher

Leena Kejriwal

Leena is an award-winning photographer, installation artist, game publisher, author, TEDx speaker, and founder of MISSING, a non-profit focused on preventing child sexual violence. She has worked with policymakers, corporates, and changemakers to raise awareness and mobilize action against trafficking.

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Production & communication consultancy

Vaaka MEDIA

Vaaka Media, co-founded by Samyuktha Varma and Radhika Viswanathan, is an independent podcast production house based in Bengaluru, India. They made India’s first podcast on the development sector called In the Field, and their podcast City of Women explores gender and urban public spaces through joyous personal narratives.

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Facilitated by Malavika Acharya

Reap Benefit

Reap Benefit empowers young people to become changemakers and tackle social and environmental issues affecting their local community. They leverage digital platforms to facilitate peer communities, mentoring, behavioural nudges, resource dissemination and hands-on experiences.

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Filmmaker & Cinematographer

Sraiyanti

Sraiyanti is a filmmaker and cinematographer with 9 years of experience in documentaries and commercial films. Her work as cinematographer has led her to shoot documentaries for VICE, Netflix, Discovery, DW and Al Jazeera.

The Lab

January 16th - 18th, 2026 ,

3 days of Mentorship and Peer Learning.

A sprint where young changemakers work with societal problems at relevant intersections to build media vision plans for socialising their impact messaging. Reaching communities, one media modality at a time.