PNS|Hyderabad
The idea came during the Covid lockdown. Like many others, J Ishaan and Neha – school students in Hyderabad—suddenly found themselves unable to communicate the way they used to. “We lost our skills during the lockdown. We weren’t able to catch up and cope,” he recalls. “And that’s when it struck me—if students like us in private schools faced this, what about students in government schools?”
That realisation became the seed for Ashayam Foundation, a student-led NGO co-founded by Ishaan and his friend Neha (then in Class 9) in 2022. Every Saturday since then, the two have been visiting government schools, creating spaces for children to learn soft skills through play and interaction.
“We noticed how many of them were scared of their teachers. When we walked in as volunteers, they assumed we were also there to scold them,” Ishaan says. “We wanted to flip that.”
Ashayam’s work isn’t textbook-based. “We don’t give them lessons. We use activities—games—to teach,” Ishaan explains. “We cover seven core soft skills, things like communication, empathy, teamwork, confidence… but in a fun way.”
One such example is their communication module, where they use the childhood game ‘Chinese Whisper’ to explain how information can get distorted without clarity. “They love it. And they get it. That’s the beauty—we don’t need to preach. We just need to play the right way.”
The modules are designed for students in Classes 6 to 8, and each session focuses on just one or two skills, lasting about 1 to 1.5 hours. “We realised that small, consistent doses make a bigger impact than long lectures.”
Over the past two years, Ishaan and Neha have volunteered in schools across Hyderabad, including Kokapet, Gandipet, Masjidbanda, Raidurgam, Serilingampally, and Ellagandala. They’ve also held sessions at a model school in Karimnagar, one in Tenali, and even a few in West Bengal during vacation visits and with the help of volunteers.
The approach is simple: connect, engage, and build confidence. “Many of these children are first-generation learners. No one has ever asked them how they feel or given them the space to speak freely,” Ishaan says. “Ashayam tries to fill that gap.”
The duo funds the initiative through their own savings and with a little help from their families. “It’s not about big budgets. It’s about showing up, regularly, with consistency and care,” Ishaan insists.
Looking ahead, Ashayam has bigger plans. “Next year, we want to select and train more volunteers to take it forward. The idea is to make soft skills a part of everyday school life—not just a special event or activity,” he adds. “Ashayam isn’t just a project. It’s a mindset.”
