Today, the education initiative works with around 300 children across three campuses in Chetpet. What began as an after-school programme has grown into a day school, with preKG, LKG, UKG and Grades 1 and 2, alongside programmes that focus on academics, life skills, art, theatre, music and confidence-building.

The organisation’s growth has also brought a special milestone for its Managing Trustee, Vedika Agarwal. Some of the children who grew up with the organisation are now returning as members of its staff. Sixteen of Yein Udaan’s graduates are currently working with the organisation in different roles, including teaching, social media marketing, documentation, management and communication. Their roles are based on their strengths and interests, as well as what they have learned in college.

“This is the third year that the children have come back as our staff. These are the children I have worked with for the last 12 years. I have seen these children from Classes 1 and 2, and now a few are in college, and some have completed their studies. I have seen them grow up through school, enter college and come back as staff. It’s a wholesome journey,” says Vedika Agarwal, Managing Trustee, Yein Udaan.

For the organisation, it is also an opportunity for these young graduates to use what they learned in college in a familiar setting. A student interested in communication can take up work in that area, while someone interested in teaching can work with younger children. “We have mapped them to different roles and profiles based on their strengths and interests. Whatever they learned in college, they can utilise first-hand at Yein Udaan. They are not only developing the skills alongside the theory they learned in college, but are also contributing to the organisation through that particular knowledge and interest,” she adds.

That approach reflects the way Yein Udaan has always looked at education. The focus is not limited to marks or classroom learning. The children are encouraged to take part in activities that help them build confidence and develop interests outside academics. “We do a lot of holistic development initiatives with the children. It is not only about academics. We focus on life skills, soft skills, art, theatre and music,” says Vedika.

Every year, the children get a chance to bring these skills together through an annual production. The event gives them a stage to perform and showcase what they have learned during the year. This year marked Yein Udaan’s eighth annual production.

For Vedika, working with children without addressing the larger community would only go so far. “Until the community develops as a whole, whatever we do with the child is not going to be long-term. Children go back to the same problems, be it drugs, alcohol or violence. So, how do we change that as a whole?”

That is where the former students now working with Yein Udaan become significant. They know the community because they grew up in it. They know the organisation because they were once part of its programmes. And now, they have the opportunity to contribute to it.