A Decade of Youth‑Driven Change

Our proud affiliate Haiyya is celebrating its 10th anniversary. It marks a milestone in youth‑led social change in India. Over the past decade, this feminist movement‑building organization has trained thousands of grassroots leaders, launched innovative campaigns, and nurtured resilient communities through organizing practices. Founded in 2015 to address gaps in youth leadership pathways, Haiyya’s work is grounded in the People, Power, Change framework developed by Marshall Ganz and associates and reinforced by social‑science insights. As we celebrate this anniversary, we honor the struggles and successes that have shaped Haiyya’s journey and look ahead to its expanding impact through deeper local engagement, vibrant storytelling, and strengthened support networks.

Haiyya was founded in 2015 to empower young changemakers to lead grassroots campaigns for democracy, governance, and human rights. In its first year, the organization rejected tokenistic “youth representation” and instead built its own decision‑making spaces, placing young people as strategists and movement architects. Over ten years, Haiyya has navigated political upheavals, leadership transitions, and organizational challenges—and has emerged stronger, guided by its core values of equity, care, and accountability.

Haiyya’s vision is “a democratic and empathetic India driven by youth,” where marginalized voices transform power structures. Its mission is to inspire and nurture youth‑led movements through organizing, leadership development, and community building—rooted in feminist, anti‑caste, anti‑colonial, and people‑powered values. From the outset, Haiyya’s first campaigns focused on unmarried women’s sexual and reproductive rights and on climate justice—specifically the health of Delhi’s water bodies—reflecting its commitment to systemic change rather than surface-level wins.

Inspired by Professor Marshall Ganz of Harvard Kennedy School, Haiyya applies the People, Power, Change pedagogy to train leaders in public narrative, relationship building, structuring teams, strategizing, and action. These five practices of leadership engage the heart (motivation), head (strategy), and hands (action), enabling participants to craft stories of self, us, and now to drive collective action. By embedding these methods in its flagship “People, Power & Change” program, Haiyya continually evolves its curriculum not only by co‑designing it with new cohorts of organizers but also contextualizing the pedagogy for different demographics.

Achievements & Stories of Resilience and Love

To date, Haiyya has engaged over 5,000 young leaders across urban and rural India, equipping them to run more than 80 local campaigns in three years. Its multi‑issue and inclusive approach has won recognition from the Commonwealth Youth Awards (2014, 2018) and the Civicus Goalkeepers Youth Action Accelerator Award (2019). Haiyya publishes impact reports and resources—such as the ‘Campaigner’s Guide’ and ‘Health Over Stigma’ report, to share lessons with a global community of organizers and Leading Change Network affiliates. Haiyya also launched a podcast called the ‘Indian Organising Podcast’ in collaboration with One Future Collective in 2023, which is currently in its second year of production. The aim of the podcast is to document stories, experiences, best practices, and insights of people-led organizing efforts and movements on important and urgent issues.

This anniversary is not only a celebration of successes but also an acknowledgment of challenges—moments of crisis that tested Haiyya’s commitment, nurtured its resilience, and catalyzed renewal. In 2024, the organization faced leadership transitions and internal conflicts that prompted critical self‑reflection and reinforced collective care practices, such as organizational shutdowns and new well-being policies. These experiences underscore Haiyya’s belief that sustainable movements balance urgency with compassion, and grief with joy.

Looking Ahead

As Haiyya enters its second decade, it plans to deepen local engagement through micro‑meetups in smaller towns and states—empowering community hosts to co‑create events that weave community organizing with cultural practices. A year‑long social media campaign using the hashtag #10YearsofHaiyya will showcase alumni stories, behind‑the‑scenes action, and monthly thematic spotlights to broaden its reach as well as amplify historically excluded voices.  The organization will continue hybrid workshops—blending in‑person and virtual formats—to sustain momentum and invite new voices into its movement.

By honoring the past and innovating for the future, Haiyya’s 10th anniversary becomes a catalyst for renewed solidarity, learning, and action, ensuring youth‑led power grows ever more inclusive, resilient, and transformative.

As part of the celebrations, Leading Change Network is organizing a space for Haiyya to share its journey, spotlight its leaders, and find more organizers and campaigners like you. Come for 90 minutes of connection, reflection, and inspiration—and to wish Haiyya a joyful, people-powered 10th birthday! Sign up for the event here: https://leadingchangenetwork.org/event/haiyyaho-10-years-of-organizing/