The YP Foundation

The YP Foundation is a youth-development and support organisation for young people in India. It was established in July 2002 by social entrepreneur Ishita Chaudhry with support from the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi, and was legally incorporated in 2007 as a charitable trust. The organisation is also associated with the earlier name The Youth Parliament, reflecting its focus on enabling young people to participate in public life, express their views and influence decisions affecting their communities. The foundation works primarily with people between the ages of 13 and 30. Rather than operating as a conventional consumer brand or a single-program charity, it provides a resource base through which young people can imagine, develop and implement their own projects. Its support has included mentoring, capacity building, funding or other forms of assistance for initiatives addressing social, cultural, economic, legal and environmental concerns. The organisation’s model places young people in leadership roles and treats them as contributors to policy, community development and social change rather than only as beneficiaries. Its programme interests include health equity, gender justice, sexuality rights, sexual and reproductive health, HIV/AIDS awareness, education, youth participation in politics, the right to information, media ethics, substance-use issues and the legal system. The foundation has also supported community initiatives for underprivileged families in New Delhi, disaster-relief and rehabilitation activity connected with the Indian Ocean tsunami and the Kashmir earthquake, and work involving the performing and visual arts. Supported formats have included film, photography, music, theatre, literary and research projects, interactive workshops, advocacy, policy engagement and interaction with government institutions. The YP Foundation describes its work through a feminist and intersectional framework. Its stated principles include respect for human rights, inclusion, affirmation of individual agency and the active recognition of people’s right to choose. It says that participation should not be restricted on the basis of sex, religion, caste, ability, age, class, gender identity, sexual orientation, employment, socioeconomic status or HIV status. These principles connect its youth-leadership work with broader questions of social justice and equal access to information, services and decision-making. The organisation has received recognition for its youth-led and social-justice work. In 2006 it received the SMILE fellowship from Pravah and was selected as a final affiliate for the Change Looms Award associated with the Ashoka Foundation and Pravah. In 2007, founder and managing trustee Ishita Chaudhry received the Karmaveer Puraskaar, described as a national award for social justice and action. In 2008, the foundation received the Seen and Heard Award, a UK-based recognition associated with British Telecom and the UK Youth Parliament for initiatives creating platforms for young people. Chaudhry was also nominated for MTV India's Youth Icon in 2008. The available reference material does not establish the foundation’s current leadership team, legal status beyond its charitable-trust incorporation, funding scale or present programme portfolio in detail. It is therefore best understood as an India-focused nonprofit organisation and youth civic-leadership platform, rather than as a commercial brand.

The YP Foundation began in July 2002 in New Delhi as a youth-oriented initiative founded by social entrepreneur Ishita Chaudhry with support from the India Habitat Centre. Its early identity was connected with The Youth Parliament, a name that signalled an ambition to create forums where young people could discuss public issues, develop civic awareness and participate in shaping the institutions and policies that affect their lives. The organisation developed as a support structure for youth-led action rather than as a conventional service provider. It focused on giving young people, particularly those aged 13 to 30, the information, skills, opportunities and practical resources needed to design and carry out their own initiatives. These initiatives could address social, cultural, economic, legal or environmental problems and could take many forms, including community work, research, advocacy, policy interaction, workshops, public education and creative production. In 2007, the organisation was legally incorporated under the name The YP Foundation as a charitable trust. This formalisation provided a legal structure for its continuing work in youth development and rights-based social change. The foundation’s programme areas included education and development in rural and urban India; gender and sexuality; sexual and reproductive health and rights; HIV/AIDS information and prevention; substance-use issues affecting adolescents; media ethics and social responsibility; youth voting and India’s political system; access to information; and young people’s interaction with India’s legal system. The foundation also used arts and culture as vehicles for youth participation. Its supported work included film, photography, music and theatre, as well as literary and research projects. This broad approach treated creative expression as part of civic and social development, allowing young people to communicate experiences and advocate for change through both public policy and cultural practice. Community and emergency-response work formed another part of the organisation’s documented activities. The foundation supported community initiatives involving underprivileged families in New Delhi and work related to disaster relief and rehabilitation, including responses associated with the Indian Ocean tsunami and the Kashmir earthquake. These activities placed youth participation alongside direct community support and public-interest advocacy. The YP Foundation’s stated principles are feminist and intersectional. It aims to respect and fulfil human rights, affirm individual agency, promote inclusion and ensure that diverse voices are heard. Its non-discrimination position covers characteristics and circumstances including sex, religion, caste, disability, age, class, gender identity, sexual orientation, employment, socioeconomic status and HIV status. This framework links youth development to structural questions about inequality, health, identity and access to decision-making. The organisation gained external recognition during the 2000s. In 2006 it received the SMILE fellowship from Pravah and became a final affiliate for the Change Looms Award linked to the Ashoka Foundation and Pravah. In November 2007, Ishita Chaudhry received the Karmaveer Puraskaar for social justice and action from ICONGO and the Nand and Jeet Khemka Foundation. In 2008, The YP Foundation received the Seen and Heard Award, associated with British Telecom and the UK Youth Parliament, for creating platforms for young people. Chaudhry was also nominated for MTV India's Youth Icon that year. The available material does not provide a complete account of later organisational changes, current trustees, financial resources or the present scale of operations. The foundation’s enduring identity is nevertheless clear: it is an India-focused youth-development nonprofit that combines leadership development, rights education, creative practice, community initiatives and policy advocacy.

• 2008

  Seen and Heard Award

  [1]The YP Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  The YP Foundation received the Seen and Heard Award for creating platforms for young people.

• 2007

  Legal incorporation as The YP Foundation

  [1]The YP Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  The organisation was legally incorporated as The YP Foundation, a charitable trust.

• 2007

  Founder receives the Karmaveer Puraskaar

  [1]The YP Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  Founder and Managing Trustee Ishita Chaudhry received the Karmaveer Puraskaar for social justice and action.

• 2006

  SMILE fellowship and Change Looms recognition

  [1]The YP Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  The organisation received the SMILE fellowship from Pravah and was selected as a final affiliate for the Change Looms Award.

• 2002

  The organisation is established

  [1]The YP Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  Ishita Chaudhry established the initiative in July 2002 with support from the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi.

A youth-led, feminist and rights-based nonprofit platform that equips young people to develop projects, participate in public decision-making and lead social change in India.

• Youth development · 2002

  Youth-led project support

  The foundation provides young people with resources and support to conceive and implement their own initiatives. Projects may address social, cultural, economic, legal or environmental issues and can include community action, research, advocacy, workshops and public engagement.

• Health and rights advocacy

  Rights-based health and sexuality programmes

  A major area of work covers gender justice, sexuality rights, sexual and reproductive health, HIV/AIDS awareness and health equity. The organisation uses youth education, advocacy and leadership approaches to improve access to information and support young people’s ability to participate in decisions about their lives.

• Arts and media

  Arts, media and cultural initiatives

  The YP Foundation has supported youth work through film, photography, music, theatre, literary projects and research. These formats provide channels for creative expression, public discussion and communication about social issues.

1. 1The YP Foundationen.wikipedia.org
2. 2The YP Foundation: About Ustheypfoundation.org