The Future is Collective Case Studies of Collective Social Innovation 2025

Vision: The vartaLeap Coalition envisions “every youth a Jagrik, and every space nurturing Jagriks.”19 Jagrik is a derivative and an expansion of two Hindi words, “Jagruk” and “Nagrik”, that describes a self-awakened and proactive citizen who also awakens the same spirit in others. Method: To achieve this vision, vartaLeap is “collectivizing” to create a shared vision that transcends sectoral divides and creates new norms for youth development. They are developing a robust coalition of diverse stakeholders to nurture co-creation, co-learning and collaboration. Their mission includes: 1) building spaces that nurture Jagriks across geographies (place-based and contextually relevant) and institutions in government, civil society and the private sector; 2) designing and running powerful collaborative learning and leadership “Jagriks’ Journeys” with the resources necessary to create impact at scale (and with “soul”); and 3) making “every youth a Jagrik and every space nurturing Jagriks” part of the mainstream narrative through research, public outreach and media engagement. Principles: The vartaLeap Coalition has developed a charter outlining their principles, goals and commitments towards mainstreaming youth-centric development by nurturing a collaborative ecosystem informed by shared values. Each member joining the coalition agrees to align with this charter and endorse the vision and mission of the coalition. This charter serves as a guiding framework for aggregating, accelerating and amplifying their work to achieve their vision, “every youth a Jagrik, every space nurturing Jagriks”. Other key principles include: the 5th Space,20 which is the creation of a space where young people relate to society, separate from the four traditional youth spaces (family, friends, career and leisure). vartaLeap positions this space as both contributing to the self- transformation of youth while also transforming society and believes that a thriving 5th Space is a critical element for well-rounded youth development. Youth-centric design and facilitation principles called FLOWING,21 are principles that vartaLeap members partners have developed over time to overcome typical failures in youth development. These practices include: 1) honouring the feelings of youth; 2) leading in partnership with adults; 3) emphasizing personal and societal ownership; 4) encouraging a willingness to take risks; 5) ensuring inclusion for all; 6) recognizing the importance of the present alongside the future; and 7) grounding actions in learning through experience and reflection. Practices: vartaLeap has developed key practice areas which guide the work of members in the coalition. There are three “A”s that define vartaLeap’s strategies: “aggregating” refers to members bringing together cross-sectoral stakeholders into a robust coalition with representation and active participation from media, donor, corporate, UN agencies, as well as civil society organizations. “Amplifying” entails shifting norms and promoting youth-centric development through narrative building. Finally, “accelerating” involves designing, piloting and “scouling”22 (scaling with soul) youth-centric experiences to address current psycho-social needs of young people. These principles are applied across the focus themes of climate change, gender, well-being, livelihoods and entrepreneurship, and constitutional literacy. The second practice area, the Seeing, Doing, Being framework,23 is used as a guide to design the collective structure and processes of the coalition. “Seeing” refers to how the coalition visualizes a thriving community together, “Being” is the relationships and impact that are developed through the process of building connections and learning together, and “Doing” is the collaborative programming, narrative building and fundraising that the coalition members perform together. 19. The term was coined by ComMutiny in 2016 as part of the game designed on Constitutional Literacy, “Samvidhan LIVE! Be a Jagrik”. 20. First conceptualized by Pravah and ComMutiny and published in the book Ocean in a Drop, 2014, Sage Publications. 21. First framed at a vartaLeap convening, 2019. 22. Scouling” was first framed during the formation of ComMutiny, in 2008, as a strategy by Pravah for scaling with soul. 23. First framed at vartaLeap in 2021.The collective pathway The Future is Collective: Case Studies of Collective Social Innovation 71