Monthly Newsletter · July 2026

The Ignite Foundation selected for the Asia-Pacific Cooperative Youth Summit

A round-up of what happened this month across our programmes, the Changemakers Ashram and our partnerships.

What's inside this edition

— School for Social Transformation — 11th edition
— Ignite @ UN Conference of Parties COP 17
— Demo Day SSTxTinkerhub — technology for social change
— The Ignite Foundation @ World Youth Development Forum
— Insights & opinion — Mission and Vision: 5 differences
— Founder's note, fundraiser update & an impact story
— Munrothuruth: documentary by an Ignite alumna
— 20+ youth trainings across Kerala

Highlight of the month

Invited to China for the Asia-Pacific Youth Summit and Hackathon

The Kerala Social Impact Collective — a cooperative envisioned for alumni of the School for Social Transformation — was selected as one of ten teams from across the Asia-Pacific region for the Asia-Pacific Cooperative Youth Summit (APCYS) 5.0 Hackathon. Representing The Ignite Foundation, Ijas Hakkim and Naji Mahfood will present the Collective at the Hackathon in Hangzhou, China.

Social experiments @ Changemakers Ashram

Age with dignity

Kerala is ageing rapidly, yet many older adults lack spaces where they can simply connect, converse and feel valued. Koodanoridam, a community action project by SST alumnus Irshad in Kozhikode, brings elders together for weekend evening circles at the Changemakers Ashram to share stories, experiences and companionship. Supported by the SST Community Action Seed Fund and mentorship.

Updates from us

Programs

SST 11.0 applications

Applications for the 11th edition of the School for Social Transformation open mid-August 2026. Supported by the Azim Premji Foundation, SST 11 will be fully funded, and participants can receive a seed grant of up to ₹10,000 for their community projects.

Changemakers Ashram

Inviting seeds to Changemakers Ashram, Chakkittappara

The Ashram needs seeds and saplings for its farming and harvesting activities. To contribute seeds or sponsor saplings, reach Roshna at +91 75610 58970. Environmental restoration and climate work at the Ashram is led by SST alumna Roshna, along with Vijitha and intern Sameer.

Team & Ops

Ignite at the World Youth Development Forum

Co-founder Jaseel C. K. represented India at the World Youth Development Forum in China, speaking on the shift needed in youth work — from volunteering to social entrepreneurship. SST was among 200 projects selected worldwide for the Forum.

Education for Social Change

Centre for Youth Impact and Training

Led by Sulfeekar Aly P. K., more than 20 training programmes were conducted across Kozhikode and Malappuram in July, focused on teamwork, leadership and active citizenship through experiential learning.

Alumni Projects

3 SST alumni projects launched at Perumathura, Trivandrum

Three community action projects — a campaign against child labour, a women's education initiative and a back-to-school drive — were launched by SST 10 alumni in coastal Perumathura. Six alumni with an average age of 20 lead these, mentored by partner TwoByThree Foundation.

Achievements this month

5000+

Youth impacted

20+

Training events

10+

Projects with SST seed fund

Active SSTx projects

20+

Active SST projects

SST — School for Social Transformation · SSTx — SST in association with partner organisations.

Insights from the team

Transformation isn't a program, it's a process

If there's one thing running leadership programmes for youngsters has taught me, it's that we've grown obsessed with speed — fast results, quick wins, instant transformation. But young people don't grow like that, and honestly, neither do any of us.

I've watched fellows walk into our programmes unsure of themselves, quiet, hesitant, unsure if they even belonged in the room — and I've watched some of them take years, not weeks, to become who that experience nudged them toward. I remember fellows who broke down mid-way, convinced they weren't cut out for it, only to return a year later leading their own initiatives back home.

The programmes were never the transformation itself. They were a spark. What came after — the failures, the reflections, the mentors who stuck around, the friendships that outlasted the programme — that's where the real shift happened.

We keep trying to fit growth into neat programme cycles because that's what funders and frameworks demand. But people aren't KPIs. They need space to stumble, circle back, question things and rebuild slowly.

Maybe our job isn't to "transform" young people in a fixed window. Maybe it's to walk alongside them long enough that they transform themselves, on their own time, in their own way.

— Abhilash John, Co-Founder, The Ignite Foundation

Opinion · Founder perspective

Mission vs Vision: 5 key differences every changemaker should know

Many organisations use mission and vision interchangeably, but they serve distinct purposes. A mission defines what an organisation does today — its purpose, the people it serves and how it creates value. A vision describes the future the organisation wants to create: aspirational, long-term, directional.

•Mission focuses on the present; Vision focuses on the future.
•Mission is action-oriented; Vision is aspiration-oriented.
•Mission guides day-to-day operations; Vision shapes long-term strategy.
•Mission is practical and measurable; Vision is inspirational and ambitious.
•Mission explains the organisation's role; Vision describes the change it seeks to achieve.

A strong mission and vision work together: the mission keeps an organisation grounded in daily work, while the vision ensures those efforts add up to meaningful long-term impact. — Jaseel C. K.

Testimonial

"I had been planning to organise a learning programme for social work students and recent graduates for quite some time. Changemakers Ashram became the ideal venue — offering an immersive space for grassroots learning, community engagement and partnerships."

— Thufail Pilakkal, Assistant Professor & coordinator, Social Work Student Camp

Fundraiser

Help us represent India at United Nations COP17

The Ignite Foundation has received an official invitation to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) COP 17 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 17–28 August 2026. Jaseel C. K. and Ijas Hakkim will showcase youth-led innovations and community-driven environmental initiatives from Kerala while building global partnerships.

As a young non-profit, international participation is a significant financial challenge. We invite individuals, institutions and well-wishers to support our travel and participation costs.

Contribute now

Event spotlight

Demo Day — SSTx TinkerHub, Solve4Public Lab

SSTx are collaborative programmes that adapt the SST methodology. In partnership with the TinkerHub Foundation, we hosted the Solve4Public Lab, where young people identified challenges in Local Self Government and panchayat contexts, engaged with community stakeholders and built working prototypes through a human-centred design process. Demo Day is on 1 August 2026, with prototypes presented to an invited audience including Dr. Divya S. Iyer IAS, Principal Secretary, Local Self Government Department, Government of Kerala.

Impact story

Documenting environmental change in Munroe Island

Munroe Island — eight islands where the Kallada River meets Ashtamudi Lake in Kollam — has seen decades of environmental change: increasing tidal flooding, land erosion, saltwater intrusion and loss of habitable land, linked to sea level rise, changes in river flow and human interventions in the ecosystem.

Muhzina, an alumna of the University of Delhi from Kollam, chose Munroe Island for her ethnographic film. Rather than external narration or expert opinion, the film documents local knowledge and lived experience — residents speaking about changing water levels, disappearing land, shifting livelihoods and memories of places altered over time.

"Munroe Island isn't sinking in the abstract — it's sinking under someone's feet. I wanted the film to hold space for their voices first, before any data or explanation. Their stories are the evidence."— Muhzina

Muhzina plans to screen the documentary in educational institutions, community spaces and public forums, followed by discussions on climate change and vulnerable ecosystems. Organisations interested in hosting a screening may contact her at +91 77366 89071.