Ramakka’s journey in the field of Youth Work began as long as 18 years ago. Coming from a small town called Dodballapur, she completed her Master’s in Hindi and her love for the language led her to teach the subject at a school. It is in Dodbollabur that she happened to engage with our YRC as a student. After a few years, equipped with the understanding of social justice and convinced about the need to work with young people, Ramakka joined Samvada first as an apprentice and then moved on to be a Youth Mentor and Centere in charge at Dodbollapur for nearly 12 years. She is currently the Programme Lead of the Sahayana Programme that guides all activities associated with the YRC’s. She also plays an important role in promoting Youth Work and training youth workers. Apart from her work at Samvada, Ramakka is also the Director of Mahila Samaja and is associated with the Kannada Sahitya Parishad. She is active within the local Dalit Movements as well. In recognition of her contribution to Youth Work, she received the Kannada Rajyotsava Prashasti Award in 2012. Ramakka also dabbles in poetry and is into sketching abstract forms.

Meet Elango Stanislaus, an accomplished professional currently serving as Associate Lead at Sahayana while pursuing his PhD at the University of Mysore. With a dedicated involvement in youth-related initiatives since 1995, Elango is deeply passionate about equipping young minds with the knowledge and skills to address social issues. His extensive background includes roles as a faculty member at the Department of Social Work, Bengaluru City University, St, Joseph’s Evening College and St. Joseph’s College. He also served as an NSS Program Officer and Head of PeoplePro Foundation with a special focus on Corporate Social Responsibility. Elango is a prolific writer, contributing to various forums on crucial topics such as Dalit youth leadership, gender perspectives, and caste and class. He possesses exceptional skills in project writing and fundraising, further amplifying his impact in empowering youth for social change.

Manjula Sunil belongs to Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka. She has done her M A in Sociology and Postgraduate diploma in counselling. She joined Samvada in 2018 as a youth mentor at Samvada’s Youth Resource Centre in Mangalore and at present working as Centre Convener. Her key area of strength is facilitating training on the issues of – gender, violence against women, communication, team building, and personality development. She is part of Hitha Resource Unit, Mangalore, and through it has worked on designing and implementing major training projects entitled ‘Ghanatheya Baduku’ for Post-Graduation students of Akkamahadevi Women’s University, Vijayapura; ‘Chandada Baduku’ training for around 3000 adolescent Girls and Boys for UNICEF Koppal project and series of Trainings for a group of young women on gender and life skill education for Azim Premji Foundation, Yadgir. She has worked as the Manager –Implementation for VAWG (Violence against women& girls) Program Karnataka from 2012 to 2014. Manjula is an active member of Mahila Dourjanya Verodhi Vedike Karnataka. She has written a script on sexual harassment which is widely used as a single person performance. She is very sensitive in her approach and deeply committed to work.

After completing a Master’s in English Literature from Tumkur University followed by a B.Ed., Nethra began her journey as a teacher at Deeksha School. But, unsatisfied by the monotonous and mechanical modes of teaching, she decided to quit and joined Signa, a youth focussed organisation in Tumkur. At Signa, she worked intensely with youth for two years, facilitating their learning and leadership journeys. Committed to working with young people and women, she finds it very satisfying to see them build their lives, pursue their education, fight for their rights and work towards building a sustainable world. Currently, at Samvada, she works as a youth mentor at the Chitradurga Youth Resource Centre. You may often find her seemingly quiet, but she has a witty and uproarious sense of humor and takes pleasure in the little things of life. An avid reader, Nethra also loves to travel and explore new places.

Manjunath comes from the Tumkur district of Karnataka. He has completed B Ed from Tumkur University followed by an MA from Karnataka State Open University, Mysore. Following his studies, he joined the Children’s Movement for Civic awareness as a facilitator. Manjunath ended up in social work by chance. He credits an evening school he started back home with bringing him to the field. He has served as the president of the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Youth Club and conducted various activities for the youth. He is currently serving on the advisory board of the Hombale trust. Manjunath’s thematic area of interest is life skills. He wishes to expand his knowledge and teach the same to young people. He aspires to be a good facilitator, resource person and an entrepreneur. Manjunath enjoys working as the youth mentor at Samvada’s Kolar Youth Resource Centre especially because the role allows him to spend time with the youth, enabling him to bring changes in their lives and mentor them to be good leaders. Agriculture is close to his heart; he spends his free time and actively makes time to practice agriculture.

Nagesh hails from a little village called Kallahangara in Kalaburagi Taluk of Karnataka. He holds an MA in Political Science from Dharwad Karnataka University. His hobbies and interests include- writing songs, singing, creative writing, participating in movements that encourage social change based on progressive thoughts and reading, any chance he gets. He dreams of world without casteism and classism- an inclusive world free from discrimination. In fact, Nagesh has decided to make it his life’s goal to dedicatedly work towards building such a world. Therefore, values such as sustainable development, social justice, gender equality- which are central to the Indian Constitution are also pillars of strength for Nagesh. The role of Centre Convenor at Samvada’s Kalaburagi Youth Resource Centre enables him to bring these values into his work while fulfilling his dream of manifesting the vision he has for a just and sustainable world.

Sanjeev hails from the Raichur district of Karnataka. He completed his MA in Mass Communication and Journalism from Bangalore University in 2017. He worked as a copy editor at the head office of a leading Kannada daily, Prajavani in 2019. Sanjeev has been working at Samvada’s Kalaburagi Youth Resource Centre (YRC) as a youth mentor since February 2022. At the YRC, he does not miss an opportunity to sing and encourage singing! He is keen to facilitate discussions with youth on gender sensitivity and untouchability. Theatre and writing are close to his heart. In fact, he is currently on a mission to collate stories and poems that encapsulate the suffering of the marginalized people.Sanjeev enjoys watching and reviewing movies and plays.

Dilshad hails from the Belagavi district of Karnataka. She began working at a young age to fund her education and now holds over eight years of experience in the field of social work. While working part-time with Jagruthi, a non-profit organization focused on education, she identified key gaps in the system. Her long-term dream is to contribute to policy-making that positively transforms the education sector. Over the years, Dilshad has engaged in a wide range of initiatives—surveying school dropouts, advocating for social security for pregnant women and mothers, campaigning for child rights, and raising awareness on voting rights, health, and domestic violence. She has also been part of successful campaigns addressing issues such as child marriage, violence against women, and organic farming. Confident in her creative abilities, she can direct and organize street plays on socially relevant issues. Her artistic interests include mono-acting, dance, singing, learning Kabir’s songs, reading, and writing. Dilshad earned her MSW in Community Development from Rani Chennamma University, Belagavi, in 2018. She is an alumna of the leadership programme conducted by Disom Foundation, has completed the youth work course by Samvada, and began her journey at Samvada’s Kalaburagi Youth Resource Center as a Youth Mentor. She later served as the Center Convenor and now works as a Senior Program Associate at the same Youth Resource Center.

Pavithra hails from Bantwal Taluk of Dakshina Kannada. She completed her BSW from the School of Social Work Roshni Nilaya, Mangaluru and completed her MSW from Indira Gandhi Open University, Delhi (IGNOU). She has immense experience in working for Child Rights, human rights, gender discrimination, life skills, violence against women, and laws related to women. She started her journey by working for three years in Childline 1098 as a field worker. Then she briefly worked as an office assistant at Hitha Resource Unit, Mangaluru and her work gave her exposure to how people are treated based on their caste, class, gender, and religion. She is also part of the Karnataka Rajya Mahila Daurjanya Virodhi Okkuta since 2014 and her solo performance of the play ‘Blue Ribbon’ on sexual violence was part of Arivina Payana. She is also a core member of the Tharikita Kala Kammata theatre group, where they use different art forms to raise awareness about social and environmental issues. She believes her field workdays still remains her biggest asset. Presently she is working as a youth mentor at the Mangalore YRC. Working with the youth every day makes her happy and motivates her. When she isn’t at work, she finds joy in Stitching and Embroidery and performing Yakshagana which is a regional dance form that originated in Dakshina Kannada.

Yogish MalligeMaadu holds a Master's degree in Social Work and an MA in Kannada Literature. He has extensive experience in social work, having served as the City Coordinator for CHILDLINE - 1098 in Dakshina Kannada, MSM Counsellor at HKNS, and Program Manager at Inchara Foundation. An expert in child rights, Yogish has conducted numerous training sessions for district-level officers, parents, NGO personnel, teachers, students, and elected representatives on critical topics like child rights, the POCSO Act, and child protection systems. Beyond his professional endeavors, Yogish is passionate about writing and reciting poetry, experimenting with culinary arts, and exploring diverse cuisines.

After completing her post-graduation in Journalism from the University of Mysore, Sabeena gained extensive experience working as a reporter and sub-editor at Prajavani newspaper for four years. She also served as a Chief Reporter for a web portal for a brief period. Now a mentor at Samvada’s Kolar Youth Resource Centre, Sabeena is passionate about travel, writing, theater, photography, short filmmaking, and reading. She loves sharing her experiences and skills with young minds, fostering creativity and engaging them in meaningful activities.

Based in Bangalore, Minimol holds an MA in Women's Studies and is currently pursuing a PhD with a focus on gender and tribal communities. With a strong passion for research, she has previously worked as a Research Associate at Pykus NGO and served as a Resident Caretaker at Sanvaad. Minimol's deep interest in gender issues and her enthusiasm for working with youth have led her to join Sahayana as a Youth Mentor, where she continues to inspire and guide young minds. Outside of her professional work, Minimol enjoys dancing, reading, and experimenting with cooking. She is committed to continuous learning and engaging in impactful research.

Ranjitha holds a Master’s degree in Economics and brings hands-on experience in grassroots mobilization and youth engagement. Prior to joining the Sahayana Youth Empowerment Programme, she worked as a Hobli Coordinator with Yuva Shakthi Karnataka for two years and served as a Project Executive at the Entrepreneurship Development Institute for nine months. Ranjitha is skilled in community mobilization and networking, and is passionate about working with young people. She has actively conducted awareness campaigns on the Indian Constitution and organized sports events to promote constitutional values. In her free time, Ranjitha enjoys gardening and reading books—interests that reflect her thoughtful and nurturing approach to both life and work.