The youth is what shapes a better tomorrow for any nation. Their energy, commitment and passion is often hard to match. But to channelise it in the right direction, it takes a visionary like the former Managing Director and CEO of Yes Bank Rana Kapoor, to make it happen.
With a grand vision in place, Rana Kapoor launched YES! I am the CHANGE initiative. This program – a social film making challenge where college going students were asked to make short films on social issues – touched a multitude of lives.
Introduced in 2013, this program exhibited great outcomes; The success implied that the struggles of those lacking basic amenities including access to education and health care got adequate awareness. This in turn started a chain reaction of encouraging the youth around the nation to participate in this noble initiative to lead social transformation.
By the turn of 2016, this project emerged as the largest social film making program. Interestingly, the campaign capped over 1.3 million registered participants from 2500 cities and towns across India. The number of short films submitted also crossed 40,000. And even though not all made it to the film festivals, the awareness drive undertaken by Rana Kapoor meant lives of those in need changed for good.
Apart from raising awareness and bringing to light the social causes, the project also induced a spark among the women of the society. In one of the short films named Aazaadi, the film portrayed the journey of a woman who runs a rickshaw company which inspired women at mass to stand neck-to-neck with men and work towards their dreams.
The impetus of the initiative also touched iDream Education and they were awarded for their recognition of Yes! I am the CHANGE initiative. In their short film named Play! Learn! Grow, a young child could be seen narrating that he learned from a tablet the ability to make a working model of a fan. Astonishingly, the fan was made out of waste items at his home.
In 2018, YES Foundation, the social development arm of Yes Bank, whilst launching the fifth edition of YES! i am the CHANGE also announced Rs 7.5 crore in support of NGOs. The bank explained that it would help 25-30 NGOs, which raise awareness in areas including climate change, livelihood generation and gender equality.
“YES Foundation would support these NGOs with grant of Rs 7.5 crore, for scaling up and capacity building. Additionally, grantee organisations will also receive three-year mentoring to ensure onground tangible social impact,” the bank affirmed in its statement.
The YES! I am the Change initiative under Rana Kapoor’s leadership had measurable impact on the awareness generation and resource mobilization for NGOs, while sensitizing and building awareness among the youth and creating life-long advocates in them on social issues affecting the country.
Perhaps, who could have done all this, but Rana Kapoor. From education to employment, gender equality and personal health, it was Kapoor who made each social cause ocular to the outside world. It was his determination that brought together thousands, despite numerous hardships along their way. Clearly, he is the man to draw inspiration from, and someone who will continue to inspire the youth for years to come.