Non-profit organisation The Kindness Foundation is set to highlight youth safety and wellbeing at two-day Chennai conclave The NextGen Forum.
Taking place on November 13-14 at Taj Coromandel, Chennai, the event is India’s first co-created Youth Safety & Wellbeing Conclave, designed to move beyond conversations about young people and create space for conversations with them.
Intended to involve young people in conversations about topics that impact them, the forum will highlight young voices on Day 1, followed by cross-sector collaboration on Day 2.
Speaking of the event, Mahima Poddar, founder of The Kindness Foundation, says “Too often, conversations about young people’s safety happen without truly understanding what they are experiencing. We wanted to create a space where young people could speak openly about their realities, and where adults would come together not just to listen, but to reflect, question and respond. The real value lies in bringing these two perspectives together and ensuring that what young people share translates into practical change.”
On the first day, the programme designed around approximately 200 youth voices, bringing students from various Chennai schools to participate in activity tables, speaker sessions, a student town hall and an open mic for collaborative conversations.
Elements like a youth reporters’ video, a gallery and an experience zone further creates a safe space – led by rained facilitators – for honest, unfiltered dialogue around safety, identity, relationships, digital life and the pressures young people navigate.
The on 13–14 November will move from young people’s own voices on Day 1 to , with insights intended to inform a 2027 White Paper on Youth Safety & Wellbeing.
On Day 2, the event will bring a varied cross-section of people to help shape and support the lives of the youth. Set to engage more than 250 cross-sector leaders and participants across education, healthcare, mental health, law, policy, civil society, technology, industry, corporate social responsibility and edtech, alongside parents, families and young adults, the day is designed to be practical and educational.
While the Forum will address five interconnect areas spanning mental health and emotional wellbeing; Boundaries, consent and belonging; Digital safety and life online; Health and development; and Legal responsibility and institutional accountability, the NextGen Forum is intended to be an empowering initiative with its impact stretching far beyond the two-day event.
Beyond the conclave, the insights drawn from the event will form the basis of The Kindness Foundation’s planned 2027 publication, Youth Safety & Wellbeing: A Roadmap for Action – A Cross-Sector White Paper, contributing to longer-term ambitions where discussions translate into actions that can be adopted, adapted and sustained.
Building on a decade of The Kindness Foundation’s work across kindness, empathy and community initiatives, The NextGen Forum holds space for informed conversations around the wellbeing of youth.
Register and buy tickets to The NextGen Forum here.
(Images and graphics provided by The Kindness Foundation)
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