More Power to the Youth! India Hosts Innovate for Good

This story was originally posted on the Microsoft India Blog on 9 May.

Over 100 enthusiastic youth from 10 states across India participated inthe first ever Innovate for Good @India Summit in New Delhi in April. The action-packed event harnessed the collective power of Microsoft India toinspire positive change and collaboration among the next generation. 

When Poornima, a youth participant from Delhi at the two-day summit declared that the event had reinforced her plan to go back and work with a non-profit organization, the crowd cheered! It cheered again, when another participant, Natasha Taraporewala from Pune, stated that she wants to change society’s approach to dealing with disabilities from a medical solution to a social one.

These are just a couple of the change-making instances that happened at the first India edition of Innovate for Good that helped a cross section of young people collaborate, inspire and support each other by using technology.

Microsoft India invited over 100 youth beneficiaries from various Microsoft non-profit partners, youth organizations and others who have participated in Microsoft initiatives such as Project Jyoti and Imagine Cup.

The vibrant event, facilitated by Microsoft India’s event partner QUEST Alliance and hosted in partnership with the United States Department of State, Office of Global Youth Issues, aimed to provide the attendees with the skills to transform their ideas into viable social enterprises. To get a sense of the exciting proceedings, watch a video of the event and check the photo gallery. 

Arun Rajamani, Group Director, Public Sector, Microsoft India, presented the keynote address. He reiterated Microsoft’s commitment to the community, especially towards the youth of India through the YouthSpark initiative, and stressed the importance of skills training and developing a spirit of entrepreneurship in delivering a real impact for India. He personally committed to keeping engaged with the community and encouraged Microsoft employees to provide mentorship to the budding entrepreneurs.

Another major highlight of the event was the practice tests of the Microsoft Office Specialist certification exam along with free vouchers to take the final certification course. Going forward, successful participants will be encouraged to showcase their projects on the Innovate for Good online community and take part in the Seed Funding for Innovation challenge.

Microsoft is committed to creating opportunities for youth by providing access to tools, programmes and resources to help them realize their full potential. Innovate for Good brings together youth from around the world in local events and in a global online community to provide support for their ideas on making a difference. YouthSpark is a companywide initiative designed to empower hundreds of millions of youth globally and help them turn their innovative concepts into viable social ventures.