Introduction
Adolescents growing up in low-income, urban settlements often face layered emotional, social, and environmental challenges with limited access to supportive guidance. Project Raah is a life skills education initiative designed to address this gap for adolescents aged 10–15 years in Trilokpuri, Delhi. The program helps young participants build confidence, improve emotional regulation, and strengthen their communication and decision-making skills through interactive, activity-based sessions.
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Launched in 2024 as a pilot, Raah uses an age-appropriate, culturally contextualized life skills curriculum to support the social-emotional development of children navigating complex realities. The program fosters safer spaces where adolescents can explore their thoughts, build empathy, express themselves freely, and reflect on their actions and relationships.
Program Components
In its pilot year, 76 adolescents participated in life skills sessions under Project Raah. The curriculum covers ten core life skills identified by WHO as essential for adolescent well-being, including self-awareness, empathy, coping with emotions, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills. Sessions are facilitated through engaging methods such as group activities, theatre, visual art, storytelling, sports, and reflective dialogue.
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The program is tailored to the context of Trilokpuri and is co-designed with educators and mental health professionals to ensure emotional safety and relevance. Alongside the regular sessions, Raah implemented collaborative multi-day workshops on themes such as expression through art, resilience, and values-based decision-making—led by experienced facilitators from diverse fields.
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Parents and teachers noted significant improvements in children’s emotional expression, conflict resolution, and self-confidence. Many children also began actively participating in school and family discussions, demonstrating the positive ripple effect of safe, consistent life skills programming.
Impact (2024–25)
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76 adolescents engaged in structured life skills education
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Noticeable improvements in confidence, emotional expression, and peer relationships
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Development of a customized life skills curriculum for semi-urban low-income adolescents
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Positive behavioral changes reported by parents and teachers
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Conducted 5 expert-led workshops and collaborative sessions on empathy, expression, and decision-making
Story of Change
Twelve-year-old Irfan was known in the classroom as a mischievous, high-energy student who rarely sat still. Often seen as disruptive, he didn’t always appear to be paying attention. But during a reflection circle after a short break in the sessions, Irfan shared something unexpected.
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He told the facilitator that he had been thinking about a recent session on empathy. During the break, he saw a man scolding a young girl who had mistakenly walked toward a men’s washroom. Irfan stepped in and explained to the man that she may not have been able to read the sign. His quiet act of advocacy reflected a deep internalization of the lesson. What was once dismissed as restlessness had become reflective action.
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This small moment showed the heart of what Raah aims to build: not just knowledge of life skills, but the courage and emotional insight to apply them beyond the classroom. For Irfan, and many others, Raah became a path of transformation—toward self-awareness, empathy, and empowered decision-making.
Challenges (2024-25)
One of the key challenges in Raah’s first year was ensuring regular attendance and engagement. Many students from Trilokpuri live in unstable environments or carry household responsibilities, making consistent participation difficult. Another challenge is scaling the program to more schools or NGOs in the area while preserving the quality of facilitation. Life skills education requires empathetic, well-trained facilitators who can hold emotionally safe spaces for adolescents—a capacity that must grow alongside expansion efforts.