Support A Young Girls Leadership Academy in India

CREA's SELF Academy has long served as a transformative platform for nurturing young women leaders by strengthening their understanding of gender justice, rights, leadership, and collective action. The journeys of Nisha Kumari Gupta and Mridula Kumari demonstrate the lasting impact of this investment in leadership development and how early exposure to feminist principles can create pathways for sustained social engagement and community leadership. Both Nisha and Mridula participated in CREA's SELF Academy at different stages of their personal and professional journeys. Through the Academy, they gained critical knowledge on gender equality, constitutional rights, leadership, communication and community engagement. More importantly the programme provided a safe and empowering space where they could build confidence, develop a feminist perspective and envision themselves as agents of change within their communities.

Nisha Kumari Gupta: Strengthening a Commitment to Community Leadership

Nisha Kumari Gupta, a young leader from Janipur, Patna, participated in CREA's SELF Academy in 2016. The experience helped shape her understanding of gender justice and community leadership at an early age. Building on these foundations, Nisha went on to actively engage with community-based organisations and feminist collectives. She worked with Love Matters between 2020 and 2022 and later joined the Eva Foundation, where she has been working since 2022. She also became actively involved with Gaurav Gramin Mahila Vikas Manch, further strengthening her engagement with grassroots women's leadership and rights-based initiatives. The confidence, leadership skills and feminist values nurtured through SELF Academy continued to guide Nisha's work. Recognising her commitment and potential, she applied for CREA's Roshni Fellowship and got selected. Through the fellowship, Nisha deepened her understanding of constitutional values and strengthened her advocacy and community mobilisation skills, enabling her to lead social action initiatives focused on adolescent girls and women in her community.

Mridula Kumari: Building Leadership Through Continued Learning

Mridula Kumari, from Mansurpur, Muzaffarpur, also represents the long-term impact of CREA's leadership development initiatives. A graduate and community mobiliser with Akanksha Sewa Sadan, Mridula's participation in the 2024 SELF Academy helped strengthen her confidence, leadership abilities and commitment to social justice. It encouraged her to view community challenges through a rights-based and gender-sensitive lens and inspired her to take a more active role in community mobilisation. Motivated by her desire to contribute to positive social change, Mridula applied to the Roshni Fellowship and was selected as a Fellow. During the programme, she further developed her leadership, advocacy and organising skills while engaging deeply with constitutional principles such as equality, justice, freedom, fraternity, and democracy. The fellowship provided opportunities for collective learning, mentorship and community-led action, enabling her to translate these values into meaningful initiatives within her community.

The Roshni Fellowship: Advancing Leadership Journeys

The CREA Roshni Programme (November 2024-October 2025) was designed to deepen the understanding and practice of constitutional values among women community leaders in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Through mentorship, leadership development, collective learning and social action projects, the programme equipped Fellows with the knowledge and skills required to become advocates for constitutional rights and social justice. For both Nisha and Mridula, the fellowship represented not the beginning of their leadership journeys but the next step in a continuum of learning and action that began with SELF Academy. Their selection reflected the growth they had demonstrated over the years and their continued commitment to advancing gender equality and community empowerment. 

As a Roshni Fellow, Nisha led a social action project focused on improving adolescent girls' education and health. She conducted awareness and counselling sessions with girls and community members, addressing issues related to education, health and gender equality. To strengthen community support for girls' rights, she collaborated with PRI members, Panchayat Pradhans, teachers, ASHA workers, and NGO representatives. Through these efforts, her project reached 15–20 families and approximately 90 community members, contributing to greater awareness of gender equality, education, and health.

Mridula implemented a social action project aimed at supporting school dropout girls through awareness-building, counselling and re-enrolment efforts. Her project directly benefited 30 girls, helping them reconnect with educational opportunities. She engaged 35 stakeholders, including teachers, health workers, PRI members and NGO representatives, to create a supportive environment for girls' education. Additionally, the project reached 42 family and community members, promoting awareness of education and gender equality and encouraging collective action to support girls' continued learning.

Creating a Leadership Continuum

The stories of Nisha and Mridula highlight the importance of sustained investment in young women's leadership. SELF Academy provided the foundational knowledge, confidence, and feminist perspective that enabled them to pursue opportunities for deeper engagement and leadership. The Roshni Fellowship then built upon this foundation, strengthening their capacity to advocate, mobilise communities, and address issues affecting women and girls. Their journeys illustrate CREA's leadership development approach as a continuum rather than a one-time intervention. By creating multiple opportunities for learning, reflection, mentorship, and action, CREA supports young women to grow into confident leaders who can influence change within their communities. Nisha and Mridula exemplify this pathway of transformation from participants in a leadership programme to community leaders and changemakers who continue to advance constitutional values, gender justice and social inclusion. Their experiences demonstrate that when young women are provided with sustained support, opportunities for learning and spaces for leadership, they are empowered not only to transform their own lives but also to contribute meaningfully to broader social change.