Instagram Rolls out Flagship Youth Programme with YLAC
The program is built around the idea of using arts for positive expression and advocacy, and is designed as an incubator for the future generation of leaders and activists.
Instagram, the photo and video-sharing social networking service owned by Facebook Inc, in association with Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC), launched its flagship youth programme - the Counter Speech Fellowship today. Coming to Kolkata for the second time in two years, the fellowship is a part of Instagram’s efforts to be the safest and kindest platform for teens to express themselves. Instagram, rolled out in October 2010 exclusively on iOS platform, was created by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger.
The Counter Speech Fellowship engages creative teens to use the power of visual storytelling to start meaningful conversations on issues that are important to young citizens around the world. The program is built around the idea of using arts for positive expression and advocacy, and is designed as an incubator for the future generation of leaders and activists. In 2019, the fellowship will be launched in Kolkata, Guwahati and Hyderabad and will focus on six themes - bullying, diversity, mental wellbeing, body positivity, gender equality and sustainability.
At the launch, Tara Bedi, Public Policy and Community Outreach Manager, Instagram, India, commented that for so many teens, Instagram is their favourite space for expressing themselves and sharing their passions and interests. The company feels it is their responsibility to ensure they have a safe and comfortable experience while doing so. The Counter Speech Fellowship is a way for them to facilitate positive conversations on issues that matter to teens, a safe space to voice their concerns and advocate for change, she said.
In the words of Rohit Kumar, Co-Founder, YLAC India that they believe in encouraging young people to lead the change needed in their society and therein lies their partnership with Instagram, which is the hub of all teen expression today. Through this fellowship, they are grooming the next generation of leaders to use their voice on social media to be a force for good and create communities of support around them. Many of their Counter Speech Alumni are now leading advocacy campaigns in their schools, colleges and communities around the issues that they feel passionately about, he said.
The fellowship was launched in 2017 and expanded to Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata in 2018. 180 teen leaders have graduated from the fellowship so far across these cities. All content will be posted on Instagram using the hashtag#CounterSpeechYLAC.
