Aug 2022 - Present · Dehradun
Learning Architect & Senior Program Manager, Education
Project FUELFour years of building wisdom-based learning — curricula, playdates, playbooks and one art installation that travelled to Hamburg.
DEHRADUN, INDIA
Aakansha
Kedia
a chaat masala girl in a truffle oil world
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I design learning experiences, playful gatherings and little interludes to navigate the messy business of being human.
My work sits at the intersection of learning, facilitation, play and human connection. I spent the last 13 years working within social impact and education - from co-founding a social enterprise and building a mentoring programme for low-income communities, to developing curricula and tools for students, educators around human wisdom, and creating gatherings for people to pause, play and become perspective-rich.
Let’s turn complicated ideas into experiences people can actually enter and play with!
The impact created*
*with the help of an awesome tribe of humans
Facilitated multicultural educational projects
20+ schools across India, Tanzania and Pittsburgh through the Wisdom Corridor Project (opens in a new tab)
Widened access to education for children with disabilities
700 direct students and 13,000+ indirectly at Jai Vakeel Foundation (opens in a new tab)
Brought young Indians to the ballot box for the first time
40,000 first-time voters enrolled through Operation Black Dot (opens in a new tab)
Designed spaces for people to gather, reflect and play
10+ Wisdom Playdates, FUEL Open Studio (opens in a new tab) and 20+ Substack posts (opens in a new tab)
Co-founded a mentoring programme that built life-skills in under-resouced communities.
500+ children across Mumbai & Ahmedabad mentored by young professionals through The Green Batti Project (opens in a new tab).
Where I’ve worked
tap a card for the whole story
Project FUELOct 2018 – Jul 2022 · Mumbai
Manager, CEO’s Office
Jai Vakeel FoundationStrategy beside the CEO, and the research muscle behind it — inclusion campaigns, evaluation systems, a pandemic-born digital library.
Jun 2014 – Nov 2015 · Mumbai
Co-Founder
The Green Batti ProjectStarted a mentoring programme from scratch and grew it into a second city inside a year.
Aug 2013 – Aug 2014 · Mumbai
Executive, Brand Communications
DDB Mudra GroupThe advertising years — youth campaigns, student brand managers, and India’s largest first-time-voter drive.
What I studied
and what I made while I was there
2016 – 2018 · Melbourne
Master of International Development Practice
Monash University
Led the MIDP Student Association; produced a research thesis that received High Distinction; selected for field research in Malaysia using qualitative and ethnographic methods.
2010 – 2013 · Mumbai
Bachelor of Mass Media
Kishinchand Chellaram College
Researched and produced two documentaries, on the ‘Dhobi’ subculture and India’s firework industry.
Passing on
stages, panels, masterclasses
- FacilitatorStarter Program, The Circle India
- MasterclassYouth Ambassador Program, HundrED
- MasterclassThe Schools of Tomorrow (SoT) Conference
- SpeakerWomen Leadership Forum of Asia (WLFA) – NGOs Driving D&I Impact
- SpeakerASB Unplugged, American School of Bombay – Impact Series
- PanellistDialog, Global Youth Forum – People in Their 20s Achieving Their Dreams
Gathering sparks
communities of practice
- Selected Participant, Role of Elders in Nurturing Civic Values — a global collaboration anchored by The Wellbeing Project, Georgetown University, exploring wisdom and intergenerational learning in civic life.
- Global Member, Cogenerate’s Community of Practice on Social Isolation and Loneliness — an innovators’ community focused on relational, community-led responses to social fragmentation.
Things I upskilled in, along the way
professional development
Accelerated Leadership Program
Stillwater Consulting
identifying limiting beliefs and behaviours to build a life of meaning
Positive Intelligence Program
Shirzad Chamine
self-regulation and resilience for effective leadership
Lean Six Sigma Training
Genpact
continuous process improvement and optimization
Social Impact Measurement Training
4th Wheel
program evaluation and impact assessment
Essentials Program
BecauseYou
mental health and self-care for wellbeing
Other explorations
internships & volunteering
Internships
- UNICEF Australia — Christmas Casual Fundraising
- The British Council — External Relations & Programmes
- National Centre for the Performing Arts — Marketing & Outreach
- PR Pundit — Public Relations
- Aidem Ventures — Operations
- Shutters Advertising — Client Servicing
Volunteering
- English Tutor, Solidarity For Our Struggles
- Mentor, Inspire Someone Today Community
- Mentor, SDG School 2023
- Spoken English tutor for a first-generation learner
- 9th Sankalp Global Summit 2017
- United Nations Young Changemakers Conclave
- Extra-curricular facilitation for 150 students in Dharavi, Mumbai