It’s almost 2018 and what a better way to close the year than to celebrate the best, most path-breaking stories on Youth Ki Awaaz!
Over 2017, YKA saw some of the best stories on the internet that truly represent the Indian youth’s voice. These stories, by users just like you, have sparked debate, positive conversations, and in many cases, created real and tangible impact.
This story was read by almost 60,000 users, many of whom tweeted out their support to the Jharkhand government.
The story went viral, and within days, Union Sports Minister Vijay Goel said that Assam Government will be appointing her as an archery coach.
This powerful story was read by over 120K people and sparked a vital conversation around women’s rights.
Read and shared by 128K readers, this powerful narrative forced us to acknowledge a harsh truth.
With over 184K views, this story is the most-read Hindi story on YKA in 2017.
The most-read story on YKA in 2017 with over half a million views, the story was noticed by the Nepal govt. that promised to take action. The author of the story, Soma Basu, was also awarded the prestigious Kurt Schork Memorial Award under the Local Reporter category.
As part of Let’s Talk, a campaign on awareness about depression with WHO, hundreds of YKA users sent in powerful narratives that reinforced the importance of keeping the conversation going.
Spreading awareness about menstrual hygiene, Youth Ki Awaaz’s campaign #IAmNotDown received hundreds of powerful stories from users who demanded tax-free sanitary napkins for every last woman.
Read over 94K times, the story started an important conversation on the much-hushed topic of women’s sexuality and desires.
Zainab’s story broke the silence around an issue that many would consider ‘too controversial’ for even menstruation. Read by more than 52,000 people, it boldly called out the stigma and religious restrictions that force women to compromise on their health.
While Indians are a lot more open about sex, discussing kinks and desires that aren’t seen as ‘normal’ are still not matters to be discussed. This post sparked an active conversation on social media.
Soon after the report was published, Dr. Ashwini Parashar, who started the campaign to save the village was invited to a summit where he featured YKA’s video story. Alongside, the MP High Court instructed the state government to take action immediately.
Apart from receiving overwhelming support for her stories and being extremely vocal against online harassment, Simran started a campaign to address the issue and held a protest that was supported by Shashi Tharoor, Shehzad Poonawalla, R Madhavan and Kavita Krishnan.
Within hours, Isha’s story went viral and got the Mumbai police’s attention. A formal complaint was filed, and the perpetrator caught.
The story resonated with over 124K readers who read and shared it ahead, reinforcing the fact that each issue, as small as it seems, affects more people than you think. It just takes one person to speak up.
After #MeToo broke out on the social media, several YKA users shared their stories of harassment.
Gurmehar is a regular columnist on YKA and her stories can be found at #MeharSpeaks.
Garnering almost 170K page views, the tell-all survey shared fascinating insights into women’s sexuality, sparking active conversation on social media.
Active users from Mumbai have been consistently writing about the dangers of deforesting Aarey forests on YKA. Their stories have been getting immense support.
The story went viral immediately and has been quoted in many mainstream publications.
With over 226K views and shares, thousands reached out to express their shock and offered to help bring an end to this practice.
Your words, your stories have undeniable power, and we hope you use this power to make the world better in 2018.