TED Talks Daily: "Want to make change? Let the kids tell their stories" | Anshul Tewari

Date: August 28, 2025
Speaker: Anshul Tewari
Recorded at: TED Countdown Summit Nairobi, Kenya

Episode Overview

In this inspiring TED Talk, social entrepreneur Anshul Tewari shares the transformative story of Youth Ki Awaaz ("Voice of the Youth"), a digital citizen media platform empowering India's youth to speak out on social issues. Tewari discusses how giving young people the tools and space to tell their own stories not only helps them find their voice but also delivers real change at both an individual and societal level. He explores the journey from personal frustration and isolation to building a massive movement for advocacy, storytelling, and collective impact—demonstrating the vital necessity of youth-driven narratives in tackling pressing problems like gender inequality and climate change.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Powerlessness of Youth—And the Need for Their Stories

[03:17 – 06:25]

• Tewari's Adolescence:

  • Felt "invisible" growing up in India, unable to relate to mainstream narratives:

    "I felt invisible and not like Harry Potter with an invisibility cloak. I actually felt really powerless." (03:18, Anshul Tewari)

  • Lack of representation for youth voices in media; focus only on academic achievement.
  • Cultural Silence:
    • Young people are discouraged from questioning, thinking critically, or speaking up.

• First Step: Personal Blogging

  • Began as a personal blog, writing about climate change.
  • Initial attempts at engagement met with minimal response ("a smiling emoji").

2. From Blog to Movement: Building a Platform

[06:25 – 09:15]

• Writer’s Training Program:

  • Only two applicants, but intensive focus on critical writing about "tough issues" (gender discrimination, climate change).
  • Writing catalyzed new questioning and activism among participants.

• Growing a Community:

  • Grassroots outreach (putting up posters, school/college visits).
  • Blog evolved into Youth Ki Awaaz, now India’s largest citizen media platform with 200,000+ young contributors monthly.

"This was not just young people coming together and ranting. This was young people coming together and telling stories that were not being told anywhere." (07:50, Anshul Tewari)

3. Real Change through Storytelling: Impactful Case Studies

[09:15 – 10:46]

• Ashwini in Rajghat:

  • Medical student, highlighted lack of infrastructure in rural Rajasthan.
  • His storytelling on Youth Ki Awaaz led to:
    • Attention from NGOs and government
    • Electricity and a school for the village
    • The first wedding in 22 years

• Jolly’s Story:

  • Wheelchair user facing inaccessible toilets; over a million people read her story in a week.
  • Result: Her workplace modified its facilities for accessibility.

• Raees in Kashmir:

  • Sparked a massive menstrual hygiene awareness campaign.

• Pranay’s Story:

  • Led to a large-scale government rescue during the Arab Spring:

    "His story led to the rescue of his father... 18,000 Indians were brought back to the country because his story made an impact." (10:25, Anshul Tewari)

• Key Insight:

  "These are not anomalies. We saw hundreds of them over the years... We were really building individual agencies. We were enabling a muscle, the muscle of change making." (10:42, Anshul Tewari)

4. Scaling Impact: From Individual to Collective Agency

[10:46 – 11:54]

• Complexity of Issues:

  • Contemporary problems like climate change are vast and difficult for individuals to address alone.

    "Climate change seemed like this faceless, shapeless, this mammoth of a beast that we just did not know what to do about." (10:53, Anshul Tewari)

• Zero Se Hero Campaign (2023):

  • Gathered thousands of youth stories into a national campaign around net zero.
  • Facilitated direct dialogues between young people and policymakers.
  • Resulted in a broader public and policy conversation about climate action.
  • Partnered with India's National Institute of Urban Affairs to create youth engagement frameworks for city-level climate decision-making (rolling out nationwide).

5. Making Change a Reflex for a New Generation

[11:54 – 12:28]

• Gen Z & Gen Alpha:
  • Often criticized, but Tewari asserts:

    "It's very important to build the reflex of change making as something that is as simple as texting a friend." (12:12, Anshul Tewari)

  • Launching AI-powered WhatsApp bot to pose one critical question a day to youth, making engagement habitual while collecting valuable data for policymakers.

6. Why Purposeful Platforms Matter

[12:28 – 12:56]

• Limitations of Regular Social Media:

  "Social media is not built for social change. It's built for vanity. It's not built for equity. Right. It's unfortunately built to enhance the loudest voice, not necessarily the most authentic." (12:36, Anshul Tewari)

• Call to Action:
  • Invest in authentic storytelling, collectivizing voices, and true community; create platforms designed for change, not likes.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Youth Disempowerment:

  "We grew up in this culture of silence. We are told, don't question, don't think critically, don't ask too much." (05:10, Anshul Tewari)

• On the Transformative Power of Storytelling:

  "The more they wrote, the more they began to question. They started acting. They started wondering why things were the way they were." (06:56, Anshul Tewari)

• On Youth’s Potential:

  "We were really building individual agencies. We were enabling a muscle, the muscle of change making." (10:42, Anshul Tewari)

• Advocacy for Next Gen:

  "I'm here for them. It's very important to stand for them." (12:01, Anshul Tewari)

• On Social Media’s Limits:

  "Social media is not built for social change. It's built for vanity. It's not built for equity." (12:36, Anshul Tewari)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:17 — Anshul Tewari begins; growing up feeling invisible
• 05:10 — Cultural pressure for silence among youth
• 06:25 — Launching the writer’s training program, slow beginnings
• 07:50 — Youth Ki Awaaz grows into India's largest citizen media
• 09:19 — Story of Ashwini and transformation in Rajghat
• 10:25 — Storytelling sparks real-world change: rescue, campaigns, accessibility
• 10:53 — Facing complex issues: climate change
• 11:23 — Launch of Zero Se Hero and national youth climate engagement
• 11:54 — Developing reflex of change making, using AI and WhatsApp
• 12:36 — The problem with conventional social media for social change

Conclusion

Anshul Tewari’s talk is a passionate call for youth empowerment through storytelling, showing how creating and sharing authentic, underrepresented narratives can build agency, change local communities, and even influence national policies. He urges investment in platforms and communities that foster genuine connection and change—proving that when young people are heard, real and lasting transformation is possible.