We are talking about Palakh Khanna, an 18-year-old Youth Changemaker and Social Entrepreneur from India. Amongst the many things she is involved in, she is a mentor, teacher, environmentalist, published poet as well as the founder of a social organization called Break.The.Ice.
Talking about the organization and its working, she mentions how Break.The.Ice is working towards discussing all things taboo and helping in creating an enlightened youth community. The organization is based on various SDGs including SDG 4 i.e., providing quality education to all, SDG 5 i.e., achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls amongst others. Palakh believes that open dialogue and discussion can bridge the communication gap and ultimately help society grow as a whole. When asked about the inspiration to open the organization, she mentioned an incident in her life, where she overheard her domestic help talking to her mother and shying away from the topic of menstruation. It was this moment that made her realize there is a lack of a mechanism that is encouraging conversations that are considered “taboo” but at the end of the day essential and important. Coming from Indian society, she mentions how it was difficult to form an organization as a young girl since girls are expected to be homemakers. However, the support from her family and friends has been overwhelming and she’s truly thankful for the response from the audience as well.
Break.The.Ice has been doing well, as they reached more than 15,000 individuals through social media and crossed 40+ team members in the team in a matter of 3 months. An International Youth organization, it has members from over 7+ countries with young changemakers aged 13-25. Their recent achievements include becoming a UN SDSN Youth member organization and being featured by Lady Gaga’s foundation Born This Way under Channel Kindness.
Along with Break.The. Ice, Palakh is also actively involved in the social sphere as a UN Volunteer with V-Force India, a mentor under the Government of India’s “Desh ka Mentor” program as well as a Young Warrior in the Young Warrior movement initiated by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, YuWaah (Generation Unlimited India), and UNICEF India. She is a teacher for underprivileged children and is also actively working as a Global Lead Ambassador for climate change. She has received the honor of being featured at various prestigious platforms including The Entrepreneurs of India, The Emerging Icons as well as being interviewed by The Hindu. As someone who is extremely passionate about bringing change, Palakh looks forward to growing her community of active changemakers and creating a safe space for everyone across the globe. She wishes to grow as a person and help change society. As a message to the audience, Palakh reminds everyone to never limit themselves and always work towards something they are passionate about.