What is the NextGen forum? All about Chennai’s upcoming well-being conclave

The NextGen Forum initiative by The Kindness Foundation How many times have you spoken to a young person and felt that their world view seemed very different from yours?The gap between generations can feel wider than it really is. The NextGen Forum, billed as India’s first co-created youth safety and wellbeing conclave, aims to bridge some of this divide. This two-day initiative on November 13 and 14 by The Kindness Foundation brings together young people, educators, and changemakers to address many aspects relating to the younger generation.The forum is built around a simple belief: young people are the experts on their own lives. “Most conversations about youth safety happen about them, not with them. We want to reverse that,” explains Mahima Poddar, founder of the foundation.The first day will focus on the perspectives of students aged 11 to 17. The second day will bring together changemakers to listen and respond. “Together, they will shape a co-created white paper, so that young people’s opinions lead to practical changes instead of being limited to the room,” she explains.Featuring speakers from diverse fields, it seeks to address five areas: psychological and emotional wellbeing, boundaries, autonomy and belonging, digital and social risk literacy, health and development awareness; and legal responsibility and institutional accountability.The forum was not the result of a single moment, but rather something Mahima observed over years of working with young people and adults around them. “I kept seeing two gaps,” she explains, “The first is between adults and young people: we often don’t really understand what they’re going through, or how they see the world. The second is between adults themselves. Parents, schools, counsellors and the police each do important work, but are rarely in conversation with one another. When we don’t understand young people, and don’t talk to each other, they slip through the cracks.”The pandemic and online means of communication led to more fractures, something that the forum seeks to address, with hands-on activities and an open Town Hall. “In a room with peers, they can think aloud, change their minds, disagree kindly, and be heard without being judged by numbers. Students will create and vote together. We want them to leave, knowing their voice carries weight offline too,” Mahima concludes.The NextGen Forum will take place on November13 and 14 at Taj Coromandel. For details, 9344502996 or visit www.thekindnessfoundation.in/the-nextgen-forum Published - November 04, 2026 02:52 pm IST