I am Parul Yadav (she/her), 21, a recent Gargi College, University of Delhi graduate. Having studied both English Literature and Philosophy; I have been constantly working towards bringing a multi-disciplinary approach in building sustainable international development. Throughout my undergraduate 3 years – I have worked with the public, private and non-profit sector to tackle a variety of social issues with a specific focus on digital literacy, and women empowerment.

I have been sensitive to stories of injustice and the inability of the environment and vulnerable people to voice their concerns, seen or heard. That led me to gain knowledge from a comprehensive and international arena. Therefore, I am currently pursuing my higher education in Public Relation & Corporate Communications from Canada’s leading training grounds; Humber College.

With my foundational pillars of ‘volunteerism’, ‘neutrality’, ‘sustainability’ and ‘humanitarianism’ guiding the work I do, I want to voice out and showcase the importance of storytelling within the political and economic aspects of the world. This thought was the first triggered towards my research question. I wanted to understand whether only the aware and educated ones make or influence policy decisions, especially when every country has laws to make everyone accountable and responsible.

I also had the opportunity to work closely with the United Nations Populations Fund (UNPF) and Youth Humanitarian Leaders Bureau while engaging in formulating communication strategies for research about women in an Internet-mediated world and their role in using and understanding Technologies. I found that there was a huge gap and lack of information in imparting knowledge, skills and awareness amongst the marginalised strata.

Hence, I founded We Believe India, an initiative working towards creating a mentorship program that strengthens the confidence of women, provides them with opportunity, and connects them to a sustainable network. Members here were trained on sustainable partnership building, community strengthening, curriculum implementation, trauma-informed responses, and classroom best practices. In addition to being classroom facilitators, We Believe India members receive professional coaching, leadership training, internship and scholarship opportunities.

I have also volunteered with IABC Toronto, Girls (20) Toronto, and Canadian Women Action Center. My niche for developing media relations and actively being engaged in mobilising public relations policies is a major professional goal. The interdisciplinary nature of PR is especially attractive to me, as this will give me a much broader, more practical understanding of media and its regulatory aspects.

As a Global Peace Ambassador for the Global Peace Chain, I intend to assist in projecting my energy and fundamentalism towards identifying and addressing pressing issues of gender inequality and unskilled youth. It is so important to continue this process of engagement so that upcoming generations can sustain in a new system and structure that accelerates them towards more equitable experiences.