Learning for Civic Action Challenge
Seeding citizen problem-solvers
Activating and incubating the youth in India through grassroots mobilization and civic tech to become problem solving citizens through local - data, campaigns and solutions.
What is the name of your solution?
Seeding citizen problem-solvers
Provide a one-line summary of your solution.
Activating and incubating 10M youth in India through grass mobilisation and civic tech to become citizen problem solvers at a hyper-local level through local data, local campaigns & local solutions.
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
Our focus is on tackling the issue of limited youth citizen participation in India's problem-solving processes. Despite being the world's largest democracy, India faces a significant shortfall in citizen engagement, especially among the youth. Currently, less than 1% of the population in any given city actively participates in addressing hyperlocal problems. This lack of involvement can lead to misaligned solutions, as they may not fully address the unique needs and context of the affected communities.
According to The Janagraha-Brown India Citizenship Study Index, a mere 5.8% of respondents deemed "being involved in your community" as a crucial civic responsibility. This limited engagement obstructs our understanding of problems in their hyperlocal context and hinders the development of customised solutions catering to specific community needs.
The need for increased youth citizen participation becomes even more critical in light of two key factors:
Government understaffing: India faces a stark shortage of public officials, with only 3.8% of the workforce in this sector compared to 13.5% in the US and 28% in China. For every 10,000 citizens in New York, there are 625 officials, in contrast to only 83 in the state of Karnataka in India. This understaffing limits the government's capacity to address issues effectively, creating a vacuum that can be filled by active citizens. They can act as human sensors, solution providers, and custodians, complementing the efforts of the government.
Youth under-skilling: A concerning 53% of adolescents in India lack the essential 21st-century skills needed to thrive in the global world, as per a UNICEF report. This skills gap among young people limits their ability to effectively address climate change, civic issues, and other challenges.
Our mission is to bridge these gaps and build a generation of young, engaged, and skilled citizens who are capable of addressing India's complex, hyperlocal issues. By facilitating increased youth participation, we can ensure that solutions are community-driven, context-specific, and adequately address the unique needs of the affected populations. Thus, we aim to transform India's youth into active contributors to their communities, equipped with the skills and knowledge to drive meaningful change.
What is your solution?
Our goal is to empower citizens and help them develop their civic muscle by taking action, such as reporting, building, and campaigning.
We believe that youth citizens hold the power to drive change when they actively participate in their communities. By combining the strength of action-driven youth citizens with technology, we are transforming the way youth in India engage with climate and civic issues from the ground up. Our approach is rooted in empowering locals, utilising data and finding solutions, all fueled by consistent action. We are creating a new democratic language to tackle climate and civic change, emphasising ACTION! Citizens can make a difference by:
Reporting local issues and providing input on local policies.
Crowdsourcing data to better understand the challenges.
Building and sharing local solutions to address the issues at hand.
Initiating and joining local campaigns for collective impact.
Mentoring fellow citizens to encourage their active participation.
We support these youth citizens on the ground and through technology to become action-based citizens through five supporting levers:
Network of local mentors: Reap Benefit plays the role of an active mentor to support youth discover, investigate, research existing solutions or build and implement new ones among community members to resolve local civic and climate issues
Peer Community: The engaged youth have access to a broader community seeking to solve similar civic and climate issues in their communities. The community will help them learn from local action takers, building a youth movement to resolve issues and collaborate with other like minded individuals to create task forces to address local issues
Knowledge Toolkits and Solutions: Our young problem-solvers have built 550+ civic and climate solutions- technology and non-technology based and contributed towards building a repository of ~40 problem solving playbooks and toolkits
Access to local data: Easily formatted data to view and act on makes it functional for citizens to engage meaningfully and sustainably. Data drives attention towards pertinent problems & facilitates a process for community level agency, multi stakeholder collaboration, planning & ownership. We have over 61,000 crowdsourced data points on civic and climate indicators.
Consistent behaviour nudges: Through grassroots engagement and technology, behaviour nudges are initiated to trigger civic and climate actions. For example, Reap Benefit, given the youth target group, adopts a gamified approach to initiate action. Confirmation bias through success of civic solutions builds the consistency of actions being taken by the users. Through experiments conducted last year on introducing behaviour sciences into nudges sent to citizens to take action, we are seeing a ~30 engagement rate- this is much higher than ~10% industry benchmark
We have built a technology platform (Ninja platform) which has ~100,000 users (called Ninjas) in 21 states with a ~30% average engagement rate and uses the 5 levers as mentioned above. Some unique features of the platform:
Changemaker Portfolio - a Github repository of civic and climate actions taken linked to 21st century skills like problem-solving developed for each Ninja.
Leaderboard- A detailed dashboard with information about Ninjas, actions, check-in trends across different cities and regions.
Samaaj Data - an open source platform for rapidly building hyper-local data with heat maps and geo-boundaries
Forum - A quora for civic and climate problem solving
With our grassroots engagement and civic technology, supported by the 5 levers we will increase not only civic participation but we have been able to demonstrate increase in 21st century skills and have developed community based public goods.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
We are dedicated to empowering underserved adolescents and youth aged 10 to 24 in India, who currently lack opportunities for experiential learning, particularly in the areas of climate and civic actions. These young individuals often lack the necessary knowledge and resources to become effective problem solvers in their communities. Less than 50% of India's 300 million youth is projected to have the right skills needed to thrive in the world of work. India, however, has one of the highest mobile phone penetration which allows for simple tech access to most people. Which opens up the opportunity to tackle this problem using technology.
Our technology platform has been instrumental in directly improving the lives of these young people. Through this platform, we have empowered:
112,018 individuals
94,000+ actions taken
5.6 lakh data points contributed
3,143 campaigns initiated
552 innovative solutions developed
One inspiring success story is that of Taanika Shankar, a 14-year-old who joined Reap Benefit in 2014. Taanika successfully implemented four low-cost DIY waste, water, and sanitation interventions at a government school. Over the course of two years, she launched a campaign to reduce waste generation and donated 90 kilograms of electronic waste. Inspired by her firsthand experience as a local climate and civic problem solver, Taanika went on to establish 'Yugma Network,' a youth movement dedicated to achieving environmental justice at the grassroots level. Through her persistent efforts and campaigns, she successfully established an environmental justice clinic, involving young lawyers who filed public interest litigations (PILs) and made information accessible. Taanika's story represents just one example of how our engagement drives environmental savings and fosters the development of 21st-century skills, ultimately leading to resilient communities in the long run.
Our platform seamlessly connects young people like Taanika Shankar through technology, providing access to:
A peer community
A network of local mentors
Knowledge toolkits
Local data
Constant nudges
By leveraging these resources, young individuals are empowered to become environmental problem solvers and civic leaders within their communities.
Another impactful example is Archana KR's campaign for safe sanitation in government schools, which resulted in a significant allocation of 13.3 million USD in the Karnataka state budget. Furthermore, 50 Ninjas have independently launched their own initiatives, with several even registering their social enterprises, showcasing the platform's potential to drive sustainable change.
Reap Benefit's mission is to empower underserved young people across India, aged 10 to 24, by equipping them with the skills and resources needed to become environmental problem solvers and civic leaders. Through our Ninja platform, we have achieved substantial impact, with young individuals taking actions, contributing data, initiating campaigns and solutions, and creating tangible positive change in their communities.
How are you and your team well-positioned to deliver this solution?
Our team at Reap Benefit is uniquely positioned to deliver this solution owing to our diverse backgrounds, shared commitment to community-oriented problem-solving, and strong, ethical leadership. At the helm is our Co-Founder and CEO, Kuldeep Dantewadia, who has been instrumental in driving an 'action-driven' culture of collaboration, learning, and innovation.
Kuldeep's journey is deeply interwoven with Bangalore's environmental issues, a passion inherited from his father. His entrepreneurial journey was ignited by an ambitious train journey, the Jagriti Yatra, a confluence of change-makers, youth leaders, problem-solvers, and innovators. His dedication to solving environmental and civic problems is the lifeblood of our organisation, and his recognition as Ashoka’s Lead Changemaker, along with accolades from MIT’s Global Startup Weekend, Changelooms Fellowship, S3IDF Fellowship, StartingBloc Fellowship, and Architects of the Future, further attest to his capabilities and commitment.
Our leadership mirrors the communities we serve, with 50% of our team comprising grassroots mentors who have risen through the ranks. Their perspectives, combined with the experiences of first-generation learners on our team, enrich our approach to addressing grassroots issues. A testament to this is the work of team member Archana KR, whose efforts resulted in a $13.3 million government sanction to improve sanitation access.
Our Youth Board, composed of young leaders committed to solving local issues, play a significant role in our organisation. Their insights contribute to our strategic direction, mission growth, and decision-making. Similarly, our local chapters or "spokes", managed entirely by local youth, form the backbone of our organisation, especially in tier 2 and tier 3 towns of India.
With our team's diverse lived experiences, our shared passion for civic and climate action, and our deep-rooted connection with the communities we serve, we are well-positioned to deliver our solution to underserved schools and colleges across India. Our strength lies not just in our ability to create solutions, but also in our commitment to empower local communities to implement these solutions themselves.
Which dimension of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?
Enable learners to bridge civic knowledge with taking action by understanding real-world problems, building networks, organizing plans for collective action, and exploring prosocial careers.
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Bangalore, Karnataka, India
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
What is your solution’s stage of development?
Scale: A sustainable enterprise working in several communities or countries that is focused on increased efficiency
How many people does your solution currently serve?
We have worked with 112,018 Ninjas and with the ongoing government integration we will reach 4.5 million young people.
Why are you applying to Solve?
Reap Benefit is thrilled to apply to Solve, as we believe it offers the platform we need to overcome significant hurdles that hinder our progress. We are looking forward to leveraging Solve's resources, expertise, and network to break down the barriers we face in scaling our operations and maximising our impact.
One significant challenge we encounter is the effective scaling of our solutions. We have developed a digital public good which has the potential to be utilised by similar organisations internationally, and yet, we have not been able to reach these organisations effectively. We believe that Solve, with its extensive network of problem solvers and innovators, can help us navigate this landscape, connecting us to the right organisations and stakeholders globally.
We also hope that Solve can provide us with technical support to enhance the functionality and versatility of our digital public good. This would not only increase our reach but also ensure that our solutions remain effective and relevant in diverse contexts.
Another area of improvement is in the monitoring and evaluation of our interventions. As a data-driven organisation, we strive to understand the impact of our programs and use this information to continually improve. We anticipate that Solve's expertise in impact measurement and program evaluation can help us build a robust practice in this area.
By becoming a Solver team, we hope to connect with like-minded individuals and organisations that share our vision for a sustainable future. We look forward to the potential for fruitful collaborations, where we can learn from, inspire, and support one another to drive positive change.
In which of the following areas do you most need partners or support?
Who is the Team Lead for your solution?
Kuldeep Dantewadia, Co-founder and CEO Reap Benefit
What makes your solution innovative?
We are a unique movement in India that empowers youth to become citizen problem solvers. This is achieved through small, but meaningful, hyper-local actions addressing climate change challenges, enabled by our technology platform.
Our approach is based on several key aspects:
1. A Tech-Enabled Problem-Solving Framework: This provides a foundation for our members to address climate change issues in a systematic way.
2. Action is Everything: We instill in our members the belief that taking action is the most important factor in effecting change.
3. Mentoring: We equip the youth to take action and not be mere bystanders, providing guidance and support throughout their journey.
Our approach is focused on building hyper-local innovative solutions. We achieve this by:
Thinking about hyper-local data
Engaging in hyper-local campaigns
Activating 21st-century skills
This approach sets us apart from other organisations that focus on distributing knowledge in theory and frameworks.
Our goal is to create a network of Ninjas - a movement of 10 million action-oriented change agents who can galvanise climate and civic action.
Our model promotes an increase in 21st-century skills and the creation of open source digital public goods, potentially including thousands of data points on climate and civic issues, knowledge kits in various regional languages of successful hyper-local solutions, and hyper-local campaigns.
We believe in youth agency, positioning young people as agents of change and enabling them to co-create tools and solutions through engagement.
Our low-code and modular technology allows our community to customise and grow the platform.
Our model entails working directly with underserved youth to enable them to be citizen problem solvers through our key levers mentorship, access to local data, knowledge and solution tool kits, a peer community and constant nudging. We then support these youth citizen problem solvers (Ninjas) to establish self-organised communities called Spokes. Best practices and learnings that emerge, we take those to government systems (Super-spokes) to increase scale of impact.
In summary, the Ninja platform is a game-changer in India, offering a new and innovative approach to mobilising young people to become change leaders in their communities. With a focus on hyper-local solutions, community-driven action, and the promotion of 21st-century skills, our program has the potential to become a nationwide movement of youth change leaders activating their 21st century skills and taking actions to address civic and climate issues.
What are your impact goals for the next year and the next five years, and how will you achieve them?
Our impact goals for the next five years are targeted at transforming young individuals into citizen problem solvers and fostering systemic changes that augment and sustain this transformation.
In the next year, our goals are:
Increase users from 100,000 to 250,000 with and average engagement rate of 50 percent on our technology platform
Increase self-organized communities or spokes from 100 to 250 - with a membership of 25000 Ninjas working on ground and taking civic and climate actions.
Integrate our work with 1 government (Delhi) to aid building of a problem-solving mindset and 21st century skills
At the end of five years, we hope to achieve:
An increase of user to 1.5 - 2 million while sustaining engagement rate at 50-60 percent
Create movement of self sustaining communities or spokes in multiple states
Integrate our work with 5 state governments.
Achieving the Goals:
To achieve these ambitious goals, we will focus on strengthening and expanding our open technology platforms, making them more inclusive and accessible. We will design and implement personalized learning journeys to foster ownership, accountability, and problem-solving skills among our users.
Our collaboration with state governments will be pivotal in reaching a substantial percentage of the youth population. By integrating with existing government systems, we can more effectively address local climate change challenges.
Lastly, our work will be rooted in local communities. We will work closely with partners, community members, and our growing network of citizen problem solvers to create and share our open-source knowledge kits. Through these collaborative efforts, we aim to create an ecosystem where everyone can contribute to and benefit from the collective wisdom and resources.
In essence, our vision for the next five years is to see a generation of empowered citizen problem solvers driving meaningful, sustainable change in their communities and beyond, aided by a supportive, collaborative, and resource-rich systemic infrastructure.
Which of the UN Sustainable Development Goals does your solution address?
How are you measuring your progress toward your impact goals?
In our mission to empower Indian youth as climate change and civic leaders, we at Reap Benefit employ a comprehensive set of metrics to gauge our progress at different levels. We track these metrics at the individual level, and at the systemic level.
At the individual level -
We monitor the number of youth leaders who take first-time actions related to climate change and civic issues through our platforms, and those who consistently engage over time.
We also record the development and application of 21st-century skills that our users acquire via our personalised learning journeys. The acquisition of data at this level is done through surveys and user engagement metrics on our tech platform.
Shifting to the systemic level, we pay attention to the broad, overarching impact of our users' actions on their communities and the environment. This includes the quantifiable environmental benefits, such as the amount of water and energy conserved and the volume of waste diverted from landfills. We also track the emergence of social entrepreneurs and civic innovations stemming from our users' actions, which reflect the broader societal impact of our work.
Another crucial aspect of our systemic measurement is youth participation in development and climate change mitigation efforts at community and state levels. We further monitor the uptake of our approach by government agencies and other stakeholders, which signifies the progress towards systemic change. We gather data on these systemic indicators through partnerships with government agencies and stakeholders, user-generated reports, community engagement events, and through monitoring and evaluation of our programs.
We have also developed the Ninja Index - a public action index mapping 21st-century skills developed through civic and climate change problem-solving activities on our platform. The index generates skill certificates for our users, which they can use to showcase their skills to potential employers and educational institutions.
By differentiating between individual and systemic levels, we aim to capture the full scope of our impact. This robust framework allows us to measure our progress towards our goals effectively and to continually evaluate and improve our approach to empower youth across India.
What is your theory of change?
Reap Benefit's theory of change revolves around its ability to inspire and equip Ninjas to become active problem solvers and leaders in their communities, with the ultimate goal of creating a positive impact at the individual, community, and systemic level. At the individual level, Reap Benefit's programs and initiatives have resulted in an increase in civic awareness, problem-solving skills, soft skills, and confidence among Solve Ninjas. Third-party evaluations have found that 70% of Ninjas reported an increase in civic awareness, and nearly 90% had already started thinking of the next local problem to solve. Additionally, JPAL's research indicated that Reap Benefit's programs had a positive impact on critical thinking, creativity, and self-efficacy.
At the community level, Reap Benefit's initiatives aim to trigger environmental and civic innovation, and increase environmental nurture in the collective. Through its programs, Reap Benefit has been able to help Solve Ninjas translate their individual efforts into benefit for their communities. Nearly 72% of Solve Ninjas interviewed reported that their communities had benefited from their actions and campaigns, and 80% had witnessed effective waste segregation and management among community members following their campaigns. Furthermore, Reap Benefit has instilled in Solve Ninjas a desire to ideate and innovate to build effective solutions, with nearly 90% of Solve Ninjas interviewed reported that they were aware of how much resources they should use and were active in conserving resources. Additionally, 47% of Solve Ninjas interviewed believed that their community had come to appreciate their work and encouraged them to take more action for the betterment of the community.
At the systemic level, Reap Benefit seeks to increase citizen engagement, build climate resilient communities, and increase climate/civic entrepreneurship. As many as 85% of Solve Ninjas interviewed evidenced a shift from perceiving themselves as bystanders in governance to being active stakeholders in it. Reap Benefit's approach to citizenship has resulted in a shift towards more open dialogue with local authorities to ensure good governance. Ninjas engaging in rural contexts (Grama Ninjas) were able to imbibe Reap Benefit’s idea of citizenship faster. Reap Benefit has institutionalised its work with three state governments, built low-code, no-code digital goods, and moved towards building a movement through self-organised and self-managed youth communities. Overall, Reap Benefit's theory of change centres on empowering youth to become active problem solvers and change leaders who can bring about a positive impact in their communities and beyond.
Describe the core technology that powers your solution.
Our platform is built using a range of cutting-edge technologies, including AI, data analytics, and user-friendly interfaces. At its core, the platform is designed to provide a continuous journey through mentorship, peer community, behavioural nudges, knowledge sharing of local campaigns and solutions – building capacities in citizens and communities across different geographies and enabling collaboration and informed decision-making on civic and climate engagement.
The platform began with an app but has since expanded to include a range of tools and products. These include a WhatsApp-based chatbot, Samaaj Data, which provides hyper-local data across heat maps and geo-boundaries. This is an open source software solution for rapidly building location based civic services connected with volunteer, human interactions. It comes with all necessary UI and management features and can be easily extended into web applications and external mobile apps and systems via built-in APIs. Additionally, the platform features a User Profile and Leaderboard that showcases analytics of active problem solvers and changemakers across the country, driven by a 21st-century skill assessment engine that maps the actions taken by young people during problem-solving with a set of 21st-century skills. Users can also access a GitHub repository of community actions and problem-solving skills developed for each person, which we call Changemaker Portfolio.
To further support collaboration and peer-to-peer learning around civic and climate issues, we've also developed the Ninja Forum, which functions like a Wikipedia meets Reddit for local governance and policies, citizen solutions, and expert-community engagement.
Finally, we're currently working on a Digital Public Good that works like WordPress but for non-profits to use the power of open-source to enable location-based citizen engagement services. With these technologies, we've been able to support 100,000 youth across 21 states, with an engagement rate of approximately 30%.
Which of the following categories best describes your solution?
A new application of an existing technology
Please select the technologies currently used in your solution:
If your solution has a website or an app, provide the links here:
Check out our WhatsApp bot - https://wa.me/+918095500118?text=hi Our platform SamaajData to access locally sensed climate and civic public goods - https://samaajdata.org Check out a Changemaker Portfolio - https://solveninja.org/profile/pranav See our Ninja Leaderboard - https://solveninja.org/leaderboard Our Ninja Forum for local governance and policies, citizen solutions and expert-community or peer-peer learning around civic and climate issues https://forum.solveninja.org
In which countries do you currently operate?
In which countries will you be operating within the next year?
What type of organization is your solution team?
Nonprofit
How many people work on your solution team?
20 Full-Time, 5 Part-Time
How long have you been working on your solution?
As an organisation, Reap Benefit has existed for over a decade. We have been using technology as an enabler for the last 5 years.
What is your approach to incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusivity into your work?
Our work with underserved communities reflects our belief in the power of inclusivity and diversity. We strive to create a welcoming environment where everyone feels valued and can contribute to our mission. We actively seek out individuals from diverse backgrounds, experiences, and identities.
30% of our team comes from historically underserved communities
65% of our team is from linguistically different backgrounds
Our board of directors is gender-balanced, with 2 out of 4 members being women
50% of our senior leadership is women
This commitment to inclusivity extends to our programs. 1 in every 2 Ninjas are girls and women.
What is your business model?
Our business model revolves around providing value to the populations we serve and creating a positive impact. We achieve this through the following key elements:
Spokes: We establish spokes, which are chapters organised based on location, personas, or cause, to ignite a movement of youth actively working to improve their neighbourhoods. These spokes serve as the driving force behind our community-based initiatives, providing access to knowledge and tools that enable participants to make a tangible difference.
Community-driven Approach: Our solutions are designed with a community-driven approach, ensuring that they are tailored to the specific needs and challenges of each locality. Through localised customization of our tools, data, knowledge, and technology, we enhance the effectiveness and relevance of our offerings, allowing individuals to address the issues that matter most to their communities.
Super-Spokes (Government Systems): We integrate our technology, people, and knowledge with large-scale government systems and non-profit organisations through our Super-Spokes initiative. This collaboration enables targeted interventions in areas such as climate action, skill-building, and citizen engagement. By partnering with these entities, we leverage their resources and reach to scale our impact and create systemic change.
Empowerment and Engagement: Our model focuses on empowering individuals, particularly young people, by providing them with skill-building activities, grassroots mobilisation opportunities, and leadership development. We foster active citizenship, community engagement, and impactful actions that enable participants to create positive change in their neighbourhoods. Through our supportive network, individuals connect with like-minded peers, mentors, and resources, enabling collaboration and continuous learning.
Revenue Streams: To sustain our operations, we generate revenue from diverse sources. This includes grants and donations from philanthropic foundations and organisations that align with our mission. We also explore retail fundraising, where individuals can make monthly commitments to support our movement. Additionally, we leverage CSR funding opportunities to secure financial support from corporate entities.
By combining these elements, we provide value to our customers and beneficiaries. We empower youth to become active change-makers, engage with their communities, and create a positive impact. Our business model not only ensures our financial sustainability but also fosters a culture of active citizenship, collective action, and long-term social change.
Do you primarily provide products or services directly to individuals, to other organizations, or to the government?
Individual consumers or stakeholders (B2C)What is your plan for becoming financially sustainable?
Our plan for achieving financial sustainability revolves around diversifying our fundraising efforts to ensure the organisation can absorb different shocks and maintain a stable source of income. Over the past five years, we have successfully raised multi-year grants with large organisations, which constitute approximately 70% of our grant funding. This demonstrates our ability to secure long-term support and establish sustainable partnerships.
In addition to grants, we have generated revenues of 25-30% on average. This revenue stream is derived from various sources, including fees paid by young people to participate in grassroots mobilisation and skill-building activities. Their active engagement and financial contributions not only demonstrate their commitment to our cause but also provide a steady source of income to support our work.
To further enhance our revenue generation, we have tested the effectiveness of retail fundraising. In the past year, we successfully raised 1.5 to 2 through this channel. Recognizing its potential, we aim to expand our retail fundraising efforts and strive to achieve a 20% increase in the coming years. This will allow us to tap into a wider network of supporters and diversify our funding sources.
We are also keen to leverage corporate social responsibility (CSR) funding. By collaborating with companies and exploring CSR partnerships, we aim to secure funding for specific projects and initiatives aligned with their social impact goals. This not only provides financial support but also opens avenues for collaboration and amplifies our impact.
Furthermore, maintaining a diverse funding portfolio is essential for our long-term financial sustainability. While grants, revenues, retail fundraising, and CSR funding are important components, we also recognize the potential of raising investment capital. While specific details regarding investment funding may not be publicly shareable, we actively explore opportunities to attract impact-oriented investors who align with our mission and can contribute to our long-term financial stability.
By combining sustained donations and grants, revenue generation, retail fundraising, CSR funding, and potential investment capital, we aim to build a robust and diversified revenue stream that will cover our expected expenses and ensure our long-term financial sustainability.
Solution Team
to Top
Our Organization
Reap Benefit