Founder Story: Why We Started The Young Leaders
Every one of us has watched someone run out of runway.
A classmate. A cousin. A child in the next lane — bright, willing, and stopped by nothing but money.
Most of us could do nothing then.
That we can do something now is not charity.
It is our duty, and it is our honour.
That belief is at the heart of The Young Leaders.
We believe a child’s future should not be decided by the circumstances they were born into.
From One School to a Bigger Vision
We did not begin by writing a plan and asking people to fund it.
We adopted one school outright.
When we adopted it, the school had just over 100 children.
Today, more than 300 children are being taught, tracked and followed.
The model works.
What it needs now is repeating.
What We Believe
Education should not end at the school gate.
A child deserves the opportunity to stay in school, continue into college, and move towards a future where they can earn, grow and build a life of their own.
That is why our work is built around two simple commitments:
THROUGH SCHOOL
Helping children stay in education by supporting the things that make continued learning possible.
INTO COLLEGE
For children who can go further, helping find the right college, fund the seat, and stay alongside them until they graduate and are earning.
We don’t stop at the school gate.
The Vision We Are Building
10,000 Children.
10,000 Families.
10,000 Villages.
Through School. Into College. Across Nations.
Our vision goes beyond educating one child.
We want education to create a ripple reaching families, villages and the next generation.
Visham Sikand – Founder, The Young Leaders Org
Visham Sikand is a Founder of The Young Leaders, working towards the organisation’s vision of ensuring every child has the opportunity to stay in school, continue into college, and build a future beyond the circumstances they were born into.
His work is centred around building a long-term education model that goes beyond simply getting children into classrooms. The Young Leaders aims to support children through school and, for those who can go further, help them continue into college and towards a future where they can graduate, earn, and build greater opportunities for themselves.
As the organisation grows, Visham is helping shape a model that can be repeated across schools, communities, and eventually nations with the goal of reaching 10,000 children, 10,000 families, and 10,000 villages.
For him, the work is about more than supporting one child. It is about creating a ripple through families, villages, and the next generation and building an institution that remains accountable to the children it exists to serve.
A Message From The Founders
The children are real.
They have names.
They are waiting.
We believe that what begins with one child can reach a family, a village and a generation.
Come and found this with us.