In times when it is imperative for the younger generation to take the reins to shape a better and more inclusive future, Samaya Chauhan exemplifies the power of youth-led initiatives. At just 15, she has emerged as a strong advocate against bullying, channeling her personal experiences and deep empathy into creating tangible change through her initiative, Policy and Leadership Action Network for Youth (PLAN Y). This movement, rooted in the principles of empathy and mental well-being, has already made significant strides in fostering safer environments for students and raising awareness about the impact of bullying.
Samaya's journey proves that age is no barrier to making a difference. Her ability to mobilize peers, collaborate with educational institutions, and engage with policymakers highlights her exceptional leadership and dedication. In this interview, Samaya shares the pivotal moments that inspired the inception of PLAN Y, the challenges she has encountered, and the milestones the initiative has achieved. We delve into her vision for expanding PLAN Y’s reach and her resolve to combat bullying and promote mental health.
Read the full interview to explore the inspiring story of a young leader making profound impacts in her community and beyond.
Q. You are leading entire movement at such a young age- this is a commendable achievement! Can you share the moment or experience that inspired you to start PLAN Y? What were the initial steps you took to bring it to life?
A. Thank you! It is overwhelming for anyone to be subjected to bullying, and it has always been painful for me to hear stories where students or children don’t know whom to turn to when they experience something disturbing.
The Policy and Leadership Action Network for Youth (PLAN Y) is an approach that, in my mind, I have been practicing long before it actually became something concrete. I sometimes put myself in the shoes of others to get a sense of how they must feel if I do or say something. So I think it may have been natural for me to go around asking friends, family and classmates to think about the situations of others’ and treat them as they themselves would want to be treated. I think that’s probably how the seeds of PLAN Y were sown.
Bit by bit, I undertook other initiatives that eventually led to PLAN Y. These included:
- Organizing Bully-et-Proof Roundtable Panel Discussion: This was a roundtable discussion at Amity International School, featuring experts who discussed the various aspects of bullying, its impact, and strategies for prevention.
- Collaborating on Anti-Bullying Efforts in the Workplace: We partnered with 14 corporate offices, schools for the visually challenged and relief associations to raise awareness about the impact of bullying in the workplace and to encourage companies to take proactive measures against it.
There is one incident in particular, that left a deep impact on me and motivated me to reach out to and help countless others’ who may be fighting silent battles.
This was the suicide of a queer classmate. The death of someone I had seen from such close quarters strengthened my resolve to create a more inclusive school environment, combat bullying and address mental well-being in every way.
Q. What are some key milestones PLAN Y has achieved since its inception, and how do you measure its success?
A. We’ve involved 350+ students in a peer-to-peer mentorship program, ‘Bully End Trend’, gleaning insights from conversations around triggers for bullying behaviour, punitive actions and redressal mechanisms. We’ve also surveyed 60+ locales and organized counselling sessions across six schools to spread awareness and tackle structural barriers to mental health support.
We’ve organized several webcasts on mental health, and mobilized our peers to form a nationwide Anti-Bullying Police with ambassadors posted in 500+ schools across 7 states. Additionally, we have designed and distributed anti-bullying toolkits to parents, teachers, and students.
We measure success through the transformation of a victim into a vocalizer, and the reformation of a bully into a buddy. For example, when a senior was continuously tormented in school, we encouraged him to use his suffering to save another. He eventually became one of our Anti-Bullying Ambassadors, and a member of Plan Y’s core team, becoming the voice of all those who were frightened into silence.
We’ve also brought together LGBTQIA+ and Disabled People’s Rights Clubs under the ambit of Plan Y in school and helmed a network of 300 volunteers—with 15 core members and 3 directors.
Q. What has been the biggest challenge you've faced in your journey, and how did you overcome it?
A. My biggest challenge has been my fear of failure - of what if this doesn’t go as I had envisioned? Or what if people mock me? Or what if this initiative - and I - fall flat on my face? I’ve had to muster a lot of courage and overcome my shyness, to take this bull by the horns, and it hasn’t been easy. I was riddled with doubts and negative thoughts on and off.
I think what kept me going was the realisation that if someone doesn’t do something, the numbers of bullying-related suicides will continue to increase. A recent report by IC3 Institute stated that in the last two decades, student suicides have grown at an alarming annual rate of 4 per cent, which is double the national average.
These aren’t just numbers. They’re lives. They're the young, joyful lives of so many children who suffered because they didn’t know how else to get out of situations they found themselves in. It can be a dark, lonely tunnel, unless someone reaches to pull them out of it. I would like to extend that hand, and stretch it far and wide to reach as many victims, and perpetrators as possible, to steer them back to the right path.
Q. Who have been your biggest supporters and mentors and how have they helped you?
A. One of my teachers, Mansi ma’am, has definitely been one of my biggest cheerleaders. She has been involved in the initiative as the adult chaperone and logistics coordinator, literally helping me at every step of the way. She’s been a pillar of strength and support when I had my doubts or faced my fears, and has encouraged me to turn my weaknesses into my strengths.
My parents and siblings, of course, have had a huge role in my journey. They’ve played the devil’s advocate, cautioning me about worst-case scenarios, preparing me to deal with them, and being the sounding board for all my ideas. They often tell me to pursue my passion and do what makes me happy, but to be honest- it is in their happiness that I find my strength.
Q. Can you tell us about the process of expanding PLAN Y beyond India and reaching an international audience?
A. We’ve conducted webcasts on mental health, and in that sense, we’ve already transcended borders. We’ve been honored to have students across schools in South Africa and UAE join us in our fight against bullying. We’ve also received more than 200 signatures on a petition from people in the US, so we’re gradually extending our footprint. We plan on conducting virtual meet-ups, live sessions with US-based mental health advocates, and collaborate with psychologists and therapists globally to create a support system that breaks conventional and physical barriers.
We intend to let victims know that they are not alone, and that with the right guidance and support, they can deal with any situations that come their way. We also want to reach out to bullies, and help them understand that trauma and low self-esteem can be addressed in ways that do not involve aggression.
Q. Please tell us more about the Anti Bullying Police initiative- how does it work and what impact has it had on the schools involved? Is there any success story that particularly stands out to you?
A. The Anti-Bullying Police consists of Anti-Bullying Ambassadors in 500+ schools across 7 states. These ambassadors are student volunteers who have come forward to fight against bullying.
We take virtual sessions to inform students in each school about the program, following which they express interest in participating. Their class teachers confirm to us that they meet our criteria of having empathy, sensitivity, a sense of responsibility and ownership, and an enthusiasm toward the cause.
We organize workshops where ambassadors brainstorm the best ways of identifying victims, and offering them support as well as raising complaints discreetly or establishing systems that encourage victims to share their problems anonymously. We exchange ideas on how to identify bullies, educate them, and protect victims by providing them with tools and resources to navigate adversities.
Our brainstorming sessions are led by students like ourselves, to encourage volunteers to unhesitatingly put forth their opinions. The second half of our workshops is where we bring in a school supervisor and a counselor who can offer professional advice and answer questions that come up.
Each of the core members of PLAN Y is assigned a certain number of schools, so that any ambassador that wants to contact us can do so easily.
We’ve also designed multiple toolkits, one such toolkit includes primers, activity sheets, and smiley squeeze balls, and have distributed them to parents, educators and students. The toolkit has been adopted by over 63 schools, with our own school observing a 35% decline in bullying complaints. We hope this is the start toward a better, brighter future for school children in every corner.
Q. What strategies have you found most effective in fostering safer school environments through your anti-bullying efforts? Is there any success story that particularly stands out to you?
A. We conceptualized an ‘Anti-bullying cell’ for schools, which is a special room for distressed students to seek comfort and express their emotions through art, writing, and music.
The smooth functioning of the cell is regulated by teachers, volunteers and a school counsellor, who oversee every bullying-related complaint. If any case is noted, the school counsellors ensure that the victims are helped throughout, and immediate action is taken against bullies.
I strongly recollect one piece of advice from one of the roundtable discussions we conducted at our school. The discussion featured Dr. Rakshit Tandon, a cybersecurity expert, mental health professionals, digital marketing experts and educators.
One of the speakers, Dr. Kshitija Wason, Head Psychology Professor from Delhi University told us that the “First line of defense is the armour that you wear against bullying - yourself”, elaborating that regardless of the number of people a victim consults, or the help and advice he/she gets, the main armour or the main factor that helps someone overcome their challenges is their own attitude toward them. If you are optimistic and believe in yourself more than the words of bullies, then you can sail through situations. Your attitude and belief can be the game-changer.
This is a philosophy we try to inculcate in students through the Anti-Bullying Police as well as school counselors.
Q. We’d like to know more about your Art Therapy workshops- how did you develop this approach and how do they help the participants?
A. I’ve often observed my classmates and friends feeling relaxed and at ease while painting, drawing or sketching. Some friends are able to give their thoughts a canvas, using their emotions as colours and creating beautiful pieces of art.
There’s no set outcome when it comes to creating art, or a standard by which you’re judged, which allows people to express themselves naturally.
That’s what encouraged us to look at Art as a powerful tool for healing. Our workshops allow children and young adults to express their emotions through graffiti and paintings, helping them process their experiences with bullying. The initiative has expanded from schools, where volunteers came forward to paint the walls of the school with positive messages, to college campuses, where we encouraged students to express themselves through the medium. We went on to exhibit some of these creations at one of our events in a Delhi-based mall, further raising awareness and fostering a supportive community.
Q. As a young leader, what advice would you give to other young people who aspire to make a difference in their communities?
A. My advice is based on my own experiences. I’d tell them not to underestimate their own potential or to give in to those nagging doubts or fears about not being able to do enough. Even if you start small, just start.
That’s what counts. That’s what will take you to the next step.
If there’s an issue you feel strongly about - ending hunger or poverty - go and talk to those affected or people that work closely with them, understand their situations; do your ground work or volunteer. These steps will help you learn a lot more than what you knew before, and that, in itself will guide you forward.
Have faith in yourself- you are enough, and when you work hard, success will follow.
Q. You’ve engaged with policymakers and presented white papers on bullying and mental health. What changes or policies are you most passionate about implementing?
A. One of the key areas in which I’d like to see policies being implemented is cyber-bullying. It can take place anywhere, under a teacher’s nose or the protective gaze of a parent. Take the blue whale challenge for example. There were reports of the blue whale challenge even after the creator was imprisoned, indicating that curators had possibly multiplied.
Cyber-bullies prey on feelings of low self-esteem and self-harm.
We need stringent laws that prevent such games from seeing the light of day, and we need to encourage children to confide in those whom they trust.
Also, I think, as a country, we need to take mental health just as seriously or more seriously than we take academics - our mental health matters way more than our grades.
An A+ in Maths, for example, isn’t going to help someone struggling with panic or anxiety attacks, nor is it going to help someone in dealing with a bully.
Our mental health like our academic knowledge should be examined every term - without stigma or judgment of any kind. We need policies to equip students better by providing access to psychologists or counselors, regular check-ins, and ensuring peers, like parents, look out for one another.
Q. Looking ahead, what are your future plans for PLAN Y, and what new initiatives can we expect to see in the coming years?
A. My team and I are working on an app that creates a safe space and a mechanism for victims to share their concerns, and for schools to take corrective actions.
We’re also hoping to collaborate with therapists in India and across the world to introduce writing therapy and music therapy to relieve students of stress and tension and aid their mental well-being.
Similar to Art and Dance Therapy, Music Therapy involves the use of music to calm and heal an individual. Music therapy is a form of treatment administered by a music therapist, who has a specialized qualification in the field. It has been shown to benefit not just young children but also senior citizens, and has helped those suffering from mood or anxiety disorders as well as a stroke, and Parkinson’s disease.
A music therapist assesses an individual’s needs and understands their medical history, including their physical health, social and cognitive abilities and triggers, based on which they design the number of sessions and kind of therapy to provide.
Writing therapy, on the other hand, is not necessarily conducted under the supervision of a mental health professional. It is something that students can do on their own, and is as simple as jotting down their thoughts and feelings in a diary. An expert can, however, guide those who are not good at expressing themselves through the written word, to pen down their innermost feelings and thoughts using prompts or certain techniques that can help them vent, and release any pent-up emotions.
On a larger scale, my plans involve establishing systemic avenues to tackle bullying, host round tables to build on existing policies, and draft white papers with think tanks.
