<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=Windows-1252">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)">
<style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0cm;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}
@page WordSection1
{size:612.0pt 792.0pt;
margin:72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang="EN-AU" link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style="word-wrap:break-word">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>From Rising Flame<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Dear friend,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As you know, empowering young people, supporting them and providing a space for them to fulfil their potential are an important part of our vision at Rising Flame. On the occasion of International Youth Day (celebrated globally on August
12, 2021) we were able to move closer to this vision through the launch of our annual fellowship for youth with disabilities: Empower to Rise! This fellowship will provide three promising young people with 1) Rs. 50,000/- each to build an enabling environment
for themselves in their education journeys and the path to achieving their dreams, 2) six months of individual mentoring support from relevant industry experts. Watch the beginnings of Empower to Rise and the program here.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We had an overwhelming number of applicants from rural, semi urban and urban India, and our three fellows were announced at our launch event. As jury member and Vice President at Godrej Industries Ltd., Parmesh Shahani said, “The three
Fellows that we chose stood out for us due to their sheer drive and ability in the face of so many challenges and disadvantages… And they really exemplify Rising Flame’s ethos of thriving despite all the injustices that are perpetuated by a hostile world.”
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Meet our three Empower to Rise Fellows for 2021! <o:p>
</o:p></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b> Ar An Ya</b> shares his dreams with us: “I want to make more and more experiments with music, combining tunes from different countries and different genres. Music is my sixth sense and it is my language. I have problems with communicating
with other people and music is the only way through which I can convey my feelings.”
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Manasi</b> told us, “In five years from now, I see myself as an assistant professor with a PhD in Political Science. My goals are determined by my will and are not affected by what others will think.”
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Shireen</b> says, “Academia is an inaccessible place for people like me but I am hoping I can pursue studying what I love. I dream of an accessible Indian academia and I would do my best to solve the current inaccessibility problems.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Celebrating youth and the spirit of young people at our event, we invited three disabled young role models to share their journeys, their challenges, and their stories of achieving success while navigating the ableism they faced.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We are proud to equip our fellows, youth with disabilities, with the support they need to build promising futures!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Warm regards,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nidhi Goyal<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Founder and Executive Director, Rising Flame<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A National Award Winning Non-Profit Organisation <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Website: www.risingflame.org<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>