About Us
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Avsar is an collective created by a group of friends from both rural and urban backgrounds, based on their experience working across fields of labour, transparency and accountability, education rights in rural Rajasthan. The organisation identifies a critical need to guide and equip rural youth with the capacities to enable them to challenge the socio-economic and cultural restrictions traditionally imposed on them by structures of caste, class, gender, religion, ability, education, political accessibility, and others. These restrictions–such as structural social and economic inequality, discrimination, lack of access to quality education and opportunities, societal limitations–often restrict life paths to predetermined roles. These include options such as early marriages, domestic confinement, inadequate primary, secondary, and higher education, and limited job prospects in physically demanding and low-wage industries such as labourers in
mines, highway dhabas, truck drivers, or illegal activities such as transporting liquor to dry
states.
The cycle of poverty and societal expectations are such that it becomes difficult for young people to move or even think beyond certain life or work patterns defined for them. A few persist in seeking clerical roles in government or teaching positions, but success in these areas is rare. Beyond these options, it is rare that youth have the opportunity and support to explore any other educational or career paths, primarily due to a lack of confidence, awareness of opportunities, guidance, and/or exposure to a world outside the one they grew up in.OUR VISION
Avsar envisions a socially just, inclusive, non-discriminatory, and a sustainable world. We aim to broaden the horizons of youth who tend to become limited because of the structural inequalities resulting from their marginalised backgrounds. We work with youth, understand their perspectives on what they need, and create paths to enable them to navigate/change the trajectory of their lives, instead of being limited to what mainstream society dictates for them. We envision this with young people as collaborators and not beneficiaries. With the freedom to analyse and explore their experiences and dreams, young individuals can make choices that are liberating for themselves and transformative for society.
We asked ourselves the following questions, which led to formulating Avsar’s objectives. First, how can we bridge the gap in access to quality education and further opportunities for those who bear the brunt of inequality based on gender, class, caste, religion, ethnicity, and region? Second, even if there is access to education, how should pedagogy be structured to liberate rather than reinforce oppressive structures?
For instance, in our experience in rural Rajasthan, students attended school until the 12th grade, but they had inadequate foundational literacy and numeracy skills. Additionally, they were not taught critical thinking, nor skills necessary for upward economic mobility, and the discrimination they witnessed, practiced, or faced was often reinforced in the school environment. Mere access to schooling and basic literacy are insufficient to confront societal issues. Finally, are students who have graduated school, who are from marginalised backgrounds, prepared for aspirational higher education and work opportunities that could break the cycle of socio-economic poverty?
True societal change will be realised when leaders of various organisations—whether they be corporations, companies, nonprofits, political parties, grassroots movements, and so forth—are represented by individuals from marginalised backgrounds, and not just people who have been born with the privilege to easily take advantage of resources and social and economic capital.
OBJECTIVES
- Educational access and quality: Address structural inequalities and equip students with skills for higher education and aspirational employment opportunities.
- Exposure to diverse career paths: To facilitate access to a broad spectrum of career and learning opportunities, thus broadening horizons beyond traditional roles.
- Critical thinking and life skills: To equip youth with the ability to move towards their career dreams, innovate, and address complex societal challenges.
- Cross-cultural and historical awareness: By connecting young individuals with diverse cultural and historical contexts, enhancing their understanding and empathy towards different communities.