WHAT STARTS WITH A SKILL CAN GROW INTO SOMETHING MUCH BIGGER.
GenRise measures impact not only by how many students participate, but by what young people are increasingly able and confident to do.
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But reach is only one part of the story.
Through the programme, students have opportunities to:
BUILD
practical digital and GenAI capabilities
APPLY
those skills to genuine challenges
COMMUNICATE
ideas to peers, educators and entrepreneurs
COLLABORATE
to research, design and solve problems
CONTRIBUTE
something useful beyond the classroom
GROW
in confidence, initiative and agency
Some forms of impact are immediately visible: a digital catalogue created, a marketing idea presented, a business challenge explored or a student standing up to explain their work.
Others develop over time.
A student asks a better question.
Someone who was hesitant to speak presents an idea to a group.
A team learns that its first solution isn't quite right — listens to feedback and tries again.
A young person begins to see technology not simply as something to consume, but as something they can use to create, solve and contribute.
These are the changes GenRise wants to continue understanding and measuring as the programme grows.
SKILLS → APPLICATION → CONFIDENCE → AGENCY
SKILLS → APPLICATION → CONFIDENCE → AGENCY
WHERE LEARNING BECOMES ACTION WITH IMPACT
At GenRise, learning is designed to be purposeful.
Students take the digital, GenAI and entrepreneurial skills they develop and apply them to real challenges — listening to local entrepreneurs, understanding their needs and creating practical responses.
The result is more than an exercise. Students experience what it means to create something with a real purpose, for a real person, in the real world and make a real difference.
STUDENT PROJECTS IN ACTION
Real challenges. Student-led responses.
Students apply what they learn by identifying businesses within their own networks and communities — from family businesses and neighbourhood shops to local vendors and micro-entrepreneurs.
A Local Hardware Store — Making Products Easier to Discover
A Local Hardware Store — Making Products Easier to Discover
Gap: The store carried a wide range of hardware and machinery, but customers had no easy way to see what was available without visiting.
Applied: Product cataloguing, digital design and WhatsApp marketing.
Created: Digital product flyers and a shareable catalogue, making the store’s range easier to discover and communicate to customers.
Soni Kumari — Turning a Taxi Problem into an Opportunity
Soni Kumari — Turning a Taxi Problem into an Opportunity
Ramchandra ji, a taxi,driver, receiving top award on behalf of his daughter Soni,
Gap: Soni noticed that her father, a taxi driver, often returned without a passenger after completing a one-way journey—an inefficiency faced by many rural drivers.
Applied: WhatsApp as a simple, accessible tool to connect local drivers and coordinate journeys.
Created: A concept for a local taxi network that could match return journeys and facilitate ride-sharing, helping drivers improve vehicle utilisation and passengers reduce costs.
Recognition: Soni developed the idea for the GenRise student entrepreneurship competition, where her project was selected as a winning entry. She received a refurbished laptop to support her education and continued entrepreneurial learning.
Lakshmi Puja Ghar & Gift Store — Building Visibility
Lakshmi Puja Ghar & Gift Store — Building Visibility
Gap: Customers had limited visibility of the store and its range of puja and gift products.
Applied: WhatsApp Business, digital cataloguing and Canva/design tools.
Created: A storefront banner to improve physical visibility, together with a WhatsApp Business catalogue that allowed the owner to showcase and share products directly with customers.
Gap: Jagriti, a youth-led garment initiative, needed a stronger digital presence and a professional way to present its work to nearby schools as potential customers.
Applied: Website development, Canva, digital design and marketing/presentation skills.
Created: Jagriti’s website, giving the initiative a professional online presence, together with a targeted marketing presentation to help it approach local schools for potential orders and contracts.
What made it special: A youth-led initiative supporting another youth-led initiative—GenRise students using their digital skills to help fellow young change makers grow their reach.
TESTIMONIALS
Quotes from Educators
“Through Project Genrise, our students are not just limited to textbook knowledge. I felt immensely proud when our student, Keshav Kumar, discussed how they could assist another youth lead initative, Jagriti by Sara garments cooperative, take its new product to market and communicate production capability and offering to potential customers.
It was wonderful to witness these kids support each other and participate in rural entrepreneurship.
— Anjali Kumari, Program Coordinator, Vidya Vatika
"The true meaning of digital literacy is realized when students use it to help someone. The increase in customers and sales that students achieved by creating pamphlets and WhatsApp catalogue for a local hardware store proves that with the right guidance, these children can perform miracles."
— Rajesh Mahto, Senior Teacher
Student Experiences
"My father, Shri Ramchandra, is a taxi driver himself, so I knew his daily struggles and the pain of missing bookings very closely.
This is what inspired my idea for the WhatsApp group network. I am thrilled that my idea won the top place. My father is so proud of me and now has a renewed belief in educating girls and recognizing my potential to contribute"
— Soni Kumari, Singhia College- Top Business Idea Winner
“We felt so good when we could apply what we learned to help the Jagriti by Sara project. We worked on a sales presentation that Jagriti could send to nearby schools when approaching them for uniform contracts. We hope that it will help generate sales for them.”
— Keshav Kumar, Vidya Vatika, Grade 9
"Designing a pamphlet in computer class is one thing, but when the pamphlets we created actually was put up and distributed to increase the hardware store's sales, it was a special feeling.”
— Neha Kumari, Grade 9
Feedback from Local Businesses
"As a taxi driver, I used to face the loss of missing clients and driving back empty every day. When my daughter Soni developed this WhatsApp network idea, it changed the fortunes of all us drivers. Now, none of our bookings go to waste, and we even secure passengers on our return journeys. I am incredibly proud of my daughter."
— Shri Ramchandra, Local Taxi Driver, Singhia
"These young children designed beautiful pamphlets and flyers for my shop. They presented my new machinery and tools perfectly. After these pamphlets were distributed, new customers started coming to the store.”
— Mr. Narendra Kumar, Owner, Hardware store
RECOGNITION & COVERAGE
As GenRise has grown, the youth-led iniative has begun to receive recognition beyond the programme itself.
English Translation
Digital Lab Established at Vidya Vatika Public School
Samastipur: Karam Kandhari, a Year 12 student at Sevenoaks School in the United Kingdom, has launched the GenRise Labs initiative in collaboration with the KCS Foundation.
Under this initiative, Karam established an Entrepreneurship Club and set up a digital laboratory equipped with 20 computers at a local school on Bihar. The project is focused on teaching students practical AI skills, digital marketing, and entrepreneurship.
The curriculum developed by Karam emphasizes community-based projects, enabling students to apply the skills they learn to support local businesses. A spokesperson for the KCS Foundation stated that this combination of technology and entrepreneurship helps bridge the digital divide while empowering young people to become active contributors to the economic development of their communities.
English Translation
Digital Lab Established at Vidya Vatika Public School
Samastipur: Karam, a Year 12 student at Sevenoaks School in the United Kingdom, has launched the GenRise Labs initiative with the support of the KCS Foundation.
Under this initiative, Karam established an Entrepreneurship Club at Vidya Vatika Public School in Bihar and created a digital lab equipped with 20 computers. The project focuses on teaching students practical skills in AI, digital marketing and entrepreneurship.
The initiative aims to enable students to apply what they learn to community-based projects and local businesses
YES Award 2026
YES AWARDS 2026 — YOUTH EMPOWERMENT & SERVICE
Karam Singh Kandhari has been selected as a 2026 YES Awards honouree for his work through GenRise Labs.
The Youth Empowerment & Service (YES) Awards recognise young changemakers whose sustained leadership and service create meaningful community impact. Karam was selected as one of 28 honourees from 277 nominations across 45 countries, recognising his work in developing GenRise and creating opportunities for young people in Bihar to build and apply digital, GenAI and entrepreneurial skills with purpose.
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