SAMAYA CHAUHAN

Led by Samaya, a vivacious young girl, all of 15, PLAN Y aims to be the voice of countless people who suffer at the hands of bullies every day.

Driven by a vision to end the loss of lives due to bullying and trolling, Samaya founded the 'Anti-Bullying Police', which consists of Anti-Bullying Ambassadors in 500+ schools who identify bullies, educate them, and protect victims by providing them with tools and resources to navigate adversities.

She has created Anti-Bullying Toolkits that are useful resources for parents and educators and undertaken various campaigns and workshops on cyber safety and security standards, workplace wellness initiatives, and fundraisers for mental health associations and peer support groups.

Recognizing that her peers express themselves through different forms, she conceptualized Art Therapy workshops, through which children of all ages come forward and pour their hearts out through graffiti and beautiful paintings depicting their innermost feelings.

The Art campaign began in schools and was extended to campuses, allowing college students to exchange ideas and portray the anguish caused by bullying.

Samaya strongly believes in advocating change and taking concrete action toward it.

She has interacted with policymakers and discussed policies supporting mental health and bullying prevention in schools, workplaces, and public spaces to drive systemic changes.

She has actively drafted white papers and presented them to think tanks, championing more efficient and stringent legislation regarding cyberbullying, mental health, and the inclusion of cyber safety in school curricula.

Her initiatives have benefited 28,000 students in 7 states in India.

Beyond her work as an Anti-Bullying crusader, Samaya holds many leadership positions in school, such as President of the TEDx Club and Director of the Interact Club. She is currently interning with Google and looks forward to learning from the best before pursuing higher education.