Formed in 2012, the Centre for Leadership and Innovation (CFLI) is a registered non-profit operated entirely by a team of dedicated volunteers. While founders Kumar Ratnam, Sivan Ilangko, and Umesh Vallipuram initially began the organization to develop leadership by helping strengthen public speaking skills among youth, their vision and mandate has now expanded to greater lengths with the inclusion of new programs.

By providing a safe and supportive environment to learn in, the CFLI founders and their facilitators, who lead the programs, are allowing Tamil youth to take charge of their own learning. The holistic learning model that their programs are based on allows for self-discovery and opportunities for participants to challenge themselves. Here is a look at the various programs they offer.

The Youth Leadership Program (YLP) was the first program launched by CFLI. By helping youth improve their public speaking skills, the organization is also instilling greater self-confidence and self-esteem in each participant. While public speaking is a daunting task for many, CFLI makes this experience enjoyable. This is evident in the positivity and high levels of engagement of each participant as they continue to improve their speaking skills and develop a well-rounded speaking style.

YDocs is an intensive 6 week program packed with learning, fun, and creative thinking for youth between the ages of 10 and 18. Youth participants are divided into teams, assigned a topic about a social issue, trained on project management and the basics of documentary making, and then left to collaborate and work as a team to create an innovative product. Their documentary is then reviewed by a panel of expert judges and selected for awards in various categories. YDocs is challenging traditional notions of education by creating education reform through the emphasis of higher order learning skills such as critical thinking, creativity, and innovation.

YRoots is CFLI’s newest program. At the core of the program lies Tamil culture and history as facilitators teach youth about Tamil history, culture and literature. An important aspect of this program is the dialogue that it creates. Youth participants are encouraged to have constructive discussions with each other and the facilitators to allow for an engaged learning experience.

Organizers and facilitators at CFLI are expanding learning outside of school classrooms and are instead creating a community based platform. Vibrant communities are built on the foundation of a strong education system and organizations like CFLI are leading the charge in doing this. By creating programs where experiential learning and dialogue can thrive, CFLI is providing one of the highest levels of learning one can have by directly involving the youth in their learning experience.

Benjamin Franklin once said, “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I will learn.” It is clear that his motto is at the root of CFLI’s teaching model, and the growing success of the program demonstrates that the community is embracing this.