“When everything seems going unfavourable to you, most of the times you start doubting all the decisions that you took and end up with self-doubt and misery. But there comes a moment where there is one particular thing that will hold you up and help you come out of the tangled maze that you are in. 'That' particular thing for me is Younga.

So, to all of you who are reading this, a big 'Hi' from my side. I'm Shruti Nandagiri, a 20 year old proud Younga Delegate hailing from India.

I'd like to take this opportunity to throw some light on how Younga changed my life during one of the toughest phases of my life while I was dealing with Anxiety and Clinical Depression.

One day, while I was lying on the bed hopeless about my career and life, I happened to come across Younga's page on social media. While checking it, I saw that they have a delegate programme and that kindled my curiosity to know more about it because I always enjoy interacting with new people. I was thrilled to see what all Younga Delegate Programme consisted off and what a golden opportunity it would be if I capitalise it. Being doubtful about my selection, I gave it a shot. Sometimes depression stops you from using your phone as well. And that time, I was exactly in the same phase, away from phone and everything and everyone as much as possible. One midnight, while I was lost in thoughts about my uncertain career, 1 happened to open my mail box and guess what, I got selected. And, I received the mail almost a week ago. That was my happiest moment and I was in tears because I felt like I achieved something almost after 1.6 years. I had the widest smile on my face and the 'Yes, I did it moment.' Fast forward to the day of Younga Orientation, I was super anxious and was worried on being judged by so many other delegates across the world. But, within no time, I felt comfortable and started enjoying it. I was awestruck to see many ignited minds coming together for beautiful causes. I was awaiting for what's coming ahead. At the same time, I was a little skeptical if I would be present mentally and just not physically through out the Younga Delegate Program. There were times when I skipped attending the sessions owing to my mental state at that particular time. There were times when I was enthusiastic for the sessions. Well, I think by now, most of you understood that I had been through a lot of highs and lows pertaining to my mental health. I felt somewhere there's a lot of stigma around mental health and there's not much awareness about it. So, the 2 goals that I majorly connected to and was interested to work on was SDG 3 (Mental Health and Wellbeing) and SDG 4 (Quality Education) because I felt them to be interlinked to my vision of destigmatizing mental health issues and educating people from a very young age on mental health. As I kept diving deep on these goals, we were announced about Younga Action Day. I felt that was the best time to take action towards my vision. And, that's how 'VoiceOut Squad' was born on 17th September, 2021. As the name reflects, we wanted every delegate whoever had gone or is currently growing through mental health problems to voice out their journey and inspire others. We had 38 brilliant delegates across the world sharing their views on 'What they advocate for within Mental Health' and 'Why they advocate?' Just not this, but we could also conduct 4 amazing live sessions with Mental Health Enthusiasts and Experts in the field. We were thrilled to receive immense support and response by all the delegates across the world and one thing that I personally cherished was how people directly texted me on how much of an impact VoiceOut Squad had on them in just one day. And a quantifying milestone that all the core team cherished was hitting 100 followers in a span of 12 hours. This one day at YOUNGA IS memorable and unforgettable throughout my life.

One more special day for us was when we hosted an instagram live on account of Mental Health Day with Kelly Lovell, the inspirational woman behind YOUNGA. From the day she agreed to come on live with us till the day we hosted the live, the whole core team at VoiceOut Squad was excited and was keenly waiting for the day. And, on 8th October 2021, we hosted the live session on our page. No doubt, the session was motivational and mind-blowing. All this wouldn't have been possible without the awesome team I had who shared my vision and contributed to bring the idea into reality. I, personally thank each of them and would be forever grateful to them for standing like a pillar and taking VoiceOut Squad forward. They haven't just contributed for its execution but also have been one of the sole reasons for making it a success. Had they not joined hands with me, my dream of 'VoiceOut Squad' would only remain in my mind.

Moving ahead, Younga 2021 continued with amazing sessions with renowned speakers. We started work on the communique and the research and inputs while drafting it gave me a lot of insights on the SDGs and helped me understand what is the need of the hour and how I could contribute to it and help in making the world a better place. Finally, the communique was released on 14th January, 2022, the moment I was waiting for. I was just speechless and was super proud of being a Younga Delegate.

As a founder of the VoiceOut Squad, something more than what I could ever imagine happened on 27th January 2022. when I received a message from BTG Ventures saying VoiceOut Squad made its mark in Younga 2021 and that they wanted me to share my journey. This day would forever be etched in my mind.

Last, but not the least, I owe a big 'thank you' to Kelly and her team at Younga who made all this happen. You have been the backbone of all the delegates and personally to me, you have changed my life and given me hope that there's a beautiful world out there which I'm yet to experience. Kelly, I just want to say you that you are a WONDER WOMAN. You are an inspiration to me and not even 1% of all this would have been possible without you. Thank you so much for showing me that there's light at the end of the tunnel. You re-kindled my spark and made me realize that I need to bounce back and make my mark and work on making my dreams come true. To be frank, 'thank you' would be a very small word for the positive impact and the difference that you brought in my life.

As I come towards the end of my journey, tears are rolling down my eyes while I type this and I am short of words to explain my emotions. When I look back at YOUNGA 2021, all I can see is that, it has been a heck of a journey with lot of learning and self-growth. Also, I made some amazing friends and I am pretty sure that we will travel a long way together.

I would like to conclude by saying Younga 2021 has played a major part in my life. While, I lost hopes on coming out the tough phase I was in, YOUNGA and VoiceOut Squad helped me bounce back stronger from the maze of Anxiety and Depression with a lot of confidence and mental strength.

Once again, a big thank you to everyone who have been a part of VoiceOut Squad and Younga 2021. Also, eagerly waiting for Younga 2022 and to resume VoiceOut Squad and take it forward to more heights.

Cheers!” -Shruti Nandagiri