KICKOFF SOLUTIONS
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Mission Statement
To Leverage sport as a platform for facilitating leadership & community building among underprivileged girls, and challenge discriminating social norms with contemporary & relatable hero stories of girls who play. ‘Enable locally’ & ‘unify globally’ to enable underprivileged girl leaders through sports , creating role models overcoming traditional gender norms to lead social change for their community and beyond.
About This Cause
Who: Kickoff Solutions is a 501c registered non-profit in existence for 6+ years, and is led by a group of mostly Googlers/ex-Googler What: We nominate and groom a group of underprivileged girls who play and have shown exemplary leadership potential from across tribal & slum India (13 states) and Africa (Mali), in partnership with over 23 verified grassroots partners. Why: We believe that traditional discriminatory norms particularly prevalent in tribal & slum communities can be reversed from within by girl leaders & allies, and that stories of relatable girl role models & change-makers could prompt dialogues of real change. How: A sport based scholarship program (as sport is one of the earliest gender discrimination markers) that includes monetary support, 21st century skill development and mentoring, besides national/global exposure and critical tech infrastructure access. Unifying efforts of grassroots organizations working deeply for gender equality needs in tribal & slum communities, amplifying their effectiveness, impact and stories through a collaborative program. In many regions across the world, particularly in tribal and slum communities across India, Africa, and parts of Southeast Asia, gender discrimination remains prevalent. Adolescent girls are disproportionately affected by this disparity, encountering obstacles like child marriage, trafficking, and violence. To combat this, empowering local changemaker girl leaders is crucial. By sharing relatable stories of these girls and their advocates, we can spark discussions, challenge traditional gender norms, and drive transformative change. Our hypothesis is that sport, one of the earliest social markers of discrimination, can be a powerful tool for good if girls who show leadership potential can be supported to break barriers and assert their agency on key personal decisions starting with continuing to play, and subsequently on graduating, becoming financially independent, and community-leadership for change. At KickOff Solutions, our goal is to 1) Empower a network of underprivileged girl changemakers through sport AND 2) Engage communities on provocative dialogues of change through relatable hero stories. Recent HIGHLIGHTS: Through your unwavering support, we have made significant strides in bolstering our network of partners and empowering young girl leaders. We have strategically intensified our interventions, with a particular focus on mentorship and skills development. Furthermore, we have established a girl leaders council that serves as a platform for girls to drive positive change for themselves and their peers. Additionally, constituted an advisory board of experts who provide invaluable guidance and mentorship to our organization and the girls we serve. Scholarships: 85+ scholarships through 23 partner organizations across 13 Indian states and 12+ dialects (including sign language). Skilling Programs: Expanded the skilling / learning programs to encompass gender, identity, and storytelling, engaging over 60 girls in 15+ workshops. Piloted a mentorship program with 5 diverse mentors to offer career guidance. For next year, we plan to offer and expand Mental Health workshops 21st-century skills program. Intensified Field Interactions For Deeper Engagement: Increased field visits to 30 last year. To complement these visits, our Insights & Skilling lead also conducts bi-monthly check-ins. We introduced Gamification exercise which complements the intensified field interactions. It encourages deeper engagement and peer accountability Girl leaders council as growth opportunities for Girls to drive key changemaker projects: Established Council of 9 girl leaders driving social change at the community level. The council is undergoing training to comprehend power structures, sexual harassment, and violence. The training also provides legal know-how for seeking recourse and a shared vocabulary for discussing safety and accountability. Expanding the organization sustainably: KickOff Solutions has registered an India entity, accelerating local operations and funding. In line with this expansion, we have strengthened our leadership team by hiring Indu Choudhary as the new CEO and Poonam Chakraborty as the Operations Head. Additionally, our advisory board has been expanded to include industry experts from diverse fields, ensuring a strong foundation for the organization’s growth and long-term sustainability. Advisory Board members A special mention to our Googler, Shashank Sahni, who started the “Dr Sahni Memorial Fund” in honor of his late father who was a steadfast advocate for girls' education. The fund has been utilized to arm these girls with computers to bridge a common technology access gap, and offer a Design Thinking program with Reap Benefit - a workshop for leading civic change experiments, exposure to mentors & changemaker communities, and a seed capital for changemaker projects.