


Raised in a farming village outside of Bangalore, India, Ajay Gopi was pushed to be an electrician like his father but he knew he wanted to explore and create something new. He left home to join a “makerspace” called Project DEFY –started by 24-year-old Abhijit Sinha-- where kids were in charge of their learning to explore problems and issues they cared about.  Ajay cared most about the farmers, like those he grew up with, who had an alarming suicide rate due to drought induced debt.  

With help from his peers, Ajay learned about new-water saving technologies for crops and at 19 founded Hands on Agriculture involving other kids in creating innovative models to support farmers. “I wanted to do something,” Ajay recalls. “So I started first, and my friends have helped me...and they connected me to many things. They helped me a lot.”

Read more below about Ajay’s changemaking journey to LeadYoung and the importance of a peer community that supports young changemaking. In today’s world where the new game is change, finding one’s power to navigate and steer that change while young makes all the difference.
Read more about Ajay and his LeadYoung story here: Citizens Matter