Deepak Chopra: Helping Disadvantaged Youth Break the Cycle of Poverty
I will cite just two out of my many reasons for signing up for #LivingMyPromise:My personal lifelong mission is to help undereducated young adults to bootstrap themselves out of a cycle of poverty, lead a productive self-reliant life of dignity and go beyond to contribute to the greater good.
I currently work with Freedom Employability Academy (FEA). FEA runs an innovative employability competency program that teaches personal skills (self-confidence, drive, persistence, adaptability, ethics, etc.) FEA also builds English language skills to a level that make youth effective in the workplace, and digital literacy providing a path to lifelong learning and growth. The impact of FEA as measured by an RCT conducted by Stanford University is to move youth from poverty to middle class.
I believe that people fortunate enough to receive a good education should not have their creativity and resourcefulness handicapped by an inheritance.
Deepak Chopra is the Founder/CEO of his personal charity – Freedom Employability Academy (FEA). Deepak’s lifelong mission is to help disadvantaged youth bootstrap themselves out of a cycle of poverty, lead a productive self-reliant life of dignity and go beyond to contribute to the greater good.
FEA runs a free, innovative employability competency program that builds productive mindsets, English language skills and digital literacy. It also provides career guidance and mentorship. To date, more than 200,000 disadvantaged youth have enrolled in the free physical classes at the 100+ FEA branches, spread over 5 north Indian states. FEA currently is likely among the 10 largest secular NGO’s in India in terms of annual budget. The program here doubles, triples, or even quadruples the monthly income for many. Given the potentially tremendous impact of this program, researchers from Stanford University are conducting a randomized controlled trial of FEA’s impact. While historically FEA has had a presence only in disadvantaged urban neighborhoods, it is now shifting its attention and resources to rural poverty alleviation.
On a personal note, Deepak does not believe in bequeathing wealth to heirs and 100% of his assets will be used to help the disadvantaged and poor through the FEA programs. He has founded or cofounded multiple companies, including Quten Research Institute, which is the US market leader in two different segments of food supplements under the QUNOL brand. Deepak holds a B. Tech degree in chemical engineering from IIT Delhi.
FEA runs a free, innovative employability competency program that builds productive mindsets, English language skills and digital literacy. It also provides career guidance and mentorship. To date, more than 200,000 disadvantaged youth have enrolled in the free physical classes at the 100+ FEA branches, spread over 5 north Indian states. FEA currently is likely among the 10 largest secular NGO’s in India in terms of annual budget. The program here doubles, triples, or even quadruples the monthly income for many. Given the potentially tremendous impact of this program, researchers from Stanford University are conducting a randomized controlled trial of FEA’s impact. While historically FEA has had a presence only in disadvantaged urban neighborhoods, it is now shifting its attention and resources to rural poverty alleviation.
On a personal note, Deepak does not believe in bequeathing wealth to heirs and 100% of his assets will be used to help the disadvantaged and poor through the FEA programs. He has founded or cofounded multiple companies, including Quten Research Institute, which is the US market leader in two different segments of food supplements under the QUNOL brand. Deepak holds a B. Tech degree in chemical engineering from IIT Delhi.
A youth skilling lesson in progress at a FEA Center in South Delhi
Freedom English Academy (FEA) is the leading provider of free, non-governmental, intensive English training and personal development in India. We serve thousands of students daily, providing them with hard and soft skills to enable them to access professional jobs and improve their quality of life. Our programs focus primarily on young people, with 80% of our students between 15 and 22 years of age. Currently 82 branches exist with a count of 17,143 students.
A FEA trainer in a digital skilling workshop
FEA actively partners with scholars and researchers who can improve our performance by formulating, designing, and testing theories. As a data-driven organization, we offer researchers a robust data collection apparatus with the ability to run controlled A/B tests (randomized control trials) and other data-collection methods. With approximately 18,000 students in more than 150 locations, we also have the scale to examine important questions in management, organizational behavior, economics, sociology, education, and other disciplines. FEA facilitators are dynamic individuals, working at the grass-root level in FEA branches.
Freedom English Academy (FEA) is the leading provider of free, non-governmental, intensive English training
FEA offers a free program, in north India’s Hindi belt, for urban youth and for rural youth to build productive and ethical mindsets and core employability skills.
The curriculum build productive and ethical mindsets, English language skills, and digital literacy skills. Additionally, since nobody can really know what the careers of the future will look like FEA teaches students how to continue learning on their own after the program ends and stresses the virtue of being adaptable to workforce changes.FEA also provides mentorship and career counselling to support students on their journeys.
Cumulatively, about a quarter of a million students have enrolled in FEA since its inception in 2010.
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