URBAN DESI HOUSE: India’s first youth cafe by Indian Youth Cafe ( 2015-2023)

Accolades: 

1. VAwards, 2018 - United Nations in India, UNV, UNDP India and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India.

2. VConclave- India Volunteering Conclave- UNV India, UNDP India, and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India

3. The Hindu 

Overview: 

Youth-themed cafes- a study ( Low-cost/Ultra low-cost pop-up cafes ): Youth cafés are all about meeting the needs and giving much-needed attention to the change-makers of tomorrow. A well-run café can be a source of support for young people and can offer them a secure base during times of immense change in their lives. 

We designed and successfully operated India’s first truly youth cafe from 2015-2020 in a defunct 5 decade old bungalow, Urban Desi House with a triangular revenue model of coworking, events and hangout spaces selling affordable food and beverages for urban youth. We found that an omnichannel approach with the interplay of media, technology and localized experiences towards youth engagement can be introduced to enable informal learning and foster collaboration for youth at physical spaces at several centres in any nation to track and monitor young citizens and recognize the efforts shared through skills mainly through a single ticket system. Social credits which can be used to avail selective government schemes are perhaps one concrete way to create repositories of young people with new age skills to harness youth power. Also, community positions for youth ensure social support and attachment, alongside generating social capital that can be tracked and tagged to young individuals.

Youth Cafe testimonials/ Reviews: 

“ Best place I have ever seen in Chennai. It's not only a place to eat. It's more then that. I can't explain this in this review. As a trainer I'm recommending my students to visit and utilizes it. Best place to share your knowledge and show up your talent. UDH have a stage here. It's suites for young people. Have to visit once then you'll never go anywhere. ” 

Source: Google 

Youth Cafe, a model hugely successful in Ireland, where more than 160 youth cafes work involving various social development organisations, government, youth and adults have created an impact at the grassroots and has enabled many young people and adolescents to identify their talents early when they attain puberty. Youth Cafes have also enabled spaces where youth have openly talked about matters of civic importance on one hand and acted on them while involving themselves in recreational and collaborative activities on the other. The spaces have played an important role in providing the youth with an opportunity to attain much-needed leadership skills as they grow to become a responsible adult. Similarly, We also wish this kind of solution to engage and empower youth can lead to positive changes around the community and in India at large.

Figure: Dialogue on Civic engagement at Youth Cafe, Chennai, India

Youth Cafe testimonials/ Reviews: 

“ A place all about the youth of today ! A good mine for all those instagram worthy shots and a chilled out place to have a snack and a good conversation. A great place to meet new people and make friends ” 

Source: Google 

What exactly is a Youth Cafe?

A youth café is a safe, dedicated, quality meeting space for young people ranging in age from 15 - 35 though anyone can access and avail services and collaborative activities of the same. It is determined by young people for young people, in partnership with adults in the locality. 

Figure: Youth Cafe at Vidyasagar NGO, Chennai, India

In more general terms, a youth café offers the following to young people:

• A relaxed meeting space, which is safe, friendly, inclusive and tolerant;

• A place for all genders and for young people from all social and cultural backgrounds to engage in social interaction with their peers in a safe and supportive drug- and alcohol-free environment;

• A location for relaxation, recreation and entertainment, and, where appropriate, as a site for information, advice or even direct care/service provision;

• A place where young people can develop good quality relationships with their peers and with adults.

YOUth- An emotion. YOUth Café- A Bridge.

• Third institution for the youth- Equality for all- time to think above schools, colleges and other coaching institutes. 

• A omnichannel platform to initiate and empower youth projects: Mixed use of technology, media, and locally catered experiences.

• Attract funds for youth projects through events- Empower potentially strong start-ups.

• Mentor-Mentee model to create a knowledge repository at low cost- exchange of thoughts.

• Direct employment for thousands of youth- Youth workers, graduates (Stipend based model).

• Indirect employment for skill-tagged youth.

• Free networking for the youth. Connecting like-minded change-makers on a regular basis. Not just once.

• Career guidance workshops/ Notifications of job postings for local youth. 

• Most affordable co-working spaces for young people on a registration basis.

• Eco-friendly – Made by creative up-cycling techniques- using  Up-cycled Shipping Containers, scrap wood pallets, tetra-packs, etc. 

• Learning-based workshops/events.

• Engaging youth in community awareness programs.

• Apprenticeship, residency programs, internships – India and the World.

• Stage: A platform for new-age artists, musicians, entrepreneurs, and coders to showcase their art and skills- Unending learning from thousands of youth- for thousands of youth. 

• In line with United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda- #Youth2030

#MySafeSpace Campaign at the Local Youth Cafe saw participation from over 100 Youth within 24 hrs.

The benefits of our innovative youth cafe model are many- while on the one hand, it serves as a safe space for young people to engage themselves in constructive dialogue and informal quality education through experienced adults in the community, it also acts as a self-sustainable social space driven by the active involvement of adolescents, young adults and experienced adults. However, the benefits also extend to solving the age-old crisis of radicalization of youth by enabling non-stigmatising social spaces for youth; especially in conflict-prone areas to inculcate an environment of peace and development. With the motto #ThinkGlobalActivateLocal, we localize the efforts of youth communities in a specific region towards achieving sustainable development goals through omnichannel mobilisation. We also advocate for significant investment not only through capital resources but also through time and shared experience not only by government entities but also by reaching out to the private sector.

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