Empowering Youth to Co-Create Diverse Digital Futures
The Youth Digital Cultures Lab (YDCL) hosted at The Pranava Institute seeks to bring together diverse young people from India to meaningfully engage with their experiences of diversity, joy and meaningful inclusion in digital environments.
The Lab is supported by the Include+ Network at the University of Leeds.
1/ Principles
Focus Principles
Our work with youth is anchored around three focus principles. We research, co-create and empower young people along these three themes to build diverse digital futures.
Enable Meaningful Digital Inclusion
What does meaningful digital inclusion look like for youth from across India, and the world? How can new technologies help us bridge gaps left unaddressed, or widened by earlier technologies?
Co-create Non-Western, Diverse Digital Futures
Diversity is a central principle for the lab- and remains unaddressed and underdeveloped as a concept and practice to draw from in order to build digital futures. We ask: How can exploring and unpacking diversity help us build better, sustainable digital futures?
Explore and Enhance Digital Joys
What joys do young people experience online, and how can these show us the way to build more meaningful, joyful digital experiences and environments which enable human flourishing?
2/ Activities
Three Action Pillars
Peek into the work we aim to do.
01
KNOWLEDGE AND CAPACITY-BUILDING: FELLOWS INCUBATION AND TRAINING
A two-month hybrid training program for YDCL Fellows will include multiple in-person and online sessions which provide grounding in tech policy, design and participatory methods.
02
CO-CREATION: MODULES, FRAMEWORKS AND TOOLKITS
Co-create resources to conduct youth focussed research on digital issues. The lab aims to create methods training modules, speculative design frameworks and workshop toolkits as open-source resources.
03
NETWORK: BUILDING A COMMUNITY
A community is a key component to sustainable work. YDCL seeks to build sustainable youth- led communities actively contributing towards creation of equitable digital spaces.
6
Fellows
180
Incubation Days
20+
Global Expert Speakers
6
Locations
Lab Figures
3/ Our Advisors are
Meet the Mentors
What the YDCL Mentors Say
“ This is the space to share a review from one of the business's clients or customers”
Jose Maria Lev,RI
“ This is the space to share a review from one of the business's clients or customers”
Terance Sero,AR
“ This is the space to share a review from one of the business's clients or customers”
Reliat McDoud, AR
“ This is the space to share a review from one of the business's clients or customers”
Mike Lauren , RI
3/ Ready to be a fellow?
/YDCL Fellowship Program
Join us for a six-month fellowship at the Lab, starting in September 2025.
Follow this page for the call for fellowship, and other updates.
01
Fellowship Launch
August 2025
02
Call for Fellows Opens
August 2025
03
Application Closes
September 2025
04
Selection Process
September 2025
05
Fellowship Kick-Start
September 2025
4/ What we Develop
Upcoming Lab Resources
Youth Research Methods Library
The lab activities will result in participatory methods for research, design and development with youth on digital issues, accessible to all.
Best Practices and Tools
We share best practices and tools we identify in our work with youth organisations and young fellows.
Workshops and Fieldwork
The workshops conducted by the lab will be available to our partners who work at the grassroots with youth communities.
Research Outputs and Policy Recommendations
We produce research outputs- blogs, reports, publications and policy recommendations for targeted stakeholders from our work on youth and digital cultures.
5/ Who We Are
Our Team
Shyam Krishnakumar
Dhanyashri Kamalakannan
Swaathi Vetrivel
Titiksha Vashist
6/ Work with Us
Collaborate with Us
If you are an individual or an organisation interested in our work, and keen to connect, drop us a message!