Igniting Minds in Pune
Student counselling and life skills in Pune
Igniting Minds works with students aged 12 to 24 in Pune, including the large number who have moved here for college and are living away from home for the first time.
What students here are carrying
Pune takes in students from across India and beyond, which makes it unusual among these cities. A large share of its seventeen to twenty-two year olds are not from here. They arrived for a course, live in a hostel or a shared flat, and are managing independence, a new language environment and an academic load in the same term.
The school-age population has the familiar SSC and CBSE pressures. The college population has something different, and most support services are set up for the first group rather than the second.
Sessions are delivered offline, on campus at schools and colleges, including for students living in hostels nearby.
First time away, and nobody to say it to
The first year away from home is harder than almost anyone admits at the time. The calls back are cheerful, because reporting a bad week to parents who are paying fees feels ungrateful, and the friendships in a new hostel are three months old and not yet the kind you tell things to.
Add a city where the language on the street may not be yours, a course that is harder than school suggested, and the particular loneliness of being surrounded by people constantly while knowing none of them well.
Most students come through it. Some do not, and the ones who struggle tend to be invisible precisely because everyone assumes this phase is supposed to be difficult. A structured group with a facilitator gives that first year somewhere to go.
Why schools and colleges in Pune choose it
For students living away from home
Built for the hostel and shared-flat population, where the usual family safety net is several states away.
A group that is not your course
Peers outside the immediate academic circle, which makes it easier to be honest about how the term is actually going.
For Pune schools and colleges
NEP-aligned life-skills delivery offline, on campus, covering both the school years and the transition into college life.
Sessions in English and Hindi
Useful in a city where a large share of students are managing an unfamiliar language environment alongside everything else.
How Igniting Minds runs
The program is built to sit alongside school rather than compete with it, so the format follows whatever the school or institution can actually sustain.
- Ages
- Students from 12 to 24
- Formats
- Offline only — on campus and in person
- Runs with
- Schools, colleges and coaching institutes
- Framework
- Aligned to NEP 2020 and WHO life-skills guidance
- Focus
- Life skills, emotional regulation and counselling support
- Led by
- Psychologists and trained facilitators
- Not included
- Individual clinical treatment, handled separately
What the sessions cover
Life Skills that Stick
Practical, age-appropriate skills rooted in WHO and NEP 2020 — socio-emotional learning, problem-solving, and holistic development for Indian schools.
Fun Experiential Learning
Interactive sessions blend experiential learning, cognitive-behavioural techniques, and gamified modules — mental health games and activities for students that engage teens where they are.
Support Beyond the Classroom
Parent updates and home practice tools so skills carry over into everyday life beyond the classroom.
Offline Formats Across India
Offline, on-campus delivery for schools, colleges, and coaching institutes — workshops, weekly modules, or intensives in English and Hindi.
What participants report
Impact & Reach
Empowering young minds with tools for emotional and mental wellness across India.
198,000+students reached
Improved Focus
Students experienced better concentration and fewer emotional outbursts.
85%of participants
Better Communication at Home
Parents reported healthier, more open conversations at home.
70%of participants
Reduced Screen Time
Students built healthier digital habits within the first month of engagement.
60%within 4 weeks
Participants join from Kothrud, Aundh, Viman Nagar, Karve Nagar, Hadapsar and Baner, and from parts of Pune not on that list. Sessions run in English and Hindi.
Looking for one-to-one clinical support instead? Our psychotherapeutic services cover that.
In their own words
Partner with us
Tell us about your organization in Pune and we will follow up with next steps for offline, on-campus delivery.
Igniting Minds in Pune: common questions
Is Igniting Minds available in Pune?
Yes. Sessions are delivered offline, on campus for schools and colleges in Pune. Participants join from Kothrud, Aundh, Viman Nagar, Karve Nagar, Hadapsar and Baner.
My son moved to Pune for college and seems to be struggling. Can he join alone?
Not on his own. Igniting Minds runs on campus for a whole class or year group, arranged with the college, so the route in is his institution: point them to the Partner with us form. If he needs one-to-one support sooner, our psychotherapeutic services are the better fit.
Is this only for school students?
No. The program covers ages 12 to 24, which includes the college years. In Pune the college cohort is a large part of who takes part.
We run a college in Pune. Can this support first-year students?
Yes, and the transition year is where it tends to matter most. The program is delivered offline, on campus, aligned to NEP 2020 and WHO life-skills frameworks.
What topics are covered in the sessions?
Emotional regulation and anger management, confidence-building, digital balance, communication and empathy, problem-solving, and decision-making—skills students can apply immediately in school, at home, and online.
How does the program align with NEP 2020?
Igniting Minds is designed around NEP 2020 and WHO life-skills priorities: socio-emotional learning, problem-solving, digital balance, and holistic student development — so schools and colleges can meet policy goals while supporting student wellbeing.
What is the cost and who funds it?
Pricing is structured to be affordable for private and government schools. NGO and CSR partnerships can fund implementation in government and underserved school settings — Contact us for a tailored quote.
More questions? See all Igniting Minds FAQs.
Start Igniting Minds in Pune
Partner with us to bring Igniting Minds to your organization in Pune.