The Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) launched Odisha's first-ever Youth Changemaker Day in association with the Ashoka Innovators for the Public, Bangalore on Monday.

The event was inaugurated by KISS & KIIT founder Dr Achyuta Samanta in the presence of Youth Venture Director, South Asia, Ashoka Innovators Yashveer Singh and leadership Group Member, South Asia Shashikumar Velath.

The Youth Changemaker Day aims to initiate an ecosystem building process in Bhubaneswar that values and supports young people to be change makers and advance towards a world where every young person can apply the skills of empathy, new leadership, teamwork and creativity to solve complex social problems.

Dr Samanta said, "We will be working with other educational institutes, schools, universities, Government and other stakeholders to start and spread this movement."

Velath said the KISS is engaged in a massive nation-building task of providing a free and enabling access to high quality education and imparting transformative leadership skills to children from Indian indigenous communities. This mission of KISS led by Dr Samanta would leave an indelible legacy in the making of a new, inclusive resurgent India.

KISS and Ashoka, with the help of the Youth Changemaker Day, aim to trigger ideas in young people which can lead to social enterprises and inspire passionate students and young people by providing a learning platform through specific intervention programmes, at the same time inviting social entrepreneurs who will share their real life experiences and challenges in social enterprises. The larger objective is to set up a Centre of Excellence in Social Entrepreneurship at the KISS for young students and youths of Odisha. It is an open forum for sharing ideas and experiences in the development sector and also to help youths learn, execute and materialise their ideas for changing the world.