Young Minds Changemakers Summit 2024

Some journeys are remembered for the places we visit, while others stay with us because of the people we meet along the way. My journey from Nepal to Delhi in December 2024 was special for both reasons.

I travelled to India on 9 December 2024 to attend the Young Minds Changemakers Summit 2024, but the summit was only one part of the journey. I stayed until 18 December, which gave me the opportunity to explore Delhi, spend time with my family, reconnect with a friend from Korea, and meet young people from different parts of India.

What made the journey especially meaningful was having my father with me. It was the first time I had my family beside me for an international event. Representing Nepal on an international platform was already an important experience, but sharing that journey with my father gave it a personal significance that went beyond the summit itself.

Arriving in Delhi

I arrived in Delhi on 9 December, several days before the summit began. Those first few days gave me time to explore the city with my family without the pressure of a conference schedule.

Delhi immediately felt energetic and diverse. We explored local markets and modern malls, visited temples, mosques and churches, and experienced different parts of the city's cultural and everyday life. Each place offered a different perspective on Delhi, from its history and spirituality to its contemporary lifestyle.

As an architecture graduate, I naturally paid attention to the buildings, streets, public spaces and the way people interacted with their surroundings. The contrast between historic structures and modern development was particularly interesting to observe.

But the experience was not only about architecture or sightseeing. Exploring the city with my father made those early days more personal. We were discovering Delhi together, one place at a time.

Reconnecting with a Friend in Delhi

Another important part of the journey was meeting Rumit Walia.

Rumit and I had first met during a conference in Korea, and we remained connected after that experience. When I arrived in Delhi, we had the opportunity to meet again, but this time in his city.

Rumit became my guide to Delhi and helped me experience the city from a different perspective. He took me to places I might not have discovered on my own and introduced me to local food and flavours. Instead of experiencing Delhi only as a visitor, I had someone who could share the city through his own experiences.

We spent time exploring, talking, eating, and simply enjoying the city. Having a familiar friend in a new country made the experience much more comfortable.

It was interesting how quickly the feeling of being a visitor changed. Through friendship, Delhi began to feel familiar.

On 12 December, I travelled to O.P. Jindal Global University, where I stayed until 15 December for the Young Minds Changemakers Summit 2024. The official summit programme ran from 13 to 15 December 2024.

The summit brought together young people for discussions, workshops and activities focused on youth leadership, social change, climate action, youth empowerment, gender and social equity, poverty alleviation and social impact.

The programme began with the theme “Youth as Leaders of Today”, followed by sessions exploring communication strategies for development and social change, climate action and youth empowerment. The following day included workshops around creating a meaningful life, evaluating social impact projects, gender and social equity, and poverty alleviation.

What I appreciated most was the opportunity to hear different perspectives on how young people can contribute to social change. The conversations moved beyond simply identifying problems and focused more on understanding how ideas, communication, collaboration and action can create meaningful impact.

Meeting Young Changemakers

The people I met at the summit were an important part of the experience.

Young participants had travelled from different parts of India, each bringing their own experiences, interests and ideas. Although we came from different communities and backgrounds, conversations quickly developed around subjects that were common to many of us: social change, youth participation, community development and the future we wanted to help create.

Between the formal sessions, we had conversations, shared stories, took photographs and got to know one another beyond our introductions.

Coming from Nepal gave me another perspective to share. I had the opportunity to talk about my own experiences while also learning about initiatives and challenges from different parts of India.

The summit therefore became more than a series of sessions. It became a space for exchanging ideas and building connections among young people who were working toward positive change in their own ways.

Learning Through Action

The final day of the summit included a plantation drive, the launch of the “Solutions from the Youth Report”, and a discussion titled “From Data to Impact.”

These activities brought a practical dimension to the discussions we had been having throughout the summit.

For me, this was an important reminder that leadership is not defined only by titles or participation in conferences. It is reflected in what we choose to do with the knowledge and opportunities we receive.

A summit can introduce us to new ideas, but their real value comes when those ideas are carried into our communities and turned into action.

That was one of the lessons I wanted to take back with me to Nepal.

Family and the Journey

While the summit provided the professional and leadership experience, travelling with my father gave the journey its personal side.

Having him with me throughout the trip meant that I could share experiences that would otherwise have been memories I experienced alone. From exploring Delhi before the summit to experiencing the international event itself, his presence made the journey more meaningful.

There are moments in our lives that become more valuable simply because we experience them with the people who have supported us along the way.

For me, this was one of those moments.

Exploring Delhi After the Summit

After the summit concluded on 15 December, I returned to Delhi and continued exploring the city before my flight back to Nepal on 18 December.

By then, Delhi had become much more familiar. I had already explored several parts of the city, met people I could call friends, experienced local food, and developed my own memories of the places I had visited.

The remaining days were less about following an itinerary and more about enjoying the city at a relaxed pace. I spent time with family and friends, explored more of Delhi, and appreciated the everyday experiences that often become the most memorable parts of travelling.

The city that had initially been unfamiliar now had personal connections attached to it.

More Than a Summit

When I look back at my Delhi journey, I see several experiences coming together.

There was the excitement of travelling internationally with my father for the first time for an event.

There was the experience of representing Nepal at the Young Minds Changemakers Summit and learning alongside young people from different parts of India.

There was the unexpected familiarity of reconnecting with Rumit in Delhi after first meeting him in Korea.

There were the markets, cultural places, architecture, local food, conversations, photographs and countless small moments in between.

None of these experiences alone defines the journey. Together, they tell the story of those ten days in India.

Until the Next Journey

On 18 December 2024, I returned to Nepal carrying new experiences from both the summit and the city.

The Young Minds Changemakers Summit gave me new perspectives on youth leadership and social impact. Delhi gave me an opportunity to explore a new culture and observe a city through both a traveller's and an architect's perspective. My father made the journey a meaningful family experience, while meeting Rumit again reminded me how friendships created in one journey can continue into another.

I travelled to India for a youth summit, but the experience became much broader than the event itself.

It became a journey of family, friendship, exploration and learning, and one that I will always associate with Delhi in December 2024.