World Youth Skills Day celebrates the power of equipping young people with the skills they need for employment, entrepreneurship, and self-reliance. At Railway Children India, we believe that when vulnerable youth are given the right tools with life skills and vocational training, they can chart a path of their own making. Sana’s story from Tulsi Nagar is one such powerful example.
When Sana* first began attending the adolescent girls’ meetings in Tulsi Nagar, she was the quietest one in the room. A shy teenager, Sana came from a family with limited means. Her father was a daily wage labourer, her mother a homemaker, and she was the eldest of three sisters. The weight of responsibility on her young shoulders was real, and so was the fear that gripped her when she imagined speaking up or even attending life skills sessions.
“She would join the monthly meetings, but hesitate to attend life skill training sessions. She was always very scared of saying something wrong,” recalls Kajal Pradeep, Community Mobilizer of Tulsi Nagar. “She felt extremely uncomfortable in the presence of boys and often looked for ways to avoid interaction.”
But change has a quiet way of creeping in.
Over a year and a half, Sana’s transformation was nothing short of remarkable. With consistent encouragement and safe spaces built through the life skills program, her fear began to lift. She not only started attending sessions but also began to connect deeply with the activities and topics discussed. Soon, she was leading from the front, literally. Sana became a peer leader, conducting sessions herself, adding new members to the group, and creating a ripple effect of confidence and courage.
The breakthrough wasn’t just social. Before joining the program, Sana had almost given up on academics. “She once wanted to drop out and take up odd jobs,” says Kajal Pradeep. “But the life skills sessions helped her discover her strengths and dreams.”
It was during this phase of self-discovery that Sana voiced a goal she never had the courage to share before: she wanted to learn computers.
Recognising her interest, the team linked her to vocational training, and Sana grabbed the opportunity with both hands. She not only completed her 12th-grade education but also enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts course and took up a part-time job. The girl who once avoided speaking is now juggling college, work, and ambition with ease.
But her journey wasn’t without its last-minute hurdles. When it was time to attend her first job interview, the fear crept back in. Nervous and unsure, Sana called her mentor. “She told me she was scared again,” says Pradeep. “But I reminded her, ‘you’ve already overcome so much. This is just a small interview.’ And she did it.”
Today, Sana is thriving, grateful and determined to take what she’s learned forward.
“Maine yahan pe bohot kuch seekha hai, aur jo yahan seekha usko aage leke jaungi.” (“I’ve learned so much here, and I will carry it forward.”)
Her transformation has also left a deep impact at home. Witnessing her daughter’s success, Sana’s mother now actively encourages the team to enrol her younger daughters in the program too — a quiet revolution beginning in one home and spreading outward.
*Name and details changed to protect the confidentiality of the child.
