Gopali Youth Welfare Society

Gopali Youth Welfare Society(GYWS) is a registered non-governmental voluntary organization primarily managed by some students and faculty members of I Read moreIT Kharagpur, with the support of local members from Gopali. It was established in 2002 with a mission to improve the living standard of the people of Gopali, a village 5 km from IIT Kharagpur. Registered in 2004 under the West Bengal Societies Registration Act of 1961 with Reg. No. S/IL/23893, it has been advancing with the twin objectives of making the youth and society aware of and ensuring socio-economic welfare for underprivileged and weaker sections of the society. Through its programmes of free education, social awareness campaigns and vocational training, GYWS has seen many lives changed for the better. Jagriti Vidya Mandir, located in Tangasool village is a few kilometres away from the Institute, it is a school run by GYWS and has an enrolment of 240 students from Nursery to Class V. IIT Kharagpur’s students, organised into the school review committee, regularly monitors the activities of the school and also undertakes skill development programmes. GYWS also serves in the field of Skill Development by providing vocational training to the youth. Tailoring Training and Computer Coaching are some of the programmes it has conducted in the past to train the youth for the future.

GYWS aims to develop an ecosystem for youth to provide them with skills, resources and motivation to achieve sustainable development goals and improve social and economic conditions in and around Kharagpur.

Key milestones include establishing Jagriti Vidya Mandir school in 2008, launching the LiGHT initiative for pan-India expansion in 2017, and growing to over 400 active members.