Tech4Equity: Empowering the Next Generation Through Technology

By Ayush Sankaran, Co-founder of Tech4Equity & Founding Member of Teach the Future’s Young Voices Council

Technology can open doors to opportunity, yet millions of underserved students in India lack access to digital education. I am Ayush Sankaran, and along with Jashith Narang, I co-founded Tech4Equity to change that—ensuring technology is a tool for empowerment, not exclusion. We are two 9th graders from Mumbai, India. As a founding member of the Teach the Future Young Voices Council and a IB Hundred youth ambassador, I believe in making digital literacy accessible to all. Through strategic partnerships with NGOs, corporations, and international organizations, we’ve helped students across four Indian states gain vital technology skills.

Making a Difference: From Digital Classrooms to Real-World Impact

I have volunteered with Code to Enhance Learning (CEL) Trust, an NGO in India, for over 3 years now, helping to digitize their coding curriculums into open source video lessons. These lessons are now an integral part of municipal school programs in two Indian states impacting underserved students and teachers, reaching 12,500+ viewers on youtube and helping students learn to code remotely. Additionally, we’ve been conducting regular coding sessions at NGO Shikshantar in Mumbai, ensuring continuous hands-on exposure for young learners.

Through AI and coding workshops, we’ve introduced 200+ students to the power of technology in partnership with Alkem Foundation and Muktangan. We’ve also collaborated with Rotary International to bring Intro to Coding sessions to four schools in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, giving students a strong foundation in programming.

Beyond software skills, we address hardware accessibility by organizing e-waste collection and donation drives. By refurbishing and distributing laptops and computers to NGOs and schools, we ensure students not only learn coding but also have access to the tools they need to apply their knowledge.

Shaping the Future: Expanding Reach and Impact using futures literacy tools 

Over the last year, I’ve had the privilege of serving as a founding member of the Teach the Future Young Voices Council, where I was trained in futures thinking tools designed to help young changemakers envision and shape long-term impact. 

Among these, the tool I connected with the most was the STEEP framework (Social, Technological, Economic,Environmental, and Political). Applying this framework has allowed me to assess the broader forces influencing digital education, helping me refine and future-proof Tech4Equity’s mission. It highlighted the social urgency for digital inclusion, the need to stay adaptive in a fast-paced tech landscape, the economic disparities affecting access, the environmental opportunities around e-waste reduction, and the importance of policy advocacy.Guided by these insights,

Tech4Equity is now committed to:

• Scaling AI and coding workshops with an added focus on future-facing skills such as ethics in AI, climate-tech, and data privacy

• Strengthening collaborations with NGOs and corporations that support sustainable, inclusive education models

• Launching a structured hardware donation and refurbishment program to foster environmental sustainability and support local repair ecosystems

• Advocating for systemic changes in digital education policy, including the integration of open-source content and technology literacy in public school curriculums

With the right tools, training, and cross-sector support, I believe we can shape a future where every student is not just a passive consumer of technology, but an empowered creator of solutions.

Ayush Sankaran, Young Voices Council Founding Member