Leadership

School for Social Transformation (SST 7)

A six-month experiential leadership programme for aspiring changemakers aged 20–35, combining online learning, a residential immersion at Changemakers Ashram, mentorship and incubation.

18 lessons · about 6 h of lessons · Intermediate · Taught by Jaseel C K, Naji Mahfood

The School for Social Transformation (SST) is the flagship programme of The Ignite Foundation: an experiential leadership development journey for aspiring changemakers aged 20–35, aimed at inspiring and enabling them to become change leaders in their communities.

Participants explore their own values and leadership, engage directly with communities, identify local challenges, and develop initiatives they can implement with continued guidance and peer support. SST combines online learning, a residential immersion at Changemakers Ashram in Kozhikode, mentorship, and changemaker incubation.

SST 7

In its 7th edition, SST focuses on solving hyper-local problems through the lens of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
SST 7 was scheduled to run from August 2025 to January 2026, combining online learning with immersive experiences. The offline phase was scheduled for 24–29 August 2025.
A 60-day e-learning course supports the programme.
Enrolment is by invitation only.

Interested in a future edition? Use the button on this page and the team will get back to you.

What is inside

Module 1: Welcome to SST

Reading About the School for Social Transformation (10 min)
Reading Programme roadmap and how to succeed (8 min)
External link Explore the Sustainable Development Goals (15 min)

Module 2: Know yourself: values and leadership

Reading Your values, your leadership (12 min)
Reading Leadership as service (10 min)
Assignment Assignment: My leadership story (45 min)

Module 3: Understand your community

Reading Listening before acting (12 min)
Reading Mapping people, places and resources (15 min)
Assignment Assignment: Community listening notes (60 min)

Module 4: Identify local challenges through the SDGs

Reading From problems to priorities (12 min)
Reading Linking local problems to the SDGs (10 min)
Quiz Quiz: Understanding local challenges (10 min)

Module 5: Design your initiative

Reading Turning a problem into a project idea (15 min)
Reading Working with others: partners and volunteers (10 min)
Assignment Assignment: One-page project plan (90 min)

Module 6: Launch, learn and keep going

Reading Starting small and learning fast (10 min)
Reading Measuring change and telling your story (10 min)
Reading Reflection: What I learned in SST (10 min)