Meera Shenoy
Founder-CEO,Youth4Jobs
Meera Shenoy is a Social entrepreneur and System Changer in the disability space. She is a pioneer in skilling of rural, tribal and now youth with disabilities and linking them to jobs, at scale. Hon’ble Prime Minister of India mentioned this in his popular “Mann Ke Baat.”
She set up Youth4Jobs 10 years back which has grown to be the largest organisation in South Asia skilling less educated and educated youth with disabilities and linking them to jobs. This work has touched 9.3 million households with the message of “ability in disability”. It works with 1100+ companies to begin or strengthen their inclusion journey. The work has transformed about 4 million lives of youth with disabilities by counselling, training and linking them to sustainable livelihoods.
Youth4Jobs has won the highest National and international awards like Asia winner for MIT prestigious Future of Work award, Inclusion Innovation Challenge, and the global Zero project award for innovations in IT & employment. The work was captured in a Harvard business publication case study recently. She runs “Not Just Art “, a portal for art with disability (www.notjustartglobal.org). Her inspirational book, “You Can”, with Prasad Kaipa, a Bloomsbury publication, was launched at the worlds’ largest literary festival, Jaipur literary festival. The book is in its third edition with a Hindi translation for grassroot reading.
Her previous work was Executive Director, EGMM, the first State government skilling mission for the Andhra Pradesh government, which she set up from scratch and took to scale. This mission influenced Government of Indias’ skilling policy. She then consulted with World Bank across Southeast Asia. Later, she went back to work with the office of the Advisor to Prime Minister for Skilling, supported by UNDP.
Her work is driven by compassion and a belief in the potential of the poor. She is invited to speak at national and international forums on inclusion and Leading with Purpose.
