Help marginalized children claim a seat in the AI world

Why we exist?

Every technological revolution brings in progress, but not equally for everyone.

The marginalized communities are often left to settle for entry-level jobs that are exploitative and prone to automation. They have limited voice on which problems get solved on priority. And the biases in society get embedded in and amplified through new technologies.

How are we solving for it?

Technology is power. Teaching it to marginalized children will help them claim a seat on the table. But in order for them to make right use of that power and steer technology towards creating an egalitarian world, we also need to build their character.

So, teaching AI only through a technical lens is not sufficient. A holistic approach involves children understanding how it works, how it affects society and how to critically evaluate it.

At THE labs, we try to do this through 3 interventions -

AI Citizenship Program

A 100-hour interdisciplinary program for middle-schoolers that aims to develop:

• Foundational understanding of all kinds of AI systems
• Ability to critically evaluate AI systems for their impact on society
• Confidence to adapt to various kinds of AI systems in the future

Fellowship Program

A 2-year residential program to prepare rural youth to be future educators and leaders in AI space by:

• Learning AI, Pedagogy, and Leadership
• Teaching the AI Citizenship to children in government and aided schools.
• Developing a strong understanding of Indian social landscape

Centre of Excellence

A community centre at Nanded City, Pune, that serves three main purposes -

• Opportunities for children to demonstrate their holistic learning
• Research and development of new cutting-edge programs
• Safe space for children beyond school to spend time meaningfully

Our outreach in the current year

We are working with more than 4000 children in urban, rural and tribal areas across 4 districts through 10 fellows, thanks to generous individuals like you who supported us last year.

Read our annual impact report

Watch our children talking about their learnings and debating in classroom

Listen to our student sharing her research at an international conference

To expand this work further, we need your support!

Our ask

Donate in this crowdfunding campaign. Below is how your donations will help us.

INR 3,000 - Sponsor AI Citizenship Program for 1 child for a year

INR 15,000 - Sponsor AI Citizenship Program for 5 children for a year

INR 30,000 - Sponsor one month of a fellow's leadership journey

INR 50,000 - Sponsor one laptop that will be used by 400 children over 5 years

THE labs is the first organization in India to build a holistic AI program for children in grade 6 to 8. By donating any amount of your wish, you will join a community of more than 250 incredible supporters and become a pioneer in helping marginalized children claim a seat in the AI driven world.