Programs

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CDA’s work is youth-led, rights-based, and community-driven. We focus on:

  • Advancing peacebuilding and interfaith dialogue
  • Supporting post-conflict reconciliation and trauma response
  • Promoting the rights of youth in health, education, and livelihood
  • Increasing youth participation in public institutions and local governance
  • Strengthening youth leadership and conflict management capacity
  • Addressing gender inequality and promoting women’s leadership
  • Fostering youth social entrepreneurship and innovation
  • Using sports, arts, and advocacy as tools for peace and behavior change

 Impactful Initiatives

  • Skill Development for Peace: Provided livelihood skills to 1500 marginalized indigenous youth (50% female) to divert them from the path of left-wing extremism and engage them in peaceful, productive livelihoods.
  • Youth Exchange for Inclusion: Facilitated internships for 340 youth from the North-East to learn inclusive community development approaches for differently-abled youth in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
  • Cultural Exchange for Transformation: Organized exchange visits for 240 youth (110 females) from Central India to the North-East to understand youth-led conflict transformation and social entrepreneurship models.

Thematic Zones of Engagement

CDA operates based on contextual needs and capacities of local youth in the following zones:

  • Conflict-Prone Zones: Addressing ethnic, tribal, or communal tensions through peacebuilding and reconciliation.
  • Urban Slums & Marginalized Settlements: Promoting digital inclusion, health rights, and youth leadership.
  • Tribal and Indigenous Regions: Reviving traditional knowledge systems for climate action and sustainable development.
  • Border Areas & Multi-cultural Districts: Encouraging intercultural youth exchanges and tolerance building.

Community First, Youth Always

Wherever we work, we follow a bottom-up approach — enabling youth to lead their communities, address local challenges, and build a more inclusive, peaceful future.

“We don’t just reach locations — we transform them through the power of youth.”

Our Activities

At Centre for Development Action (CDA), we are committed to empowering youth and promoting sustainable development through a wide range of youth-led and youth-centric initiatives. Our programs aim to build leadership, enhance life and livelihood skills, foster peace, and promote health awareness. Below are our core activities:

1. Peace Building and Conflict Management

We design and facilitate initiatives that promote peace, non-violence, and social harmony among youth and communities.
Key Activities:

  • Peacebuilding Workshops: Interactive sessions focused on dialogue, empathy, and non-violent communication-reached 560 youth in the last 3 years
  • Conflict Management Training: Equipping youth with tools and strategies to manage interpersonal and community conflicts – reached 377 youth in the last 3 years
  • Unity in Diversity Workshops: Celebrating cultural, linguistic, and social diversity to promote inclusion and mutual respect -reached 287 youth in the last 3 years
  • Youth-Led Peace Campaigns: Mobilizing young leaders to be ambassadors of peace in their communities – reached 2756 youth in the last 3 years

2. Leadership and Soft Skills Development

We believe leadership begins with self-awareness and communication. Our programs focus on equipping youth with essential life and workplace skills.
Key Activities:

  • Leadership Development Training: Enhancing personal leadership, decision-making, and team-building abilities – reached 344 youth in the last 3 years
  • Soft Skills Training: Focus on communication, problem-solving, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal skills – reached 422 youth in the last 3 years

3. Intercultural Dialogue and Tolerance Building

Promote understanding across cultures, religions, and ethnicities through youth-led initiatives.

Activities:

  • Youth Interfaith Dialogues
  • Cross-Cultural Exchange Camps
  • World Culture Day Celebrations
  • Storytelling for Unity Programs.

4. Global Citizenship Education (GCED)

Foster awareness, critical thinking, and active participation in creating a more inclusive, just, and peaceful world.
Possible Activities:

  • GCED Curriculum Integration Workshops
  • Youth as Peace Ambassadors Training
  • Model UN / SDG Simulation Events
  • Campaigns on Human Rights and Tolerance

5. Media and Information Literacy (MIL)

Empower youth to access, analyze, and create media content responsibly.
Possible Activities:

  • MIL Bootcamps for Young Influencers
  • Countering Hate Speech & Disinformation Workshops
  • Social Media Campaigns on Peace and Inclusion
  • Digital Journalism and Fact-Checking Training

6. Youth-led Social Innovation Labs

Encourage creative solutions to social challenges through entrepreneurship and innovation.
Possible Activities:

  • Social Impact Hackathons
  • Youth Innovation Challenges on SDGs
  • Design Thinking for Community Action Labs
  • Tech for Peace & Sustainability Projects

7. Arts, Music, and Culture for Peace

Leverage creative arts as tools for healing, dialogue, and advocacy.
Possible Activities:

  • Youth Art for Peace Exhibitions
  • Theatre for Social Change Workshops
  • Intercultural Music and Dance Festivals
  • Graffiti & Street Art for Human Rights Projects

8. Environmental Advocacy and Climate Action

Engage youth in protecting the planet through grassroots and global actions.
Possible Activities:

  • Youth Climate Leadership Training
  • Eco-Awareness Campaigns & Green School Initiatives
  • Plastic-Free Youth Movements
  • Youth-Led Biodiversity Conservation Drives

9. Youth Dialogue Forums and Policy Advocacy

Build platforms for youth to influence decisions and policies.
Possible Activities:

  • National Youth Dialogues on Peace and Diversity
  • Youth-Led Policy Recommendations Workshops
  • Themed Youth Summits
  • Youth Parliament on Education, Culture, and Rights

10. Life Skills and Employability Training

Our goal is to prepare youth for both life and livelihood.
Key Activities:

  • Life Skills Training: Coping with stress, critical thinking, health & hygiene, self-confidence, and goal setting.
  • Accounting Skills Training: Practical skills in financial literacy, bookkeeping, and basic accounting tools.
  • Training in Information Technology & IT Enabled Services (ITES): Digital literacy, computer applications, and industry-specific IT skills.

11. Media and Creative Communication

We empower youth to express themselves and raise awareness on social issues through visual storytelling.
Key Activities:

  • Film & Video Making Training: Hands-on workshops on scripting, filming, editing, and using media for social change.

12. Health Awareness and Rights Education

We run focused programs on health rights, prevention, and awareness to build informed and resilient youth communities.
Key Activities:

  • HIV/AIDS Awareness & Prevention Programs: Capacity building on prevention, including Mother-to-Child Transmission, and community-level information dissemination strategies.
  • Training on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR): Sensitization workshops and sessions aimed at promoting informed choices, gender equity, and bodily autonomy.