Bengaluru, Feb 23: Reap Benefit, the nonprofit building India’s largest movement of youth changemakers known as Solve Ninjas, successfully hosted the 10th edition of SolveCon ’26 at PES University, convening close to 1,700 young people alongside representatives from 88 organisations for a powerful day of youth-led collaboration and action.
The milestone edition saw participants actively engage in mapping local climate risks, designing mental health campaigns, debating public policy, and building cross-city partnerships. Moving beyond passive participation, SolveCon ’26 focused on hands-on problem-solving and real-world experimentation.
The event brought together organisations working across civic action, education, climate, mental wellbeing, and the arts, including Giving Tuesday India, Science Gallery Bengaluru, TinkerHub, Teach For India, Azim Premji University, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), and SELCO Foundation, alongside grassroots collaborators. The gathering was supported by partners such as Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies, Rainmatter Foundation, NetApp, and the MacArthur Foundation.
The day featured interactive conversations with leaders including Kailash Nadh, CTO of Zerodha and Board Member at Rainmatter Foundation; Priyanka Francis, IAS and Director of the National Gallery of Modern Art; Ashwini Hiremath, Founder of Wild Wild Women; and Deepak Dhananjaya, Founder of Prabhava Institute of Inclusive Mental Health (PIIMH). Rather than traditional keynote monologues, the leaders engaged directly with youth through open, candid dialogue.
Speaking during a panel discussion, Kailash Nadh said:
“If AI is a superpower, everybody has it. The real question is how to stand out — and that’s where fundamental human skills like curiosity, clarity, and the ability to articulate become more important than ever. There are no grand plans behind meaningful journeys; small acts, done consistently, create a butterfly effect over time.”
For Kuldeep Dantewadia, Co-founder and CEO of Reap Benefit, the national edition signals a shift in how youth engagement is structured in India.
“Young people don’t come to SolveCon to listen — they come to build, question and experiment. Our role is simply to create the conditions where their imagination can do the heavy lifting. There’s no pressure to impress anyone here. When young people are trusted with real problems and given the freedom to think boldly, their creativity doesn’t just flow — it turns into action.”
SolveCon ’26 demonstrated that young people are actively seeking spaces to connect beyond screens, learn by doing, and build communities of shared purpose. The hands-on format, direct interaction with practitioners, and opportunities to collaborate on real-world challenges reflected a strong preference for participatory, in-person engagement.
The enthusiastic interest in continuing through Reap Benefit’s Solve Ninja programme underscored that the gathering was not merely a one-day event, but a catalyst for sustained, youth-led impact across communities.