Our KANJ YUVA team had the honor of hosting an engaging conversation with Senator Vin Gopal, providing youth leaders with the opportunity to learn directly from a prominent Indian American leader in public service. Youth Leads Shveni, Haleema, and Gourav led the interview and were joined by KANJ President, Secretary, and Youth Affairs Lead for a meaningful hour-long discussion. The conversation explored Senator Gopal’s journey into politics, his experiences as an Indian American elected official, the importance of representation in government, and the work he continues to do to serve New Jersey communities. 

Our KANJ YUVA team partnered with Cradles to Crayons to help address clothing insecurity by preparing essential clothing for children and families in need. The team visited Cradles to Crayons’ Philadelphia Giving Factory, where Youth Lead Shveni Sunilkumar was joined by NextGen volunteers Jayden Mathew, Ruby Georgi, Adithya Subodh, and Akshara Nair to sort, inspect, and fold over 5,000 articles of clothing. Through this hands-on service initiative, the team worked together to ensure that high-quality clothing reached children facing clothing insecurity. 

Now in its second year & led by our YUVA leads, this business pitch competition introduced middle school students to the fundamentals of entrepreneurship through the art of business pitching. Over the course of five weeks, participants explored different types of business pitches, learned what makes a compelling presentation, practiced public speaking, and gained insight into bringing innovative ideas to life. Thank you to our judges, Parvathy (2025 YUVA Lead) and Nuha.

Congratulations to our winners!
1st Place: Gouri Nair & Diya Membally
2nd Place: Saadya Sinash, Aisha Zeba & Zaara Saleem
3rd Place: Anvitha Bilahari

In association with the NY Times Toastmasters club, 15 NextGen kids were accepted to participate in an online 8 week program featuring discussions and impromptu speaking practice. The program concluded with an in-person competition. Program facilitators & volunteers Shveni Sunilkumar & Nihal Shinil were joined by volunteers Roshan, Zaara, Anvita under the guidance of Manoj Yohannan.

A special congratulations to Joseph Mathew, Parvathy Koppara, Haleema Aslam, and Shveni Sunilkumar who were recognized at this event for their outstanding leadership & dedication to KANJ in 2025!

Using materials such as the STEAM Lab and Coding with drones, our KANJ kids from 1st to 7th grade explored ral-world applications of coding, engineering, and problem-solving skills to inspire future careers in science and technology. Yuva Leads, Parvathy Koppara and Joseph Mathew spearheaded this event and were joined by volunteers Nihal Shinil & Aradhana Nair. This program was conducted in collaboration with Hillsborough High School’s robotics team, the RoboRaiders. Activities included drone kits, spike robotics, and coding workshops. 

KANJ Onam 2025 was a memorable evening filled with vibrant performances. As part of the festivities, the KANJ YUVA team came together to present a dance performance that showcased the collaboration and dedication of its youth members.

Led by choreographers/performers Parvathy Koppara, Shveni Sunilkumar, & Aradhana Nair, the mashup dance to Uyi Amma & Laal Peeli Akhiyaan included fellow KANJ YUVA members: Nandana, Anvita, Diya, Mythili, Smruthi, Lakshmikalyani, Shivnandini, Haleema, Pranav, Nihal, Kevin, Jayden, and Surya, whose commitment throughout rehearsals and the final performance helped bring the production to life. 

Our YUVA team came together to support the community by serving hot, nutritious meals to local neighbors experiencing food insecurity. Through this hands-on service initiative, volunteers Haleema Aslam, Gourav Nair, Parvathy Koppara, Anvita Nair, and Diya Cheriyil worked together to organize and distribute meals. This service project was conducted in collaboration with the Kerala Association of New Jersey and the staff at St. Joseph's, whose partnership helped make the initiative possible.

From bold ideas to confident presentations, our young entrepreneurs truly amazed us. YUVA lead, Parvathy Koppara, was joined by Shveni Sunilkumar, Gourav Nair, Aradhana Nair, and Mythili Madhusoodanan as business pitch mentors.  Special thanks to Rekha Nair from our Executive Committee. Over five weeks on Zoom, students attended lessons led by mentors on what it takes to deliver a successful business pitch. In the final week, they presented the products they developed throughout the program. Thank you to our volunteer judges: Anirudh Nair & Gaurav Hemrajani. 

Congratulations to our winners!
First Prize: Gowri, Gia, and Diya M
Second Prize: Advait, Vaishnav, and Deva