Chennai  : Ullas Trust (A Polaris Foundation social initiative), celebrated its silver jubilee by recognizing young achievers and inspiring them to pursue their dreams, during their annual “Can Do” workshop. The workshop recognized 1034 students from Corporations, Government, and Government-Aided Schools in Chennai by awarding merit scholarships. The workshop will be followed by similar workshops at Gurgaon, Mumbai, Pune, and Hyderabad.

Founded in 1997, the Ullas initiative has reached 18 lakh students across 115 districts and 1500 schools in India. Dr. J Radhakrishnan (IAS, Principal Secretary to Government of Tamil Nadu) and Kalaimamani V K T Balan (Chairman, Madura Travel Service Pvt Ltd) were the Guests of Honour at the event, held at the Music Academy.

Arun Jain, Founder & Trustee – Ullas Trust and CMD, Intellect Design Arena Ltd, said, “It is simply overwhelming to reflect on the journey of Ullas Trust and how far we have come in 25 years. The journey began with just 37 students. Our Purpose has been very clear from the beginning. We wanted to focus on igniting the minds of teenagers and instilling the ‘Can do’ spirit in them. This is why we focused on high school students studying in classes from 9th to 12th standards. Secondly, we wanted to expose them to role models and mentors and show them a world of possibilities.”

Ullas is a one-of-a-kind program in India that focuses its initiatives on students during the most vulnerable stage in their journey – adolescence! To shape these young, fertile minds, Ullas goes well beyond merit scholarships and conducts two holistic and integrated programs throughout the year. These include the weekend “Summit” program in 6 states in India and the ‘Touch the Soil’ program that focuses primarily on the students from districts.

Arun Jain, Founder of Ullas Trust and CMD of Intellect Design Arena also anchored a signature workshop for over 1000 students at the Music Academy called the Diary of Dreams Workshop. The students thoroughly enjoyed the interactive workshop and were seen penning down their dreams and committing to achieving the same in their own ‘Diary of Dreams book. Incidentally, the original Diary of Dreams book was autographed by the Former President of India, (Late) Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam.

Commemorating the 25th year since its inception, Founder Arun Jain released a book ‘From Teenager to Achiever’, that he has authored. The book has been specially written to unleash the potential of teenagers and has been designed as a unique self-improvement book. Dr. Radhakrishnan, Guest of Honour, released the book and the Topper of this year’s Ullas Entrance Examination received the very first copy of the book.

“The transformation in my own journey began during my teenage. The mind of a teenager is like a very fertile garden. This book has been written with the purpose of showing young students how they can discover the power of their minds! From Teenager to Achiever is a culmination of the experience of working with high school students for 25 years through the Ullas Trust and my own experiences as a teenager. This book is my way of expressing my belief in the power of every teenager to make a positive impact”, said Arun Jain, the author of the book.

Ullas Trust continues its journey with renewed vigor and a renewed commitment to igniting the minds of young students & kindle their dreams. The initiative envisages equipping every high school student with the right mentor to inspire and accelerate the momentum toward his/her goals.

Guiding Principles of Ullas

A young mind learns through his/her observations, and by expanding his view one can broaden his/her vision

A young mind gets inspired by experiencing role models

A young mind gets energized and further encouraged by recognition in a larger group

Between the ages of 13 and 16, the maximum change in one’s thought process occurs and any positive influence gets amplified

To bring anything to reality one needs to visualize it. When one pens his or her dreams on paper one’s own personal commitment to the dreams increases and the chances of achieving the dream increase

During the journey towards achieving dreams if one’s thoughts are supported and discussed with a mentor, friend, and guide, it inspires and accelerates momentum towards one’s goals