In a pioneering step to address the pressing needs of India’s children and youth, BML Munjal University (A Hero Group Initiative) announced the launch of the Centre for Child and Youth Transitions (CCYT), the nation’s first interdisciplinary hub dedicated to research, teaching, and policy and advocacy for young people on May 3.
Spearheaded by Dr. Anandini Dar, an eminent scholar in the field of childhood and youth studies, and Dr. Suchismita Chattopadhyay, CCYT, a notable scholar in the field of youth studies and gender studies, aims to transform how India supports its youngest citizens through their critical life transitions.
The Centre for Child and Youth Transitions aims to foster youth-driven advocacy and policy engagement by actively collaborating with student groups and youth organisations to inform policy, shifting away from traditional top-down models. The Centre will work closely with government agencies and NGOs to bridge gaps in research with impactful policy action. The Centre will introduce innovative teaching initiatives, including a Minor in Childhood and Youth Studies at the undergraduate level and certificate programs for practitioners in child rights, youth leadership, and law.
Dr. Anandini Dar, Associate Professor and Founding Director, Centre for Child and Youth Transitions, BML Munjal University, added, “The Centre for Child and Youth Transitions is founded on the understanding that childhood and youth are not distinct categories of analysis, but inter-generational and relational in their formation. The fixed boundaries of when childhood ends and youth begins are historically, culturally, and socially derived and hence, problematic to imagine as contained neatly into silos. Also, the lives of young people are understood also from the related framework of “transitions” which indicates how the lifeworlds of children and youth are intertwined. Hence, the naming of our centre has been very intentional. The Centre creates an inclusive and cross-disciplinary space where scholars, practitioners, artists, and young people collaborate to rethink research, influence policy, and drive advocacy. “
India is at a demographic crossroads, with 65% of its population under 35 years, yet challenges like youth unemployment (23.22% as per a 2022 World Bank report), educational inequities, child labour, and gendered violence continues. With the expertise to house teaching and research in this field, the Centre will have the edge in ensuring an agenda for policy and advocacy that is rooted in rigorous research. CCYT aims to identify key and emerging areas for research, plan and carry out teaching programmes through the School of Liberal Studies and engage with non-state and state actors in informing policy decisions and supporting advocacy programmes initiated by young people themselves or their allies.
Speaking about the same, Professor Arindam Banerjee, Dean, School of Liberal Studies, BML Munjal University, said, “The Centre for Child and Youth Transitions at BML Munjal University embodies our vision of education as a dynamic space for reflection, inquiry, and change. Rather than critiquing existing systems, we seek to actively shape new possibilities. We believe that engaging with the experiences of children and youth requires more than preparing them for the future—it demands a deep understanding of present-day realities and a critical look at historical influences. Through this Centre, we aim to nurture thoughtful, interdisciplinary scholars who challenge conventions and contribute to building a more compassionate and equitable world.”
As India’s demographic dividend grows, the Centre will focus on thematic research areas such as children’s rights, migration, unemployment, youth aspirations, education transitions, gender justice, and environmental sustainability. This will be supported by the launch of an Annual International Conference on Child and Youth Geographies and Futures. CCYT also aims to develop a dedicated digital and physical archive on child and youth studies in the near future.
