(January 3, 2021) How many of us are comfortable discussing mental health and menstruation? Essentials like sanitary napkins are still wrapped in newspapers and seeking therapy is still frowned upon. How then, is one to step up and seek help when one needs it? These questions bothered 18-year-old Palakh Khanna, who went on to found Break.The.Ice to create a safe platform for youth to open up on taboo topics.
More recently, the organisation became a part of the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UN SDSN Youth). Palakh herself has been featured in the entrepreneurs of India list, the emerging icons, and entrepreneurs today lists. The graduate of Mother’s International School (Delhi), Palakh, was also nominated for a Social Volunteer Award.
The Delhi-based teen believes that awareness at a community level is of utmost importance for a nation to develop and progress. And that cannot be achieved till the stigma surrounding various issues is overcome. “The initiative is aimed at enlightening entire communities to enable them to take calculated and informed actions and decisions through open communication,” says Palakh in an exclusive with Global Indian.
Launched three months ago, Break.The.Ice has over 40 members from across the globe working to raise awareness about various issues, and has so far reached over 16,000 people globally.
How talking helps
Born and brought up in Delhi to a businessman (family-owned) father and a corporate employee mother, Palakh was encouraged to speak her mind, and have an open channel of communication at home. “There is no topic that we can’t freely discuss in the family,” says Palakh, who wears many hats – environmentalist, poet and international MUN ambassador. In fact, the teenager has been environmentally-conscious since she was seven and would meticulously work towards eliminating litter.
“As I grew older, I realised that the environment was not the only issue that needed to be addressed. A chance conversation with our house help made me realise that topics like menstruation were a huge no-no for several people in India. The help was uncomfortable discussing something as basic and common as menstruation and her awareness was also sadly dismal,” she adds. Khanna realised that topics such as these were still taboo.
As she set about doing research, speaking to people and researching content on the topic, Khanna figured that the root cause of most issues was a lack of communication. “I’d always wanted to do something to change the world. Encouraging open dialogue and busting the stigma surrounding so-called taboo topics seemed like a great place to start,” reveals Khanna, who then discussed her idea with her parents. “I was waiting for my college admissions and wasn’t sure if I should be starting up at that point. My mother encouraged me to take the plunge and my father gave me a pep talk about the risks involved, and how to face any challenges that might come my way on this journey,” says the budding entrepreneur.
Let’s talk openly
Break.The.Ice launched three months ago as an online platform to provide the youth with a safe space to discuss various topics. “Our members are between 13 and 25 (ages), and we encourage them to join by filling out a form that determines their passions. There is also a stringent interview process in place to select members. Once on board, we connect every two weeks to discuss the way forward, updates and the topic to focus on each month. Currently, we have members from over five countries,” says the teenager CEO of Break.The.Ice.
Members are divided into teams that handle various verticals – content creation, writing, research, and ambassadors. The teams work on generating content based on topics and release videos and blog posts on Break.The.Ice’s social media channels. They now plan to rope in experts and delve into topics like bullying, women’s empowerment, racism, casteism etc.
Completely bootstrapped at the moment, Palakh Khanna is working on expanding the team’s reach and says that the fact that it recently became a member of the UN SDSN Youth is a big win. “We will soon begin hosting events in collaboration with UN SDSN,” says Palakh, who in five years wants to collaborate with UN bodies to create a safe global space to talk.
The girl with an entrepreneurial spirit
The teen is also a published poet with a poem appearing in an anthology called Head Full of Dreams. “Poetry is my way of expressing myself,” she says.
Free expression also finds its way into her life through dancing as Palakh is a classically trained dancer. As Global Lead Ambassador for climate change at an international organisation, she works on sustainability. An avid foodie, she finds ultimate solace in diverse cuisines too!
Looking to the future, Palakh hopes to host UN-related events through her startup, and might even go down the entrepreneurial route.
