The Citizen’s Townhall is a collaborative initiative between Josh Talks and Meta and aims to help educate voters including the youth on the importance of exercising their vote and promoting voter education.

New Delhi (India), January 9: In a transformative initiative to inspire and empower the youth, Josh Talks, in partnership with Meta, concluded a successful series of Citizens’ Townhalls across Bhopal, Jaipur, and Hyderabad. With a reach of approximately 1.3 million across social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, the events successfully engaged citizens across 5 states, fostering civic awareness and encouraging active participation in the democratic process.

The Citizens’ Townhall aims to educate and empower youth on the importance of exercising their vote and the power and responsibility that comes upon each citizen, as part of being a democracy. It seeks to heighten voter awareness among diverse communities, particularly focusing on engaging first-time voters.

The series commenced in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, and continued to Jaipur, Rajasthan, culminating in Hyderabad, Telangana. The events featured esteemed bureaucrats, including Mr. Rituraj (IAS, 2015), CEO Zilla Panchayat, Bhopal; Dr. Snigdha Sharma, Principal of Government College, Jaipur; and Mr. Sarfaraz Ahmad (IAS, 2009), Joint CEO of the Office of Chief Electoral Officer, Telangana.

The Citizens’ Townhall series not only provided a platform for open dialogue but also facilitated engaging interactions between students and prominent policymakers. The impactful sessions inspired students to exercise their right to vote, leading to interactive Q&A sessions that enriched the democratic discourse.

In conjunction with the Citizens’ Townhall series, a comprehensive social campaign spanning five states — Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Telangana — was executed with the primary goal of encouraging citizens to exercise their right to vote. As part of this initiative, unique stories of citizens emerged, shining a spotlight on individuals actively working to empower citizens and ensure their exercise of fundamental rights. The social campaign, through its strategic outreach, aimed to instill a sense of civic responsibility and educate citizens about the significance of their participation in shaping the collective future.

The series emphasized the symbiotic relationship between informed citizens and a robust democracy, demonstrating the power of engagement and dialogue in shaping the perspectives of the younger generation. As Josh Talks and Meta continue their mission of building an informed electorate, the success of the Citizens’ Townhall series stands as a milestone in their collective commitment to fostering active participants in the democratic process.

Supriya Paul, CEO of Josh Talks, expressed her delight at the success of the Citizens’ Townhall series, saying, “Engaging nearly 900 students and reaching 1.3 million citizens across 5 states is a testament to the impact of our initiative. This success reinforces Josh Talks’ unwavering commitment to creating a lasting impact on society by developing responsible citizens and empowering youth to make a difference—the core values of Josh Talks.”

As part of the initiative, Josh Talks has also identified unique stories of citizens who are working to empower other marginalised groups to exercise their own fundamental rights.

About Josh Talks

Josh Talks, a regional content and upskilling platform based in Gurugram, Haryana, was founded in 2015 by Shobhit Banga and Supriya Paul to give the youth of India access to stories of relatable role models. It is now one of India’s largest regional content distribution networks available in 10 regional languages and 8 content categories, states and districts. In 2020, they launched the Josh Talks English Speaking App to help Bharat speak in English without hesitation. The course has generated strong user feedback with industry-leading retention rates, unlocking new employment opportunities for users. As of June 2023, their content has garnered over 2.5 Billion lifetime views with an average of 270+ Million monthly views across platforms. The Josh Talks English Speaking app has more than 8 Million downloads with 390,000+ paid users.

Josh Talks also works closely with partners such as Meta, Omidyar Network India, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Amazon, Diageo, and more, to scale new solutions and mobilise the next half billion to create a SDG-realised future. To know more, visit www.joshtalks.com.

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