Today we’d like to introduce you to Akshat Athale.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I founded Saksham, a rising high school junior residing in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex during the summer of 2022. It is an initiative to help the underserved youth population understand the importance of financial literacy and business tools literacy which is seldom considered as a focus area in the current system. We decided we wanted to make a difference.
Over 150,000 children in the DFW metroplex are considered to be living in poverty. According to PBS, poverty follows children into adulthood without the proper education, therefore perpetuating the issue. We strive to break the cycle of poverty by bridging the gap between the privileged and the underprivileged by teaching students financial literacy skills that will help them gain long-term independence and prosperity.
At Saksham, we felt it was crucial to make sure that teens gain the necessary skills in order to become financially literate. Financial illiteracy leads to unprepared adults who struggle to be financially stable and eventually stumble back into poverty. In order to prevent this, we educate the underserved youth through our free courses. Along with courses, we offer live sessions in schools about the many aspects of financial literacy ranging from how to create a bank account to investing for the future.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road with Saksham has been rough and challenging, but I didn’t give up at the face of adversity. For example, when I was starting out and looking for audiences to be able to teach personal financial literacy, I was often turned down by schools or other non-profits, seeing that I was young, and assumed I was lacking credibility. While I was discouraged at first and almost changed Saksham’s whole mission to something more easily achievable for a teenager, I thought back to why I had started this organization: I wanted to tackle a real issue. So, I kept going. Finally, I was granted an opportunity with Microsoft and taught some students from underrepresented communities, and it only grew from there. My journey leading Saksham has never been a smooth road, but the challenges we face are what make the reward worth it in the end.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Saksham is a teen-created and led nonprofit organization that delivers fast and free workshops for gaining practical skills needed in mainstream workplace. Our goal is to improve lives of kids from all socio-economic communities by providing them exposure and access to practical skills like business tools and financial literacy thereby helping teens/students become Capable and Competent. The youth in most underserved communities do not have access to practical skills (technology, business, communications, etc.) that are needed for them to be successful in their careers. This causes them to fall behind in comparison to their more privileged peers, leading to loss of potential career opportunities and further increases the economic divide. We believe that if we enable today’s youth with skills that provide life-long practical benefits, it will immensely help them be ready and confident as they enter their careers. We are committed to helping teens and students become Capable and Competent by learning and adopting variety of practical skills in the areas of technology, business, and communications.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
People are free to reach out to us on our Instagram (@mission_saksham) if you know of any groups that are in need of financial literacy education. You can also donate on our website (missionsaksham.org).
Contact Info:
- Website: https://missionsaksham.org/
- Instagram: @mission_saksham
