In recognition of July being Self-care Month, Mind Canvas, an organization dedicated to promoting psychological well-being among Indian youth, in collaboration with Diamond Toons, organized a National Conference on ‘Building Resilience’ in New Delhi on July 20. A Comic Book Series that will educate students on anxiety, bullying, stress management & building resilience was also released at the event.
The conference, intended to reflect upon the increasing worries concerning the well-being of young people in India and explore how they can be made more resilient to combat rising academic and social pressures, featured keynote speakers from the fields of education and mental well-being, including writers, meditation and wellness consultants, and educational counselors. The event’s focus, which saw the unveiling of the Tri-Series, was on strategies to enhance resilience among children and young people in an interesting three-part comic series.
Mind Canvas, founded by 17-year-old artist and mental health advocate Anvi Kumar, a 17-year-old Grade 12 student from The Shri Ram School, Aravalli is dedicated to promoting psychological well-being among Indian youth. She has made significant contributions through her Mind Canvas team, in collaboration with academic experts and high school students, developing strategies for schools and youth organizations to incorporate conference insights into their programs. Her research on multi-generational perception and awareness of mental health challenges won the Gold Crest Award from the British Science Association and Sigma Xi nomination.
Addressing the event, Anvi Kumar, Founder of Mind Canvas said, “This conference is a vital platform for highlighting the importance of mental health. Many students silently face various mental health challenges. Events like this not only bring awareness but also provide practical solutions to these issues and explore how they can be made more resilient to combat rising academic and social pressures. Through the comic series, we aim to present serious topics such as anxiety and stress in a light-hearted yet impactful manner, offering relatable solutions and fostering a supportive environment for young people.”
The conference included two engaging panel discussions. The first-panel discussion, “Is the Youth Ready for Anti-fragility?” highlighted prevailing academic understandings around resilience and positive psychology. The panelists deliberated upon anti-fragility as a concept in today’s unpredictable world, emphasizing that one should thrive and grow through adversity rather than merely surviving challenges. The second session, “Negotiating Setbacks to Build Resilience,” featured practitioners from various fields who shared their experiences in overcoming obstacles in a competitive era. The event also welcomed students from Delhi-NCR. Moderated by Anvi, the panel featured a myriad assemblage of panelists including Nitin Dua, Co-Founder, MD Hilfey Tech Coach, Health with Nitin Dua; Dr. Rakshit Tandon, International Cyber Security Expert; Dr. Pankaj Gupta, ED Centre of Ethics & Spirituality, OP Jindal, and others.
Manish Varma, Director of Diamond Magazines Pvt Ltd and Diamond Pocket Books Pvt Ltd, stated, “The unveiling of the Tri-Series marks a significant milestone in our mission to combine education with creativity. Collaborating with a young and talented individual like Anvi Kumar has enabled us to produce content that not only entertains but also educates and fosters mental well-being among students. We are confident that these comic series will serve as an effective tool in addressing critical mental health issues in a relatable and engaging manner.”
Last year, Diamond Toons joined forces with the promising scholar Anvi Kumar and collaborated with the Andhra Pradesh Government to introduce ‘Talking Comics’ into the curriculum of PM Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) Schools. Anvi’s efforts have garnered praise from mental health professionals, educational bodies like UNICEF and NCERT, and the Governments of Andhra Pradesh and Haryana, leading to the distribution of her comics across 6,000 schools, reaching over 250,000 students.
