Empowering the Future: Adapting to a Changing World
As we reflect upon the past year, we acknowledge the profound transformations shaping our world due to AI, climate change, and rising unemployment. Our mission has been to empower learners to adapt to these evolving realities and embrace lifelong learning. In light of these changes, we must prepare young individuals to envision and create the futures they desire, unlocking their imagination to shape their preferred realities.
Over the past two years, our team has journeyed through climate-vulnerable states, engaging with over 600 youth to understand their visions for the future. We discovered that many feel powerless in determining the futures they wish to inhabit. As the world embraces Futures Literacy, it is vital to equip youth with this capability, enabling them to transition from the anxiety of predetermined futures to a hopeful vision of creating a future that aligns with their needs. Our innovations, such as the Personalized Learning Engine (PLE), green hackathons, and the Career Quest game, are designed to facilitate this transformation.
This dedication to empowering youth is seamlessly aligned with our new strategic plan, which prioritizes future skills for career transitions to enable young people to thrive in their professions. Central to this vision is our Quest Learning Observatory (QLO), a dedicated space for continuous innovation. By convening diverse stakeholders and fostering collaboration, the QLO embodies our strategic priorities, igniting new ideas and driving forward-thinking solutions. This hub fosters an inspiring environment where learning innovations can flourish, and various stakeholders can learn from each other.
The generous grant from Mackenzie Scott has been instrumental in providing us with the resources to navigate fluctuations and invest in organizational growth areas, ensuring that we can continue to support and nurture the aspirations of young people and enhance our capacity to take risks.
Over the past year, our 350-member team has worked tirelessly to mainstream 21st-century skills across eight different state governments, ensuring that the appropriate curriculum is in place and educators possess the right mindsets and skills to prepare young people for the future. We have partnered with over 50 organizations to leverage the expertise within the learning ecosystem. As we progress, we remain committed to our mission of empowering learners and fostering resilient, adaptive, and thriving careers. Thank you for your ongoing support and dedication to our shared vision.
2024: A Year at a Glance
Learners in Schools
Educators indicated that they were more inclined to agree with the statement that "their role as a teacher is to facilitate students’ own inquiry” after completing the MasterCoach for Teachers program.
Educational institutions
Learners in Gujarat displayed an increase in knowledge and understanding of 21st-century skills within seven months.
Learners in skilling institutions
22,710 learners from 314 ITIs from eight states signed up on Quest App for the first time.
Educators and trainers
44% of learners indicated an increase in skills such as self-awareness, self-learning, teamwork & interpersonal communication, career orientation, and gender equality.
Educational leaders
68% of alumni of our career readiness program feel their communication has improved after taking the course.
registrations on the Quest App
Our Annual Summit Quest 2 Learn saw 350 delegates participate in active discussions on the impact of AI on future learning and the effects of climate change on education and mental health.
States and union territories
Our research report, "From Anxiety to Hope," presents Futures Literacy as a key skill and hopes to empower young minds in two fundamental ways: to think of preferred futures and to imagine alternate futures.
Finding Rhythm, Creating Impact
This year, Quest Alliance focused on finding rhythm and balance, where efforts flow naturally, allowing things to fall into place. We harmonized ambition, planning, and contentment to address AI, climate change and unemployment. The 2024-25 strategy hit the right notes by fostering creativity and aligning the minds and hearts of individuals and the organization, channeling impactful outcomes.
Schools Program
The Schools Program is focused on empowering government school students with vital 21st-century skills like STEM mindsets, social-emotional learning, gender sensitization, coding, computational thinking, and career pathways.
Youth Program
The Youth program equips young people to build a self-learning mindset and acquire key 21st-century skills, enabling them to make successful career transitions and be prepared for future workplaces.
Innovation and Thought Leadership
At the core of Quest's mission is developing technology-driven innovations and frameworks grounded in real-world insights and future trends. We are dedicated to making the learning experience meaningful.
Scaling with the
Government
Partnerships with 28 state government departments and 1 central government.
A 3-year partnership with Government of Gujarat’s Samagra Shiksha Abhiyaan to build a scalable model on developing STEM mindsets for over 300,000 students.
Social Emotional Learning is integrated in the Government of Jharkhand's Harsh Johar Curriculum.
The Karnataka Model School Pathway Programme (KMSPP), reaches 105 schools.
The Future Right Skills Network, along with the Directorate General of Training (DGT) and the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, reaches over 2.5 million students nation-wide.
Nearly 2,869 trainers and placement officers across the country underwent a focused workshop on facilitation and improving placement strategies to benefit learners directly.
The Team at Quest
This year, our focus has been to expand the leadership team and empower our middle managers to navigate the evolving landscape while effectively supporting their teams.
Leadership Team Expansion : We onboarded 10 new members to our leadership team, bringing in diverse voices from across the organization. Our selection process included a comprehensive induction and personalized coaching to help these leaders identify and develop their growth areas. These new leaders have been given opportunities to lead, facilitate, share, and actively participate in decision-making processes.
Investing in Middle Managers: Recognizing the crucial role of middle managers, we introduced the Elevate Program, designed specifically for them. The program includes technical training, sprints for practical application, and peer sessions for shared learning. This initiative aims to alleviate the workload of senior leaders by empowering middle managers. A dipstick survey indicates that our managers are finding significant value in this program.
Reach for the Stars: Our Reach for the Stars initiative has gained tremendous momentum, with 95% of our employees now having clearly articulated growth pathways and actively working towards their goals. To recognize and celebrate those who have successfully completed their growth cycles, we instituted a recognition program that acknowledges their dedication and achievements.
People Dashboard: In our commitment to continuously improve our people processes, we have developed a comprehensive dashboard to monitor key performance indicators such as hiring, onboarding, exits, and grievances. The People Dashboard enables team leads to stay informed about the pulse of their teams and to take corrective actions or make informed decisions when necessary. This tool is essential for maintaining transparency and efficiency in our human resource management, ensuring we remain proactive in addressing any issues and supporting our teams effectively.
334 Team Members
80% women in senior leadership roles
193:139:2 Gender ratio
16 STATES
- Center for Development and Empowerment of Women Society (CDEW Society)
- St Thomas Charitable and Educational Trust
- Ashalaya Trust
- The Quilon Don Bosco Society
- Don Bosco Vazhikaatti Educational and Charitable Society
- Sparsha Trust
- Pro-rural
- Grassroot
- Navjeevan Trust
- Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India)
- Salesian Sisters’ Society (India)
- Foundation for His Sacred Majesty
- Sama Foundation
- Careship
- Functional Vocational Training and Research Society (FVTRS)
- Ashankura
- The Association for Promoting Social Action (APSA)
- SAFA Society
- Yuva Chintana Foundation
- St. Xavier Non-Formal Education Society (HDRC)
- NIIT Foundation
- Nirmaan
- YouthNet
- Alombro Mayu Yaku Chi Amey Aroga (AMYAA)
Governance Report 2024
Know where our money comes from and goes with our financial balance sheets and expense reports
Explore our 5-year strategic plan that acts as a framework for our annual goals and targets
Meet our Executive Leadership team and our Advisory board who oversee our long-term strategy and mission
