Aatman
Ātman is EDUCAIT’s heartfelt initiative to bring mental well-being into the everyday lives of our youth. Born from thoughtful conversations and deep listening, Atman was created to gently open the doors to mental health—free from fear.
In a world that often demands too much, too fast, Atman reminds young people that it’s okay to pause, reflect, and care for what lies within.
For some children, the classroom doesn’t always feel like a safe space.
Sometimes, education becomes a pressure—a silent weight that pushes them into difficult corners of their mind.
But that’s where programs like Atman become a quiet light—a reminder that healing begins when we’re allowed to speak, to be heard, to be human.
Because when we begin to open up, to truly see and support one another, we realize something simple yet profound—In the end, we are all just walking each other home.
You don’t have to live life inside a closed box.
You don’t have to carry your thoughts alone.
When you choose to speak, to share, and to open up—you begin to reclaim your strength.
No storm is too strong when you have the courage to reach out.
And with every step forward, you’ll find that even the heaviest burdens become lighter.
Atman is here to walk that journey with you—one breath, one word, one breakthrough at a time.
Aatman comprises of three phases:
- Sensitization Phase:
The first step towards change is awareness. Atman’s goal is to create a simple and effective model for creating awareness on mental health concerns. This includes activity based exercises to build rapport, myth busters to destigmatize and exploring ways to manage mental health issues. Creating this prelude to the mental health screener will help make them comfortable and answer more honestly.
- Screening Phase:
Knowing oneself is the beginning of wisdom and change. Atman takes mental health forward by offering a unique and comprehensive screener for mental health. The screener has simple objective based questions which are then calculated to offer probing questionnaires suitable to an area. The questions for the screener are carefully curated, keeping in mind the age group, socio-economic status and common concerns.
- Action Stage:
In order to take the mental health concerns in a robust direction, Atman incorporates validated psychological assessment tools which can provide more subjective insight. However, Atman seeks to explore not rectify. Thus, the results and reports are given to the individual/ caregivers who can then decide to take the concern with the necessary professional bodies such as counsellors, psychologists, etc,.
Rationale:
- In line with the current Educational Atmosphere:
The NEP aims to improve the mental well-being of students under objectives listed as holistic assessment, guidelines for self-harm and counselling (Govt of India, Ministry of Education 2023). Atman attempts to fulfil these objectives by providing a simple tool to screen, sensitize and provide opportunities for students across economic strata to be introduced to concepts in mental health.
- Provision for early intervention and screening:
With the changing socio-economic climate, psychological concerns such as anxiety, depression, self-esteem issues, etc., are seen to affect the well-being of young adolescents. Atman aims to identify the potential issues and provide for early intervention, which has proven to be extremely helpful in long term management.
- The Need for Awareness:
With the changing economic and social climate, there are different stressors for the current youth. Having screeners like Atman can help give insights into mental health for professionals, teachers and parents while also acknowledging the youth’s issues.