Kumar Bahukhandi
What happens when conversations around mental health move beyond formal settings and into spaces where people naturally meet, connect and spend time together?
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Mpowered Voices at in good co in Delhi
Mpowered Voices, the lived experience platform of Mpower, an initiative of Aditya Birla Education Trust (ABET), is exploring that question through ‘Coffee & Conversations’ at in good co’s flagship café in GK2, Delhi. Bringing together diverse voices for an intimate exchange around emotional wellbeing, mental health and experiences that are often difficult to articulate, they explore how something as everyday can create space for conversations that matter.
Built on the belief that lived experiences can change the way we understand mental health, Mpowered Voices brings personal stories into the mainstream, fostering empathy, challenging stigma and making conversations around mental wellbeing more open and relatable for anyone going through similar experiences, helping people acknowledge what they may be experiencing and feel more comfortable seeking support.
Speaking about Mpowered Voices and the idea behind ‘Coffee & Conversations’ Amit Gupta, CFO, Mpower, Aditya Birla Education Trust said, “One of the biggest barriers to seeking help is the stigma that continues to surround mental health. At Mpower, we have seen how conversations rooted in real experiences can help challenge that stigma by making people realise that what they may be experiencing is not something they have to navigate alone. Lived experiences can make conversations around mental health more human, challenge assumptions and, importantly, help make seeking support feel more acceptable. Taking these conversations into an everyday space such as a café is another step towards making mental health part of the conversations and not something we discuss only when there is a crisis. We are pleased to bring Mpowered Voices to in good co, creating safe space for these conversations to happen naturally, through listening, sharing and connection.”
Udai Pinnali, CEO, Aditya Birla New Age Hospitality, further added, “At in good co, we see ourselves as a space that brings young India together. Coffee, for us, is more than a beverage – it is a catalyst for connection, conversation and culture. Progressive Indianness is a core belief of our brand. To us, that means being open to new ideas, creating stronger communities of support as well as making it easier to talk about things that have traditionally been difficult to discuss. Normalising conversations around mental health and making it easier to ask for help are part of the progressive India we believe in.
Mpower’s Mpowered Voices has built a credible platform for bringing these conversations into the mainstream. Through this association, in good co hopes to play a natural role in creating an inclusive, everyday space where young people can come together, connect, and begin conversations that might otherwise be difficult to have. Because sometimes, meaningful conversations can start with something as simple as a cup of coffee, in good company.”
The Coffee & Conversations gathering at in good co represents this approach in practice, a conversation that begins in an everyday space, is grounded in lived experience, and creates room for people to listen, connect and perhaps start a conversation of their own.
About Mpower
Mpower, an initiative of Aditya Birla Education Trust, is one of South Asia’s largest private mental-health initiatives, with a distinctive focus on mental-health literacy, capacity building, community outreach and access to care. Through its work across awareness, advocacy, prevention, intervention and support, Mpower has touched. Its work spans clinical services, mental-health awareness and outreach programmes, capacity building, and school, workplace and community interventions, with a focus on making mental-health support more accessible and creating greater openness around conversations on mental wellbeing.
Mpowered Voices is Mpower’s platform for lived experiences, creating spaces for individuals to share their personal journeys and perspectives around mental health, while encouraging empathy, reducing stigma and making conversations around mental wellbeing more relatable.
About in good co
in good co is a modern Indian café brand built around a simple idea: good coffee is about good company. The brand opened its first café at GK2, Delhi. Designed as a distinctive, contemporary social space for India to come together – in good co is progressively Indian in its design and rooted in neighborhood familiarity, while carrying a globally relevant point of view. in good co, is a part of Aditya Birla New Age Hospitality (ABNAH).
