Twin Trailblazers Samaya and Samara Chauhan Walk The Ramp For Mental Health & Educational Equality At Delhi Times Fashion Week 2025

Business Standard

29-05-2025

PRNewswire
New Delhi [India], May 29: In a stirring moment that fused fashion with fierce purpose, 16-year-old changemakers Samaya and Samara Chauhan, students of Amity International School, took center stage at Delhi Times Fashion Week 2025 - not for glamour, but for a cause. Walking the runway in solidarity with thousands of young voices, the twin sisters used fashion as their platform to spotlight urgent issues: cyberbullying, mental health awareness, and educational inequality.
The sisters are the co-founders of the Policy and Leadership Action Network for Youth (PLAN Y), a youth-led movement that empowers young people to shape policy, advocate for inclusive education, and destigmatize mental health through meaningful, action-oriented change.
Dressed in black as a symbol of resilience and resistance, Samaya and Samara walked not just for themselves, but for the countless others silenced by stigma or circumstance. Their presence was a declaration - young people are not the leaders of tomorrow; they are the change-makers of today.
Samaya Chauhan: Championing Mental Health & Anti-Bullying
Under her initiative, "Project Pause", Samaya has taken a bold stance against bullying and mental health stigma. Her Anti-Bullying AmbassadorsProgram, now active in over 500 schools, empowers students to lead the charge by identifying, educating, and transforming bullying behaviour- while building peer-support networks that promote safety and empathy.
Samaya has also pioneered Art Therapy Workshops, where young people use graffiti, painting, and other creative forms to process trauma, find their voice, and turn emotional pain into powerful expression. These sessions are now being conducted in both school and university campuses, transforming corridors into spaces of healing and hope.
Samara Chauhan: Bridging the Education Divide
Samara's focus lies in dismantling the barriers to equitable learning. Through her initiative, and webapp, the Learning with Equity and Access Program (LEAP), she is redefining accessibility by creating inclusive digital ecosystems that include learning games, discussion forums, community mentorship, and free study resources - reaching students across socio-economic lines.
Partnering with ATL Sarthi, LEAP has already impacted more than 5,000 students and educators, becoming a scalable model for inclusive education in both urban and rural India.
Beyond the Runway: Action That Resonates
Walking beside children from NGO Pravan, whose lives echo the causes they champion, the sisters displayed a powerful act of solidarity - demonstrating that advocacy is most impactful when grounded in empathy and inclusion.
Their digital movement is equally robust. Through online campaigns, youth forums, and a powerful pledge initiative that has garnered over 40,000 signatures, Samaya and Samara have touched more than 50,000 lives with their message of resilience, equity, and action.
A Runway Reimagined
What unfolded on the runway was far more than a fashion statement. It was a rallying cry - a declaration that youth voices must not only be heard but heeded.
In Samaya and Samara Chauhan, India sees not just young leaders, but a vision of the future in motion - fearless, inclusive, and unstoppable.
About Amity International School
Amity International School, New Delhi, is one of the oldest schools in Delhi NCR, imparting value-based education with a global perspective. It's state-of-the-art facilities and experienced faculty create a nurturing ecosystem where students grow intellectually, emotionally, and socially, preparing them to meet the challenges of the future with confidence and resilience.