Raising Changemakers: The Shared Role of Schools and Parents.

Can schools go beyond marks, exams and rote learning to truly prepare children for life? In this episode, we sit down with Sreeja Iyer, Founder of Sparkling Mindz Global School, to explore what it really means to design education around the whole child. Drawing from over 15 years of experience, Sreeja shares her journey from engineering and corporate roles to building a school rooted in agency, autonomy, and community-driven learning. The conversation unpacks child-centric education, Reggio Emilia philosophy, learning sprints, experiential rigor, and why syllabus should be a tool—not the goal. We also dive deep into parenting, unconditional love, discipline, and how families and schools can work together to raise confident, compassionate change-makers. Subscribe to our channel and never miss the latest episodes:    / @twofounderswalktinto   About Ajit Sivaram and Satish Manchikanti - They are the co-founders of U&I Trust and Change+. About U&I - U&I is a nonprofit organization committed to transforming lives through education and community engagement. Our two core programs are U&I Teach and U&I Empower. U&I Teach provides after-school tutoring and mentorship to underprivileged children across India, helping bridge the education gap. U&I Empower creates volunteering opportunities for corporate employees, enabling them to give back through meaningful, impact-driven experiences. At the heart of U&I are our core values: #bethechange #bigaudaciousimpact and #inthistogether About Change+ - The organization helps people become the leaders they’re meant to be. The leadership training journeys blend self-awareness, real-world practice, and people-first thinking, helping teams lead with clarity, confidence, and impact. From emerging managers to senior leaders, Change+ designs learning experiences that teach leadership. Follow them on LinkedIn: Ajit Sivaram -   / ajit4949   Satish Manchikanti -   / satish-manchikanti   Visit our Website: https://uandi.org.in/ Volunteer With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/volunteer Partner With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/csr Work With U&I: https://uandi.org.in/hiring Donate to our Cause: https://ui.danamojo.org/ Follow Us: Instagram:   / uandi.org.in   LinkedIn:   / u&i-charity   YouTube:    / uanditv   Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/04ZaR7H... Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/0a5... #podcast #genz #leadership #ngo #entrepreneur #management Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro 01:45 – Sreeja’s Journey 03:45 – Why Education Must Change 06:30 – Birth of Sparkling Mindz 09:30 – Child-Centric Learning 14:00 – Learning Through Curiosity 20:00 – Academic rigour without context 27:30 – Parents as Partners 34:30 – Unconditional Love 42:30 – Final Takeaway for Schools, Parents and Educators