CSR Initiative to provide mental health education to 10,000 students in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu

Recognising the need for fostering individual and community mental healthamong school and college students , AI-native automotive platform company ‘Tekion’ has partnered with NGO ‘Mind and Matter’ to positively impact over 10,000 students in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu this year.

Under its CSR umbrella, ‘Tekion for Good’, the partnership aims to dismantle the stigma surrounding mental wellness by making high-quality mental health resources accessible to underprivileged communities in semi-urban and rural areas. “We must normalize mental health as an essential part of our social fabric,” said Deepika Appaiah, Founder of Mind and Matter.

According to a release, the programme focuses on children (9+ years), teenagers, parents, and teachers in both government and private educational institutions. A key differentiator of this initiative is its vernacular approach, providing activity-based sessions and mental health tools in regional languages to ensure that no one is left behind due to a linguistic barrier. The curriculum utilizes specialised modules developed by NIMHANS, delivered by trained volunteers to foster safe spaces and compassionate support systems within schools.

“Mental health is often viewed through an urban, elite lens, but resilience is a universal need,” obsreved Santosh Golecha, Head of Chennai Engineering Center, Tekion. “These sessions are not just about awareness. They are about providing the next generation with the tools to build a healthy, balanced future,” he noted.

The program will also focus on building a strong volunteer ecosystem to sustain long-term mental health awareness and support. These activity-based sessions are designed to make conversations around emotions, empathy, communication, and well-being accessible to young people and educators alike. The first mental well-being program for schools and colleges under this partnership was held at the Sir Mutha School in Chennai, with about 180 students in attendance, the release states.

Beyond the classroom, Tekion is also supporting the expansion of the ‘Sundays for Mental Health‘ program organized by Mind and Matter in various Indian cities. This inclusive community initiative will now grow its footprint across Chennai, Puducherry, and Bengaluru, offering resilience-building workshops for all age groups in public spaces, says the release.

According to the release, over the last five years, Mind and Matter has impacted over 27,000 lives through mental health advocacy and implementation of preventive mental health modules.

Their recent “Music for Mental Health” initiative has gained national recognition for its innovative and universal approach to wellness across major regions.