Meet Our New GAIN Team Members: Charanpreet Khaira & Rohit Valecha
We are happy to welcome two new team members to the Initiatives of Change USA team who are passionately working with program director, Eliana Jimeno, on the foundational development of the Global Alumni Initiative Network (GAIN). Charanpreet Khaira (based in the UK) and Rohit Valecha (based in India) are both alumni of the Caux Scholars Program who bring a wealth of experience to our organization and form part of our staff until the end of the year.
Charanpreet’s position as Creative Storyteller hones in on generating and developing a variety of writings that document the lives and work of our alumni.
Rohit’s work as Multimedia Resident focuses on leading coordination and/or multimedia production initiatives featuring alumni including short videos, gifs, photography, digital art, and graphic design.
We are honored to have Charanpreet and Rohit work with us. Learn more about our new GAIN team members below.
CHARANPREET KHAIRA
Charanpreet is an award-winning filmmaker and journalist based in Cardiff, UK. She is an intersectional feminist who uses her platform in mainstream media to uphold the voices of marginalised communities and minority groups. She has always loved telling stories, and believes that they can be a powerful way to challenge narratives.
She started her journey with Initiatives of Change writing the reports for the Caux Dialogue on Land and Security. She fell in love with the atmosphere of the Caux, and signed up for the Caux Scholars Program in Asia Plateau. I of C helped her to realise that she could use her skills in writing, communication, and creativity in order to create structural change. This was what prompted her to pursue an MA in International Development and Documentary film, which opened the door for her to make her first film, Grandmother, about migrant grandmothers in the UK, including her own!
Now she works as a broadcast journalist, focusing on social affairs - in the past few months, she has been reporting on the coronavirus pandemic, following the disproportionate impact of the disease on communities of colour. Recently she has been inspired to see the Black Lives Matter movement sweep through Wales and inspire challenging conversations around race. She believes that impact-focused journalism can encourage societal and structural transformation.
ROHIT VALECHA
Rohit Valecha is a versatile media and motion pictures professional based in Mumbai, India. He is passionate about cinema, music, and performing arts. He spends most of his time developing innovative works and producing freelance creative projects. He has worked on a number of short films, documentaries, and music videos in various capacities. After his film studies at Whistling Woods International, he assisted director Nandita Das in her critically acclaimed feature film ‘Manto’ which premiered at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.
An intersectional activist and advocate of the UN SDGs, Rohit has started Meri Kahaani, an initiative that represents the stories of the lived experiences of women. The platform has been documenting stories across India since 2018 and is now expanding internationally. The stories have reached thousands of people online on social media platforms, created safe spaces for women, and sparked conversations on positive masculinity among men.
He is also the founder of Roobaroo, an organisation that strives to blur the boundaries between India and Pakistan, using the power of art and music. The initiative currently is creating original art and music that challenges hegemonic ideas of the system.
Rohit has been associated with IofC India since 2014 and was one of the scholars at the Caux Scholars Program - Asia Plateau 2020. As the Multimedia Resident, he is committed to produce audio-visual content, and curate videos, photos & graphic design for our digital space. His work will primarily revolve around the Global Alumni Initiative (GAIN).