Authors: Samridhi Verma
Abstract: . This article documents an eight-week internship that mobilised university students to promote low-cost, high-impact environmental habits in Lucknow, India. Working with the NGO Students for Development, the author co-designed digital content, moderated peer challenges, and orchestrated an on-ground awareness drive that reached more than 300 park visitors and 2,000 social-media users. A mixed-methods approach—participant observation, feedback surveys, and reflective journalling—revealed that emotional connection, habit-based messaging, and peer role-models were decisive in converting curiosity into action. Findings emphasise that youth campaigns succeed when they combine online storytelling with tactile, community-centred experiences and when organisers model the habits they advocate. The study concludes with recommendations for scaling such interventions through decentralised student chapters, behaviour-centred design, and systematic documentation of local innovations.
