By Aditya Raj
While most high school students juggle coursework and revision, this Dubai-based student has spent the last few years quietly building something so meaningful and impactful. Her initiative, Thrive Hub, has reached over 3,900 students across 14 schools in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, and brought mental well-being support to more than 150 semi-skilled workers in Dubai. We caught up with Parishi to find out what keeps her going and why she believes looking after your emotional health should be a priority.
Q: What was the moment that made you start Thrive Hub?
A: During visits to my family in a small town in India, I kept seeing students dealing with intense academic pressure, stress, and signs of depression, but no one was talking about it. They were told to ‘prioritise academics and achieve good grades,’ while their emotional struggles were dismissed as teenage phases. I realised that mental health is treated as a taboo subject in many communities, and people were silently suffering without knowing where to turn. I wanted to change that and create spaces where seeking support is seen as a strength, not a weakness.
Q: Why focus on rural India and underserved communities specifically?
A: Mental health challenges exist everywhere, but the gap in awareness and resources is most acute in rural and underserved communities. In rural areas, there are very few avenues for students to learn about their mental health. When problems feel too big to name, they become impossible to manage. Thrive Hub tries to bridge that gap by making well-being education simple, practical, and accessible, not clinical or distant.
Q: How does Thrive Hub actually work on the ground?
A: We take a community based approach. With help of our grassroot partner, KCS Foundation, we run structured programmes in schools that help students build emotional self-awareness, manage stress, develop healthy relationships, and strengthen life skills. We use conversations, activities, role-play, and guided reflection and not theoretical lectures. We also run workshops for semi-skilled workers in Dubai, equipping them with tools to manage stress, prioritise their well being and build resilience at work and home. And through our YouTube platform, Wisdom Works Live, we host webinars with mental health professionals on topics like neurodiversity, stigma, and well-being.
Q: What does ’emotional well-being education’ actually look like in a classroom?
A: It covers things like understanding your own emotions, building an emotional vocabulary, practising gratitude, managing stress and anger, recognising the mind-body connection, and navigating social pressures. We also address things people rarely discuss like neurodiversity, mental health stigma, academic anxiety. We currently work with 35 plus student ambassadors and trainers who carry this work forward, so the impact multiplies beyond what our core team can do alone.
Q: What has surprised you most about this work?
A: How hungry people are for it. Whether it’s a student in a rural school or a worker in Dubai, people respond when someone takes their emotional life seriously. The stigma is real, but once you create a safe space, people open up. That’s when the real change begins. What started as a small awareness effort has grown into something much bigger and we are only just getting started. We plan to launch Wellness Circles, which would take Thrive Hub to extended communities beyond schools.
Q: Tell us more about your grassroots partner: KCS Foundation, India
KCS Foundation India is a community-driven nonprofit dedicated to empowering underserved communities through education and vocational training. They have a strong grassroots presence, trusted relationships across Indian states, and consistent focus on student development. KCS has been an invaluable implementation partner for Thrive Hub. From selecting the schools to managing logistics and student coordination, their team has been instrumental in turning this initiative into reality.
KCS has provided a sound platform for Thrive Hub with their ongoing collaboration and support in expanding reach to more schools and other NGOs.
“ When students are aware of what emotional well-being is, they become more resilient, confident and prepared to face life’s challenges.” — Parishi Dua, Founder, Thrive Hub
