A milestone celebration honouring the partnerships, people and purpose that have transformed thousands of young lives over the past decade.
A decade ago, a simple yet powerful idea took shape in Pune—to create opportunities for young people living in underserved communities through a unique partnership between government, industry and civil society.
On 27 July 2026, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Lighthouse Communities Foundation (LCF) celebrated 10 Years of the Lighthouse Program at Ganesh Kala Krida Manch, Pune. The event brought together 50+ government leaders, industry partners, donors, employers, community leaders, board members and more than 500 young people to celebrate a decade of transforming aspirations into opportunities.
The celebration was graced by Shri Parashuram Wadekar, Deputy Mayor, Pune Municipal Corporation, Shri Shrinath Bhimale, Chairman, Standing Committee, Pune Municipal Corporation, Shri Omprakash Divate, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Special), Shri Prajit Nair, IAS, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Estate), Smt. Asha Raut, Deputy Commissioner, Social Development Department, along with corporators and senior PMC officials.
Over the past ten years, the Lighthouse model has enabled more than 46,000 young people in Pune, with over 26,000 youth securing employment or self-employment, demonstrating the power of sustained public investment in youth development.
Built on a pioneering Public-Private Partnership model, Pune Municipal Corporation provides the infrastructure while the private sector supports operations and training. Together, this partnership has created safe community spaces where young people discover their aspirations, build confidence, develop workplace skills and access meaningful livelihood opportunities.
The event featured reflections from Dr. Ganesh Natarajan, Co-founder and Chairman, Ruchi Mathur, Co-founder and Vice Chair, Amruta Bahulekar, CEO, along with distinguished leaders including Vandana Chavan, Former Member of Rajya Sabha. The discussions highlighted that true success goes beyond employment, empowering young people to make informed choices, continue learning and build thriving careers.
The event was also attended by Lighthouse Communities Foundation’s Board Members Malini Thadani, Ujwal Thakar, Rajnish Kumar and Anita Rajan, along with Advisory Members Pradeep Bhargava, Ashwini Malhotra and Rajan Navani. Their continued guidance, encouragement and belief in the Lighthouse mission have been instrumental in strengthening the movement and creating opportunities for young people to build thriving careers and lives.
A special highlight of the celebration was honouring Lighthouse alumni whose journeys reflect resilience, determination and growth. Government partners, more than 15 donor organisations and over 10 ecosystem partners were also recognised for their contribution to building opportunities for Pune’s youth.
What began with one Lighthouse in Aundh in 2016 has today grown into a movement spanning 51 Lighthouses across 16 cities in seven states, supporting over 90,000 young people, with nearly 50,000 youth placed in employment or self-employment.
As Lighthouse Communities Foundation looks ahead, the mission remains clear—to enable one million young people to build thriving careers and lives by 2030.