Jigyasa Labroo, co-founder and CEO of Slam Out Loud, discusses the transformative power of the arts in education and her mission to empower every child to express themselves creatively.
In the landscape of Indian education reform, Jigyasa Labroo stands out as a prominent figure. As the co-founder and CEO of Slam Out Loud (SOL), she is dedicated to empowering children through the arts, ensuring that every child has a voice and the opportunity to express themselves creatively.
Labroo’s impressive credentials include a degree from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, recognition as a K.C. Mahindra Scholar, and accolades such as being named in Forbes Asia’s 30 Under 30 and receiving the HundrED Innovator of the Year award. Despite these achievements, she emphasizes that her most significant impact is felt daily in classrooms and communities across India and beyond. Under her leadership, Slam Out Loud has reached over 300,000 children, trained more than 1,600 teachers, and inspired over 10 million young people globally through open-source creative resources.
However, Labroo insists that the true measure of success lies beyond statistics. Her mission is to transform self-expression, creative confidence, and the healing potential of the arts into fundamental rights for every child, particularly those whose voices are often marginalized. Whether she is implementing poetry programs in rural schools or advocating for arts and social justice on international platforms, Labroo embodies a belief that creativity can spark hope, empathy, and meaningful change.
In an exclusive interview with Pragya Raj Singh for The American Bazaar, Labroo shared insights into her journey, the challenges she has faced, and the victories that continue to shape her work.
Pragya Raj Singh: You’ve turned creative expression into a powerful tool for change. Can you take us back to the first moment you saw the arts ignite something in a child who had never experienced that chance before?
Jigyasa Labroo: My journey began when I was teaching in a low-income classroom. I started incorporating music, theatre, and poetry into my lessons. Suddenly, children who had never raised their hands before were eager to participate. In many educational settings, children are often encouraged to leave their cultural identities at the door, but through the arts, I witnessed them reclaiming their individuality.
I recall a student named Pooja, who had recently moved from a small village in West Bengal and felt out of place among her more confident classmates. When we began writing poetry, she started composing in Hindi every day and soon earned the title of the class poet. Her peers sought her feedback on their work, and I saw how she cultivated a sense of belonging, dignity, and identity through her art. That experience solidified my understanding of the transformative power of self-expression.
Transitioning from a conventional career path to championing creative confidence must have been challenging. What were some defining moments of faith or doubt in your early journey?
I initially studied engineering and computer science and was among the first in my class to secure a job placement, not due to technical prowess but because of my communication and collaboration skills. Choosing to join Teach For India instead of pursuing a corporate career was my first significant leap of faith. Although the salary was modest, it allowed me to live independently in Delhi, which was important to me.
My family had aspirations for me to pursue a master’s degree in the United States, but I felt a strong pull to follow a path that resonated with my authentic self, even if it seemed unconventional. The next leap came when I committed to Slam Out Loud full-time at the age of 22. It was a blend of youthful naivety and conviction; we had some incubators supporting us, but there were no guarantees. At that time, I didn’t have much doubt—just a quiet certainty that this was the work I was meant to pursue.
Slam Out Loud has grown significantly, but scaling a movement often comes with challenges. Can you share a success or setback that taught you valuable lessons?
There was a period when our ambitions outpaced our capacity. We had just received approval for a dream project in Kashmir while simultaneously running programs in Delhi, scaling another initiative from 1,500 to 50,000 children, and onboarding our first cohort of Jijivisha Fellows. We were eager to do everything, which nearly led to burnout.
Ultimately, we lost that project, which was a painful experience. However, it taught us a crucial lesson in leadership: saying yes to everything often means failing to do justice to any single endeavor. Today, we approach scaling differently by building systems, trusting local partners, and allowing time for reflection. Sometimes, the most profound lessons come from setbacks that compel you to prioritize sustainability over speed.
While numbers are important, personal stories often illustrate true impact. Can you share a memorable experience from a student or teacher that encapsulates Slam Out Loud’s mission?
I think of Abbas, who joined us at the age of 13 with a passion for rap. Over time, he discovered his voice through poetry and community engagement. After completing school, he received a full scholarship to Azeem Premji University to study liberal arts. There, he became actively involved in activism and mentorship for marginalized students while continuing to write and perform. This year, he returned to us as a Jijivisha Fellow, selected from among 800 applicants. Witnessing his journey from a child exploring rhyme to an adult shaping supportive spaces for others is a profound testament to our impact. His poetry on identity, gender, and mental health serves as a reminder that fostering creative confidence not only transforms individual lives but also cultivates thoughtful citizens.
If you could grant one superpower to India’s education system, what would it be, and why do you believe the future belongs to creative changemakers?
If I could bestow one superpower upon India’s education system, it would be to ensure that every child feels seen, safe, and cared for in their classroom, with the freedom to express themselves. Once that foundation is established, art, poetry, music, and culture will naturally find their rightful place in schools.
I believe the future belongs to those who create with empathy and inclusivity. Creativity that excludes marginalized voices is not revolutionary; it is merely decorative. True creative changemakers build bridges rather than walls. I envision a world where creativity is regarded as essential as literacy, where classrooms nurture imagination alongside intellect. The future belongs to those who can reimagine systems and make that imagination accessible to all.
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