Did you know that a school in Switzerland is inspired by an education model that began in a small village in India?

In Glarus, Switzerland, the LernHaus Sole School has adopted the Nook Model, an approach that emerged when Indian communities began asking a simple but radical question:

What if learners from disadvantaged communities designed their own education?

This NOOK MODEL now has 28 learning spaces in India (Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Meghalaya) and 5 across the world. It impacts people in the 10 to 70-year age group from disadvantaged communities.

These are physical self-learning spaces created in a marginalised community area.

This same community-born model is now heading to Europe.

In March 2026, Abhijit Sinha, Founder and CEO of Project DEFY, will represent India across Europe, including countries like Germany, Spain, France, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, to attend several closely curated events, gatherings and conversations. 

More notably, he will also showcase the Indian born Nook model at the ChangeNOW Summit, to be held in Paris at the Grand Palais from 30 March to 1 April 2026.

Selected from hundreds of global applications, Project DEFY is one of 400 solutions chosen worldwide and among only 20 NGOs to participate in the ChangeNow summit

We are raising INR 5L to make this journey possible.

This is not just about attending one summit or a gathering; it is about presenting a community-driven Indian education model to over 10,000 global changemakers across Europe.

 Project DEFY is ready to embark on a 42-day journey across multiple European cities to expand the global footprint of the Nook educational model.

Through this European journey, Project Defy aims to build partnerships that will directly strengthen and expand the work within disadvantaged communities across India.

THE IMPACT THAT A NOOK MAKES:

Let’s impact the lives of more people like Geetanjali. 

About the Model: More about the Nook?

The model being presented in Europe is called the Nook Model. Nooks are open, community-driven learning spaces where individuals pursue their interests and passions through self-led projects.

At a Nook, learning begins with exploration. Participants experiment with hands-on projects, discover their interests, and design their own learning journeys, building skills through community knowledge and real-world practice with the help of Nook.

Learning unfolds in cycles of exploration, creation, and exhibition, progressing at each individual’s pace. Open to ages 10 to 74, Nooks particularly serve learners from marginalised communities, enabling practical skills, confidence, and entrepreneurship.

Watch the video to learn more about the Nook Educational model and the impact it has made in India and beyond.

Sharing this model globally creates opportunities for more communities to build their own Nooks

Why this Europe Journey Matters:

For centuries, educational ideas largely flowed from the West to India, shaped by colonisation. Today, Project DEFY and the Nook Model are changing this direction and narrative.

This change is already underway. A school in Switzerland has drawn inspiration from the Nook approach, and conversations are emerging across Germany, France, Spain, and Liechtenstein, each opening doors to build more learning spaces within marginalised communities. We start with Paris with the ChangeNow Summit and then move to other European countries.

The ChangeNOW Summit, one of the world’s largest gatherings of over 10,000 changemakers like educators, policymakers, investors, and social innovators, offers a powerful platform to showcase India’s grassroots innovation and place a community-born education model on the global stage, inspiring communities worldwide to build their own Nooks.

Following the summit in Paris, the team will continue on a multi-city journey across Europe to further expand the global footprint of the Nook model.

This Journey across 42 days is intended to place India’s grassroots innovation before global decision-makers. It means initiating partnerships across Europe, strengthening international collaborations, and creating opportunities for the Nook Model to reach new communities.

Here's a breakdown of the expenses:

To honour this invitation, we need to raise INR 5 lakhs. This amount will cover international flights, visa expenses, accommodation and food in European cities, local transport, and event-related costs during the 42-day European journey.

ABOUT ABHIJIT SINHA AND HIS VISION:

Every contribution directly supports Abhijit’s ability to travel from India to Europe and present the NOOK Model to a global audience.

ANOTHER STORY OF IMPACT:

ABOUT ME:

My name is Jayaraman, and I am a concerned citizen who believes that powerful ideas born in grassroots communities deserve representation on global platforms. I am raising funds to support Abhijit Sinha, who has been officially invited to represent the Nook Model in Europe, including the ChangeNOW Summit in Paris from March 30 to April 1, 2026.

The purpose of this campaign is to enable him to travel to Europe and present this India-born, community-driven education model internationally. The total required amount to enable his confirmed participation is INR 5L, covering flights, visa, food and accommodation, local transport, and even hosting for over 42 days.

This journey is more than just a trip - it will, in the long term, benefit thousands of Indians from marginalised communities, as this trip will and should lead to more NOOKS being created in India.

Your contribution helps carry a conversation that began in an Indian village to multiple countries in Europe, and from there, to communities across the world.

GLIMPSES FROM THE NOOKS ACROSS INDIA:

ABOUT PROJECT DEFY:

Project DEFY is a non-profit based in Bangalore that aims to reimagine the reality of global education. It creates radically different learning spaces called Nooks, where learners take complete control of creating their own learning journeys. In fact, there are no teachers, curricula or exams. Instead, there exists a strong culture of curiosity, creativity and experimentation that allows the learners to seek learning that matters to them.

There are 33 Nooks that have served over 6000+ learners in the most marginalised communities in Asia and Africa, enabling them to create not only great livelihood and entrepreneurial opportunities for themselves, but also healthy relationships with their communities and the world around them. Nooks have changed their relationship with learning from a fear-based one to one based on curiosity and possibilities.

Nooks are growing and putting forth a much-awaited possibility of a true systemic change, to finally overturn the hegemony of factory schooling.
 

LOCATION MAP:

IMAGE OF THE VENUE OF ChangeNOW Summit 2026:

Picture of the Grand Palais in Paris.

This campaign is about putting learning back into people’s hands, helping them solve problems, create opportunities, and build meaningful, sustainable lives, while giving a community-born Indian education model its moment on the global stage.

TAX BENEFITS:

Funding for this campaign is eligible for tax breaks as the NGO, Project DEFY, is a registered trust, and you can avail of benefits under Section 80G of the IT Act. Foreign funding is NOT accepted.