Mumbai, 5th May 2025: The 2025 IC3 Regional Forum in Mumbai brought together educators, counselors, and institutional leaders to explore significant themes such as counseling as a culture, emotional well-being in education, and building pathways for student transitions. Hosted at the Nahar International School, the forum focussed on providing a much-needed space for sharing ideas, approaches, and experiences in student-centered education. Through collaborative conversations and shared best practices, the forum highlighted the growing need for structured, school-wide counseling initiatives that prioritize student well-being and future readiness.
Under this year’s IC3 theme of, “Counseling as a Culture”, which sheds light on encouraging institutions to embed counseling into the everyday student experience, the forum saw over 145 registrations, with participation from more than 107 institutions across Maharashtra. This resonates with the strong interest and engagement of the region’s education community in holistic student development. The discussions emphasized the importance of integrating emotional and career guidance into the daily fabric of school life. The forum created a space for educators and counselors to engage in meaningful dialogue on how institutions can better support students’ personal growth, academic success, and future planning. Through open conversations and shared perspectives, the forum helped educators reflect on how best to support students’ academic, emotional, and career journeys.
Speaking at the forum, Mr. Ganesh Kohli, Founder of the IC3 Movement, said, “Mumbai is a dynamic city with a strong education ecosystem, and it’s encouraging to see schools and universities coming together to prioritize student well-being. Career and emotional counseling are not just add-ons—they must be a part of everyday schooling. Through forums like these, we can support students in building confidence, emotional strength, and career clarity. This is what it means to truly support the next generation.”
The forum featured interactive sessions on embedding counseling as a culture, building emotional well-being in education, and creating stronger pathways for student transition through institutional collaboration. The sessions explore exceptionable insights to foster resilience, support career readiness, and prioritize student-centered growth for the educators, within their institutions.
The Principal of Nahar International School, India, Vandana Arora, said that,“It was indeed a wonderful experience hosting the IC3 Movement. Counseling as a Culture is something we believe in as a school, and that’s the culture we have set. Right from the theme, it matched our ideology, and ultimately to the people associated with us. We have been meeting many university counselors, school counselors, and trying to understand from people who were telling us what we have to change in us as schools, so that our children get benefited and are able to fulfill their dreams through this culture. There were a lot of takeaways from these sessions, for every one of us, including me, my teachers, and my counseling team. It was a lovely experience and I can say that it’s a long association. Right from 2017 when IC3 started, we saw Mr. Ganesh’s first conference. We’ve been associated with IC3 since 2017, attending many conferences over the years. This year, it was a privilege to not only participate but also host both the annual and regional conferences—a long-held dream come true.
Pratham Mittal, Founder, Masters’ Union, a keynote speaker said, “I really enjoyed my day today, meeting counselors, principals, and school leaders from across the country. The environment was warm and welcoming, and it was a pleasure engaging with so many curious and passionate individuals. What stood out to me was the shared commitment to a culture that truly prioritizes student well-being. The values we are working to build deeply resonate with the culture IC3 is striving to instil—not just within individual schools, but worldwide. This alignment reinforces our belief in the power of counseling, and we look forward to many more years of collaboration with IC3 to advance our shared vision.”
Addressing his session ‘Making Your Passion Your Profession Is Harder Than It Sounds,’ Chaitanya Chinchlikar, Vice President & Business Head at Whistling Woods International, shared valuable insights on turning passion into a sustainable career, “It was indeed an interesting interaction. Most of the questions that I got after the interactions were from counselors who had experiences with students, who were lost or rather who weren’t sure about what they wanted to do, or had too many ideas of what they could do because they liked many many things . They liked skill, they liked industry and they weren’t sure how to navigate that. So it was good that I was able to give some inputs.”
The forum created a platform for attendees to gain practical insights and tools to embed student support more deeply into their institutions. Educators discussed how to better understand student needs, foster resilience, and strengthen career guidance—ensuring students are well-prepared for both academic and professional challenges ahead.
The 2025 IC3 Regional Forums continue to serve as a vital platform for knowledge sharing and networking among educators and counselors across the region, leading up to the Annual IC3 Conference & Expo, the flagship event of the IC3 Movement.
