TOGETHER WE RISE
More than just a project, Together We Rise (TWR) is a movement. Students using empathy to transform division into community.
In a world that so often pulls us apart, choosing kindness is a quiet act of rebellion. Hate is loud, easy, contagious- but love? Love takes courage.”
-ZARA BHARADWAJ (founder TWR)
What is TWR?
Together We Rise is a grassroots student initiative responding to growing polarization and mistrust. Rooted in the belief that stories of kindness can bridge divides, it began with founder Zara Bharadwaj’s award-winning documentary on interfaith acts of kindness in India. The film sparked dialogue across India and the US. It grew into Kindness Workshops—student-led classroom experiences where children explore unity, challenge stereotypes, and build a “Harmony Tree” of ideas for community harmony.
Connecting Hearts
and Helping Hands
I grew up between cultures, seeing both the walls that divide us and the small acts that can break them down. That belief led me to create Humanity Over Hate, a documentary sparking dialogue from India to Times Square. Since then, I’ve led empathy workshops, trained student ambassadors, and partnered with researchers to study how kindness reshapes bias. Through every project, my mission is the same: to replace fear with understanding, and indifference with compassion.
-ZARA BHARADWAJ (founder TWR)
Our Core Initiatives
Empowering change for a brighter tomorrow
Film
Using the power of storytelling to inspire dialogue. From intimate portraits of friendship across faith lines to powerful accounts of standing up to hate, these films invite viewers to see the humanity in one another. Screened at festivals from Times Square to classrooms across India, each story is a bridge - connecting people who might never have met, but share the same hopes for a kinder world.
Workshops
Interactive workshops that bring together students from diverse backgrounds to listen, reflect, and act. Using film clips, storytelling activities, and guided discussion, we create safe spaces for honest conversation about identity, bias, and belonging. Each session ends with participants designing their own 'empathy action plan' - concrete steps they can take to build bridges in their schools, neighbourhoods, and online communities.
Research
We partner with leading behavioral scientists at Harvard and Northwestern to explore one simple but profound question: can empathy be taught? Through surveys, focus groups, and real-world interventions, our research measures how stories of compassion can shift bias, increase trust, and foster lasting solidarity. The insights we gather shape our workshops, guide our filmmaking, and offer evidence that kindness is not just a virtue - it’s a strategy for change.
Making Impact
One Life At A Time
1,200+ students
Engaged in interactive workshops across Delhi, Western UP, Jaipur, and Mumbai, building knowledge, confidence, and community
65+ Ambassadors
Certified through our e-learning program, these student leaders are now equipped with skills to drive initiatives and inspire their peers.
250
Projects Completed
Milestones of Hope and Change
Friends of TWR
