The article explores the transformative potential of social changemaking initiatives through a co-constructed autoethnography. The study highlights the shortcomings of modern education, which often prioritizes rote learning over experiential growth, and draws on Indian educational thinkers who emphasize the role of education in inner renewal and social responsibility. The study aims to address the role of social changemaking projects in the holistic development of students, the pedagogical processes underpinning self-directed social transformation, and the ways in which such engagement transforms one’s ways of living and being. The study reveals the nuanced interplay between individual growth and collective action. It also helped participants experience a deep immersion into community challenges through extended engagement with diverse stakeholders, which also helped foster critical life skills such as leadership, empathy, collaboration, autonomy and an authentic sense of purpose. Through these insights, this study underscores the role of service-based learning in nurturing holistic development and fostering transformational change, both in individual identity and in the broader societal context.
