Niyatii N. Shah

Education

B. Com, Counselling Course, Sex Education, Correspondence Course on Sex Therapy

Work Profile

Entrepreneur, Speaker, Sexuality and Parenting Coach

Having Kids or not

Yes, I have two kids. A 13 year old son and a 6 year old daughter.

Name of your Venture/Firm/ Initiative

Averti & Parent’s-InfoDesk

Brief Introduction of ur Venture/Firm/ Initiative: 

AVERTI was initiated by me in February 2013 with the motive of spreading awareness among masses about sexuality health. I regard it as the one-stop-shop that imparts knowledge concerning the sexual health of children such that they develop a better understanding of their body and accept their sexual responsibility.

Parent’s-InfoDesk is now starting with its online directory for parents. It’s called www.dial4kids.com Here, parents will be able to find any resource whether a product or a service that caters to kids. PID was founded in 2016 when I realised it was so difficult to find local source for any kid’s products.

Mention your struggle which you have to face to start your venture:

1) Most of the parents believe that kids below the age of 16 are too young to learn about sex. However, they fail to realise that kids as young as 10 are already aware of sexual activity without knowing the “what” and “why” about it. This disinclination of the parents propels the children to themselves find the answers to their questions, via the internet. While internet proves to be a powerful source of information in this era, the information might not always be true. This information doesn’t escape the child very soon and he ends up having several misconceptions about sex and topics related to it.

2) Even today, sex remains a sensitive topic for several of us. Parents and teachers find it difficult to communicate about it with children and address their queries and concerns. It takes a lot of effort to convince them about the importance of sex education.

3) It’s difficult to change the conventional way of teaching sex education. Several doubts and myths exist, regarding sex, that need to be considered and clarified. It takes a while to unlearn a particular concept and learn something new.

From when you have started 

Averti started from February 2013

Parent’s-InfoDesk will soon be launched.

Family Support

Full family support.

Reaction of your family/friends or well wishers on choosing your passion

My mom was confused in the beginning but have accepted what I do and is truly proud of me. My husband & kids have always been my pillar of strength. But many didn’t know what I did till one day my article was published in a leading Gujarati magazine. But by then I was known so it became easy. They have never tried to stifle my progress. Instead, they’ve been supportive always. My kids are very understanding and have never complained for the odd when I haven’t been around them.

Your Dream: 

My dream is to reach out to as many kids & adults as possible vis schools, colleges & open workshops, to spread awareness on sexual health. I want to see schools all over India imparting correct sexual education that teaches them about the consequences, empowers them to choose rightly and wisely and thereby, eradicates this taboo to help young people accept their sexuality.

Are you happy choosing your way to be an entrepreneur?  

Absolutely. Even if I try my hands on something different, I end up thinking like an entrepreneur.

Difficulties you have to face being a woman in your field 

People say they’re proud of the title of a “SEXUALITY COACH” that I carry along with myself, and then bitch about what a fool I am for choosing such a subject. Most of the men think I’m available. I get unwanted messages, calls and notices of meetings in the context of work, that must be accepted by me to reach the right people. I think it’s high time they thought of me as a human than a woman, a human who understands the importance of a healthy relationship and is passionate to share the knowledge with others.

What do you think about necessity of empowerment of women:

Empowerment means, the process of becoming stronger and more confident, especially in living one's life and claiming one's rights. Every woman has the right to live her life the way she wants. But we women have been giving so much importance to our men that we have forgotten to value ourselves, in the process. It is only when women are educated, employed without bias, that they will be able to live freely with a sense of self-worth, respect and dignity.

Women have the rights to let their voices be heard.

Any special comment you want to convey to women who are following you

Know, Accept, Express yourself! It’s not that difficult to live the life you WANT to. Just pull your sleeves and get ready. All that I had to do before I started educating or devising new business ideas was to DECIDE. Once you decide on something, make it a point that you use every ounce of your courage, energy and strength to achieve it.

Twitter handle:http://www.twitter.com/projectaverti

LinkedIn & Instagram: niyatiinshah