CULTURAL EXCHANGE
SUSTAINABILITY & GLOBAL JUSTICE

Connecting agriculture, creativity, and knowledge systems across India and the Global South.

Trust in Humanity is an emerging initiative developed through The Tourist Trust, a registered NGO based in Agra, India, under the leadership of Jaiveer Sharma. Over the coming years, the initiative will establish a cultural and social hub in Agra while developing an international network focused on sustainable development, cultural exchange, and community-led innovation.

Explore the Hub Our Story
A green plant sprout rising from the soil, representing Trust in Humanity cover

Based in Agra

Just steps away from the Taj Mahal, connecting global views with local lives.

OUR STORY

Trust in Humanity began with a simple question:

How do we cultivate the values and habits needed for a sustainable and just future?

Bridging Global Perspectives

"With deep roots in local communities and everyday life in India, Trust in Humanity approaches future development from the perspective of the Global South while creating meaningful dialogue across cultures and regions. Rather than proposing a single solution, the initiative aims to create spaces where different forms of knowledge, experience, and practice can meet, learn from one another, and grow together."

The initiative is being developed by Jaiveer Sharma in collaboration with The Tourist Trust, an Agra-based NGO working in education, community development, cultural heritage, and sustainable livelihoods. Inspired by the concept of Sanskar — the values, habits, and cultural imprints that shape both individuals and societies — the project seeks to explore how culture, creativity, and everyday practice can contribute to positive social change.

The Concept of Sanskar

Understood as the patterns, values, and cultural imprints that shape how individuals and societies think, act, and relate to the world. We ask: How do we cultivate the values and habits needed for a sustainable and just future?

A school child in an Earth costume holding drawing of Save Trees

Bal Bhawan School

Our primary local school initiative providing holistic child development in Agra.

THE AGRA COOPERATIVE

Trust in Humanity is currently developing its first physical hub in Tajganj, Agra, within walking distance of the Taj Mahal. The building is being developed gradually through partnerships, community participation, and social entrepreneurship. Rather than creating a conventional institution, our ambition is to establish a living environment where local communities, visitors, artists, artisans, farmers, educators, and entrepreneurs can meet and collaborate.

The spaces described below represent the long-term vision currently guiding the development process.

Full Power Café

Rooftop Social & Cultural Hub

The rooftop café is envisioned as a daily meeting place where visitors and local residents gather around food, conversation, culture, and shared experiences. Inspired by Jaiveer Sharma's previous Full Power Café initiative in Agra, the space will build on years of experience combining hospitality, creativity, and community engagement.

  • Organic and locally sourced ingredients
  • Yoga and meditation sessions
  • Cultural gatherings and discussions
  • Small-scale performances and events
A delicious organic banana crepe served on a plate
Banana crepe closeup View looking out to green mango tree tops

Boutique Hotel & Residencies

ART, HOSPITALITY & CULTURAL EXCHANGE

The upper floors are being developed as boutique accommodation and residency spaces for artists, researchers, and cultural practitioners. Operating within a social entrepreneurship framework, the concept aims to create meaningful interaction between visitors and local communities while supporting the broader activities of the initiative.

  • Artist-in-Residence accommodation
  • Community-oriented hospitality
  • Spaces for collaboration and exchange
  • Future participation in international residency networks
Boutique hotel reception lobby and cane chairs
Handdrawn layout schematic Beautiful staircase with hand-painted blue ceramic tiles

Showroom & Retail Concept

CRAFT, CULTURE & FAIR TRADE

A significant part of the ground floor is being developed as a retail and exhibition space connecting artisans, creative entrepreneurs, and visitors. The goal is to create a platform where objects carry stories, where traditional knowledge is valued, and where local production can access new audiences.

  • Artisan-made products
  • Fair and transparent trade models
  • Cultural storytelling through objects
  • Future online platform
Flagship showroom retail shop during construction phase
Inlay artisan workers creating floral marble designs Quilted traditional textiles from Gujarat

Exhibition & Conference Center

Arena for Activities & Gatherings

A versatile, large-scale basement environment designed to host public art galleries, academic conferences, workshops, and communal assemblies. Integrates our visiting artists in the day-to-day curriculum of the local community.

  • Versatile hall supporting seminars, community discussions, and visual exhibitions.
  • Multi-use studio spaces for training, drawing, and sculpting.
  • Soundproofed setup for film screenings and digital storytelling.
Basement hall construction work with desks set up
Student learning traditional painting techniques Exhibition wall decorated with beautiful Siddi quilts

Agricultural Garden

A LIVING SITE OF LEARNING

Adjacent to the building, a small agricultural garden will function as a living demonstration of sustainable cultivation practices. Inspired by India's rich agricultural traditions and contemporary organic farming movements, the garden will connect local knowledge with global ecological challenges.

  • Organic cultivation methods
  • Climate and biodiversity awareness
  • Educational activities
  • Direct connection to the café kitchen
External garden passage under construction next to the park
Organic farming field with a farmer standing Close up of hand picking a long green organic bean
A Framework for Future Development

The Three Pillars

Many of the knowledge systems needed for a sustainable future already exist. Trust in Humanity brings them together through three interconnected fields.

Agriculture

Knowledge rooted in land, cultivation, and long-term ecological balance.

  • Organic garden demonstrations
  • Farmer-to-farmer knowledge exchange
  • Support for organic food networks
  • Climate and biodiversity awareness

Creativity

Artistic, artisanal, and cultural practices that shape how societies imagine and build the future.

  • Artist-in-Residence exchanges
  • Artisan collaborations
  • Traditional craft workshops
  • Public cultural programs

Knowledge Systems

Ways of understanding the world, from formal education to lived traditions and embodied practices.

  • Collaboration with Bal Bhawan School
  • Educational programs and seminars
  • Yoga and cultural heritage
  • Academic and institutional partnerships
BUILDING THE NETWORK

THE BEGINNING OF A LARGER CONVERSATION

Across India and the Global South, countless individuals, communities, organisations, and institutions are already developing meaningful responses to social, ecological, and cultural challenges. Yet many of these initiatives rarely have opportunities to meet, collaborate, and learn from one another. Trust in Humanity seeks to create a framework where such connections can grow. The first phase of the project focuses on building partnerships and exploring how a future independent Trust in Humanity organisation can be developed in close collaboration with The Tourist Trust and a growing network of partners. We are particularly interested in connecting with:

  • community organisations
  • schools and educational initiatives
  • artists and cultural practitioners
  • artisans and craft communities
  • farmers and agricultural networks
  • researchers and universities
  • social entrepreneurs
  • NGOs and development organisations
  • trade unions and cooperative movements

Rather than promoting a single model for the future, we aim to create a platform where different forms of knowledge, experience, and practice can strengthen one another. The network is only beginning to take shape.

We warmly welcome dialogue with individuals, institutions, and organisations interested in contributing to this journey.

Who We Are

THE PEOPLE BEHIND TRUST IN HUMANITY

Trust in Humanity is currently being developed through collaboration between communities, practitioners, and organisations in India and Norway. Together, we bring experience from community development, education, agriculture, cultural exchange, sustainability, and the arts. The initiative is designed to grow as an open network, welcoming new collaborators and partners over time.

Tourist Trust

THE TOURIST TRUST (INDIA)

The Tourist Trust is a registered charitable organisation based in Agra, established in 2015. Working across education, community development, cultural heritage, environmental awareness, and livelihood generation, the Trust provides the local foundation from which Trust in Humanity is emerging. The organisation's long-term engagement with local communities ensures that the initiative remains rooted in everyday realities while building new opportunities for cultural exchange and sustainable development.

Jaiveer Sharma

Jaiveer Sharma

Founder & Project Coordinator

Jaiveer Sharma is a social practitioner, yoga teacher, and cultural mediator based in Agra, India. Drawing on experience across tourism, agriculture, community work, and cultural exchange, he is developing Trust in Humanity as a platform connecting creativity, knowledge systems, and sustainable development. His work is guided by the concept of Sanskar — the values and habits that shape both individuals and societies.

Margrethe Kolstad Brekke

Margrethe Brekke

International Development & Cultural Exchange

Margrethe Kolstad Brekke is a Norwegian artist and interdisciplinary project developer working across art, societal transitions, network innovation and cultural infrastructure. As co-founder of Rjukan Solarpunk Academy, she has developed collaborative projects connecting artists, researchers, local communities, and international partners. Within Trust in Humanity she contributes as a volunteer collaborator supporting concept development, partnerships, and international networking.

Lincy Lawrence

Lincy Lawrence

Operations & Development

Lincy Lawrence is a management professional from Kerala with experience in business administration, customer relations, and organisational development. Her work within Trust in Humanity focuses on operational planning, retail development, and building sustainable models that connect local production, artisans, and community-based economic activity.

Rjukan Solarpunk Academy team

RJUKAN SOLARPUNK ACADEMY (NORWAY)

International Partner

Rjukan Solarpunk Academy is an interdisciplinary initiative exploring sustainable futures through art, culture, and collaboration. Founded in 2019, the academy develops projects that connect ecological transition, creativity, and community-based innovation. As an international partner, the academy contributes networks, organisational development, and opportunities for cultural exchange between India and Norway.

Get In Touch

Support The Movement

Trust in Humanity is currently being developed through The Tourist Trust in Agra, India.

Contact Details

We welcome dialogue with individuals, organisations, institutions, and potential partners interested in contributing to the development of the initiative.

Our Location

Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India

Call Us

Jaiveer Sharma

+91 99998 86434

Website

www.trustinhumanity.in

Email Us

info@trustinhumanity.in

WhatsApp Chat

+91 99998 86434

Interested in collaboration?

We would be pleased to hear from community organisations, educators, artists, artisans, researchers, social entrepreneurs, and institutions who share our interest in cultural exchange, sustainability, and community-based development

Send Us A Message

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