Career conversations in 2026 sound very different from even five years ago. Students are anxious. Parents are confused. Educators are unsettled. Layoffs dominate headlines. Entry-level roles seem to vanish overnight. Even top students struggle to convert degrees into meaningful employment. The question that keeps resurfacing is deceptively simple. If so many people are looking for work, why do employers still say they cannot find the right talent? At the IC3 Movement, this question matters deeply. Not because it reflects a temporary economic downturn, but because it signals a structural shift in how careers are formed, understood, and sustained.

Students are navigating a world of limitless choices, shifting mobility trends, international opportunities, and rapid technological change. In this environment, counseling in schools has become a cornerstone of student readiness and well-being. Yet many schools, especially in underrepresented regions, continue to struggle with limited resources, understaffed counseling departments, or the absence of structured counseling frameworks altogether.

As the IC3 Movement enters its landmark tenth year, we find ourselves at a meaningful moment of reflection and renewal. The past decade has shown what is possible when educators, counselors, universities, and partners come together with a shared belief that counseling belongs in every school. This belief has grown into a powerful global movement. Today, it continues to deepen its impact in ways that are practical, inclusive, and grounded in real student needs.The IC3 Regional Conference South Asia is one of the defining expressions of this evolution. This gathering is not only an event, but a space designed for deeper insight, collaboration, and community. It invites participants to pause, look inward, and rediscover the joy and purpose in counseling and education.

In every generation of education, some moments reshape how schools understand families, communities, and the shared responsibility of guiding young people. In 2026, counselors across the world will be experiencing one of those moments. Family dynamics are changing, stress levels are rising, and expectations from schools are higher than ever. As a result, challenging parent conversations have become a natural part of a counselor’s work.

Ganesh Kohli, Founder of the IC3 Movement, said progress was already visible but required sustained focus. He pointed to forward-looking policies, improving infrastructure and the strong performance of Indian graduates globally as reinforcing India’s appeal. “The report rightly underscores the importance of academic quality, global collaboration, research opportunities and institutional readiness,” he said, adding that informed counselling would be critical as India builds its international reputation.

“Children may not use the word burnout, but they feel its effects: quiet exhaustion, irritability, loss of interest, changes in sleep or energy, or feeling ‘tired all the time.’ These early signs often blend into daily routines, making them easy to miss," Ganesh Kohli, founder of IC3 explains.

India now accounts for one in every nine student suicides in the world. The 2024 IC3 Student Suicide Report warns that deaths are rising sharply, especially among those in middle, secondary, and higher secondary school—the years when pressure peaks and support systems often fail.

“Bullying rarely announces itself through loud signals; it often begins with quiet changes such as a child withdrawing from friends, hesitating to go to school, sleeping poorly, or suddenly losing confidence,” says Ganesh Kohli, Founder of IC3 Movement.

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