Vedanshi co-founded and is the Executive Director of BOLT Safety Society, a ‘tech start-up meets nonprofit’ that fights violence, harassment, and abuse through a digital platform, community-based workshops, a safe space network, and volunteer-led safety services.
BOLT Safety Society was incorporated in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Vedanshi and her five co-founders decided to create a database of resources for survivors of sexual violence and domestic abuse. The project later expanded to include Project LyghtNyng, a series of educational workshops aimed at improving awareness on consent and personal safety, and Safe Buddies, providing both phone and in-person accompaniment for people walking home alone or feeling otherwise vulnerable, including at community gatherings.
The nonprofit has served over 1,300 people through workshops in Canada, India, and Kenya, and helped more than 800 people through its volunteer-led Safe Buddies service. Additionally, 13,600 have viewed the articles and geographically-relevant resources, including sexual assault reporting information and direction to 63 Safe Hubs across 20 cities, listed on their digital platform. Currently, the organisation is working on two documentary films investigating sexual violence and human rights issues across several countries.
After attending the 2024 Summit in Montréal, Vedanshi connected with Shirah Benarde, another Ambassador working to end sexual assault, and they formed a partnership that educated people on drink spiking. Vedanshi’s work was also featured in One Young World’s January 2025 Ambassador Spotlight.
“After the Summit, I formed a partnership with fellow Ambassador, Shira Benarde, who is the Founder of Nightcap. We did a collaboration on drink spiking prevention awareness and we brought in education on how to recognise if your drink has been spiked. We also did a social media campaign, released a resource on our digital platform, and handed out free products.”