Dharnappa joined Samvada’s Mangalore YRC as Youth Mentor in 2018. With an  MSW in Medical and Psychiatric Social Work, he was working as a Community Organizer for Punarchit in Chamrajnagar before joining Samvada. He has also worked as a Project Coordinator for the Association of Volunteers for Rural Development in Hunsur and FSL India in Kundapur. Dharnappa has a keen interest in organic and sustainable farming. He has been growing vegetables using chemical-free methods in his kitchen garden for 10 years. It is this interest that led him to attend Samvada’s 10-day training on ‘Youth Development and Sustainable Agriculture’. Dharnappa is also a trekking enthusiast. He started trekking at the age of 15 and covered more than 80 places!