India Fellow is an 18-month transformative social leadership program for curious professionals from various walks of life, willing to live and work alongside communities and find their leadership potential to bring social change. It is an experiential journey to immerse in our country’s realities and be our best version to build a better future.
Since 2010, we have had 250 fellows from varied academic and professional backgrounds who have worked across the country with 80+ partner organizations in innovative projects. They are supported by mentors who are leaders from various walks of life and a unique pedagogy.
Our fellows have been leading social ventures and solving complex problems across healthcare, livelihoods and value chain improvement, financial inclusion, access to education, social inclusion and equity, migration, climate change, human rights, governance, and more.
Our Philosophy:
The development of India is the responsibility of everyone. We believe that in each and every sector, we need talented changemakers who have had deep exposure to India’s broader realities, who understand the challenges and opportunities presented in diverse environments; and who have the empathy, skills, and determination to create social good. Our future bankers, scientists, bureaucrats, teachers, and entrepreneurs need this learning experience. We believe that this will help them become committed and passionate leaders of tomorrow, and in the process, contribute to the development of our society.
Program Design:
Over the 18-month duration, the fellows are engaged full-time. This includes:
1. Working with Communities: India Fellows spend most of their time working at the grassroots with leading social organizations committed to bringing positive change. The fellow is expected to live in their work area, typically a rural or a peri-urban setup, and understand the complexities at that level. This powerful experience inculcates sensitivity, consciousness, and a deeper understanding of society.
2. Training: India Fellow has 8 weeks of residential training, spread across the duration of 18 months. All the fellows must come together at a common place for these. This is divided into four parts, every six months into the journey – induction, midpoint, travel workshop, and endpoint. The India Fellow pedagogy is unique. It takes the fellow from knowledge to wisdom. Additionally, it engages a strong collective of varied sector leaders, academicians, researchers, and practitioners.
3. Continuous Learning: To ensure a balance between action and reflection, throughout the 18 months, fellows document their observations, experiences, and insights as blogs/vlogs/podcasts. There are virtual sessions with mentors, online courses, and collective fundraising. All this builds a holistic understanding of civil society action and develops crucial skills. We have designed this component such that the fellows can leverage every opportunity to learn with peers.
4. Mentorship: Every fellow is exposed to a pool of mentors, who are experts with deep experience in their domain. The fellowship ecosystem also consists of facilitators and experienced professionals who interact with the fellows to enrich their experience.
More details about program design can be found here – https://www.indiafellow.org/fellowship-design/
Fellow Roles:
During the 18-month duration, our fellows undergo an immersive grassroots experience. They work on diverse projects aimed at driving positive social change. Roles and responsibilities of India Fellows include a wide range of activities:
- Project Implementation: They can help design and implement comprehensive social programs that address community needs effectively. This includes overseeing program budgets, monitoring outcomes, and ensuring compliance and achievement of project goals.
- Community Engagement: Fellows work with senior management, field staff, and local communities to create mediums of meaningful interactions between stakeholders.
- Capacity Building: Fellows work on enhancing the capacity of the organizations they are placed with. This might involve training local staff, developing systems and processes, or introducing new technologies for efficiency.
- Monitoring and Evaluation: Fellows also collect and analyze data and contribute to various research studies, program evaluations, and needs assessments.
- Advocacy and Networking: They support their host organizations in creating awareness about social issues, working towards legislative reforms, participating in policy-making processes, and creating positive systemic changes. They also Collaborate with academic institutions, research organizations, and industry partners to develop solutions that address complex challenges comprehensively.
Stipend:
The fellow also gets a modest but adequate stipend from the host organization for sustenance. This is INR 22,000 per month in metro cities and INR 18,000 per month in the rest of the country. This ensures that fellows don’t spend anything out of pocket during the fellowship. This covers the cost of accommodation, food, local commute, etc.
Fellowship Fundraiser:
The cost to select and nurture a fellow through this unique journey is INR 3,00,000. The fellows join the fellowship team in a collective fundraiser, to raise this sum for the cohort that follows them. Fellows typically look at fundraising INR 1,00,000 for this. However, this is not a mandatory figure. Often our fellows raise way below or above this sum. Please note, that this is not a fee because you don’t need to pay it upfront. The fundraiser happens throughout the fellowship duration of 18 months.
Our Mentors:
We are lucky to be supported by our advisors, mentors, and trainers who are extremely passionate about exposing fellows to social issues that our country is facing and involving them in nation-building. You can read about some of them here – https://indiafellow.org/our-mentors/
Our Host Organization Network:
Our grassroots partners, called the host organization play a crucial role in providing hands-on grassroots exposure to the fellows. identify the critical need to invest time and energy in grooming the country’s youth.
To read up more about the organizations where our current fellows are working, click here – https://indiafellow.org/current-organizations/
Selection Process:
- Fill out the online application form.
- Participate in a short telephonic conversation.
- Attend the assessment day (group activities and personal interview)
- The final cohort will be announced by 1st July 2024. Fellowship begins on 1st August, 2024
Eligibility:
- You are between 21 to 30 years
- You are ready for an 18-month full-time commitment to the fellowship
- You are at least a graduate (in any discipline) or will be by the fellowship start date
- You understand that you can be placed in any part of the country
Apply Now:
To give your career the much-needed impactful headstart fill out the application form at –
Queries:
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