Applications for Batch-16 of the Gandhi Fellowship are now open
Gandhi Fellowship is an experiential 2-year residential fellowship course in transformation leadership. For the last 10 years, Gandhi Fellowship has empowered young women and men to groom themselves into change leaders who go on to create large scale social and public systems change, where each fellow is fueled by the philosophy of “Build Self, Build Nation”.
The program is designed to bring out one’s entrepreneurial thinking and leadership skills in order to create lasting changes in society.
Every Gandhi Fellow is encouraged to observe the world around them at close proximity, plan interventions and create impact through innovation. The work done during the fellowship goes a long way in moulding one into a nation builder.
We started 10 years ago when there was no other fellowship in the country that focused on the philosophy of building self and building the nation. Today, various fellowships are present in the country, which provide opportunities for young people to develop themselves. When we started, the aspiration that we set out with was to build a network of ten thousand young people across the nation by 2025. These would be people who have been a part of the fellowship and would, therefore, have very tight bonds. In the business culture, there is deep trust and therefore speed, in forming relationships. We want to build the Gandhi fellowship to be a brand like that.
At the Gandhi Fellowship, one imbibes the values of being ethical, being grounded, and the skills required to influence government, get things done, and lead people. That is the brand we would like to build for our country – a brand filled with young people who are high in ethics, grounded, get things done, know how to lead people and do things in the best interest of the nation. When recruiters see this, they realize that Gandhi Fellowship is where they should be recruiting from.
The core belief of the program is that the only way we can ensure all lives are improved is if we have committed and skilled people in large impact roles, who can collaborate and innovate to solve problems at scale. The fellowship provides an experience wherein fellows are mentored in becoming social change leaders to touch at least a million lives.
Gandhi Fellowship’s vision lies in enabling customized learning paths for fellows to become new millionaires who create social impact at scale. The New Millionaire Program (TNMP) is structured to help fellows who want to make a difference develop their potential over a period of 10 years (including the 2 years of fellowship) to become The New Millionaires. The New Millionaire (TNM) is defined as a person who can impact a million lives over a period of 10 years – from a fellow to an alumnus.
Founded in 2008, the Gandhi Fellowship program began in two districts (Jhunjhunu and Churu) with 1 program (School Leadership Development Program) and 10 fellows, who were fresh graduates.
By 2020, the fellowship has expanded across the country (14 states, 42 districts*) with 3 programs (School Leadership Development Program, District Transformation Program, and State Transformation Program) with 500 + fellows across the country. The fellows are handpicked from across the country and come from diverse backgrounds, and yet are united in their desire to make a difference. A number of fellows also carry the experience of working for a few years in various sectors before joining the fellowship.
Gandhi Fellowship’s vision lies in enabling customized learning paths for fellows to become new millionaires who create social impact at scale. The New Millionaire Program (TNMP) is structured to help fellows who want to make a difference develop their potential over a period of 10 years (including the 2 years of fellowship) to become The New Millionaires. The New Millionaire (TNM) is defined as a person who can impact a million lives over a period of 10 years – from a fellow to an alumnus.
Inclusion is key to transforming lives of 700+ tribal communities
India is home to 104 million tribal people who primarily reside in hilly, forested, and remote rural areas with limited or no access to a public health system that remains largely urban-centric. Socio-cultural discrimination further alienates them. Their own deeply ingrained beliefs and traditional practices prevent them from seeking medical assistance elsewhere.
Anamaya, the Tribal Health Collaborative arose from the need to address the unique and complex challenges faced by the tribal people in 177 districts. To eliminate preventable deaths among them, Anamaya is collaborating closely with indigenous people and governments to develop an empathetic and effective public health system informed by community voice.
The Collaborative has already embarked on an intensive journey to resolve the issues of tribal communities by introducing innovative solutions. These include increased community participation through close collaboration with tribal healers, youth, opinion leaders, NGOs, and civil society organizations. It also collaborates with tribal healers to create networks for the exchange of information and documentation of their best practices.
Fellow’s Journey
The 500+ fellows handpicked in the current batch undergo a process of unlearning and learning. At the core of the Gandhi Fellowship program lies the gem to transform; to look at oneself as the way to harness the potential that lies within everybody, to switch from a regular college-goer to a change leader.
The foundation of this process lies in building the self; this aspect is likely to be put to test during the two years of the fellowship, where fellows are expected to lead on-ground change as a part of their assignments. In the course of time, this trains them to manage people and become effective decision-makers. This, in turn, enables them to contribute to organisational outcomes. At the end of the fellowship, the candidates are equipped enough to lead projects which cause social impact at a regional and national level. Those with entrepreneurial dreams also get a pathway to see those manifested.
Course: The fellowship aims to measure the holistic development and growth of each fellow. The fellowship curriculum works towards the building and strengthening of every fellow’s leadership.
The fellowship is built around the following processes:
- Leadership Curriculum
- Monthly Workshops
- Boot Camps
- Kaun Banega The New Millionaire (K.B.T.N.M)
- Learning Journey
- Field Support
- Community Immersion
- Classroom Immersion
- Government System Immersion
- Vipassana
- Debriefs
- One-On-one
The curriculum is also subject to modification based on the varying needs of the community we engage with and the fellows.
Location : Gandhi Fellowship operates across 14 states in India: Delhi, Rajasthan, Jammu & Kashmir, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Orissa, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Uttarakhand.
Stipend and Facility A unique grant system encapsulates the philosophy of encouraging and supporting the youth to take risks and build entrepreneurial skills. Gandhi Fellowship provides a stipend of Rs 14,000 (taxable), a fixed monthly phone allowance of Rs 600 (taxable) and rent-free accommodation, transport and other allowances as applicable based on the need to support the fruition of ideas of the fellows post-fellowship. The basic grant of Rs 14,000 is divided into:
- Basic monthly sustenance of Rs 7000 (pre-tax) and
- Interest-free reserve amount of Rs 1,61,000 cumulated from the remaining Rs 7000
The cumulative reserve amount will be paid at the end of the term and the successful completion of the fellowship after a period of 23 months. This cumulative grant supports the Gandhi Fellowship graduates to kickstart their choices of a social enterprise individually or collaboratively with other fellows, international learning exposure or specialized higher studies in line with their aspirations.
You can learn more and apply – Click Here
