Catalyst Fellowship

Thousands of youth across the country work outside the contours of government service to support their communities. But many of them lose track in the absence of robust mentorship and financial support. The CATALYST programme intends to identify such civic champions from across the country and support them in their endeavours as change-makers. Throughout Swaniti Initiative’s 10 years of existence, we have had the opportunity to work with such change-makers and this fellowship is an endeavour towards our continued support for the nation builders.

What is CATALYST Fellowship Programme?

The CATALYST—Celebrating Actions with Training and Activating Leadership in Youth for Sustainable Transformation— represents the ethos of Swaniti’s commitment to public service, i.e. working with young people as problem solvers at the community level to activate local governance systems. It is an initiative to identify, train and support people who are solving problems within their communities.

Through a rigorous evaluation process, Swaniti will select 10 change-makers and support them for a year by:

• Providing them with a basic stipend of 10,000 INR/month to ensure that their efforts are intensified.
• Ensuring high-quality training through a mentorship programme under a panel of experts.
• Connecting them with national and state platforms to showcase their work.

Who Can Apply? 

Whether it is helping people enrol in government benefit programmes, or creating awareness about the programmes to strengthen access to education, or helping build the capacity of Anganwadi workers, Swaniti is inviting problem solvers from across India to apply for the Fellowship.

This fellowship is for you if you:

• Are in the age group of 18-35.
• Are an Indian national
• Are not getting any financial benefit from any sources
• Residing in your community
• Are working actively within your community to resolve public service problems.
• Have a clear idea/pitch as to what you want to achieve through this fellowship.
• Have inclination towards impacting sectors such as education, public health, awareness, climate change, governance, etc.

Application

Candidates meeting the eligibility criteria can fill out the form here. The shortlisted candidates will be contacted for further process.For us the most promising components of your application will include:

• Who you are, your background and context
• Problems you are solving (be as specific as possible)
• What has been the level of impact
• How do you plan to scale up your initiative over the next 12 months

How to Record Your Video Pitch?

The video pitch option has been kept for the ease of applicants so that they can provide the best possible information about their idea, need and plans in their own way. To ensure that your video pitch stands out, consider the following points:

1. Record in silent, less distracting surroundings.
2. The video should not exceed 2 minutes.
3. Be specific about the problem you are solving.
4. Give tangible examples of how it has helped people.
5. Tell us what support you require and how this fellowship will help you.

Watch the sample video here.

Timeline

• 12th April – 31st May: Applications
• 5th June: First round of entrants identified
• 10th – 25th June: Interview rounds and discussions
• 15th July: Finalists announced