India Fellow – Social Leadership Program – Inviting application for 15th cohort
Last date to apply 31st January 2023
India Fellow‘s vision is a future where leaders in all spheres of life are driven by compassion, commitment and understanding of the social challenges that India faces and have a deep desire to make a difference. Our mission is to engage young Indians in nation building. We want young Indians to get exposed to the myriad social challenges that India is facing and find their leadership potential, shape their future and make a difference.
Our objective is to create a learning platform for young Indians who undergo a 18-month long journey of discovering their own leadership potential. It includes training, mentor-ship, reflections and hands-on work experience with a grassroots organization working on social issues.
India Fellow is the country’s premier grassroots leadership program. Join a thriving community of 200+ young Indians, 50+ grassroots organizations and 25 leaders as mentors – all working towards bringing positive change in our society.
Want To Be Part Of India’s Social Change Story?
Be A Part Of India’s Pioneering Grassroots Leadership Program
Inviting application for our 15th cohort
Apply: https://www.indiafellow.org/apply-now/
India Fellow is an 18-month leadership program for young professionals from various walks of life, willing to live and work alongside some really remote and marginalized communities and find their leadership potential to bring about change. It is an experiential journey to immerse in the social realities of our country and being our best version to build a better future.
Watch this video to know more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt9mv_bkHDk&t=39s
In the last 12 years, we have had 221 fellows from varied academic and professional backgrounds who have worked across the country with a total of 50 partner organizations in rural and urban projects. Fellows have been solving complex problems using frameworks in Project Management, Organizational Development, Design Thinking, Systems Practice, Technology for Good, Strategic Communication and Policy Advocacy. In the past, we have been fortunate to be supported by ICICI Foundation, Tata Trusts, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, InfoEdge Pvt. Ltd. (Naukri.com), and WaterAid India.
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Fellowship Design:
India Fellow has the following four major aspects:
- Working with Communities: India Fellows spend most of their time (16.5 months) working at grassroots with leading social organizations committed to bring positive change. This can be anywhere across the country. 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.
- Training: India Fellow has 45 days of residential training, spread across the duration of 18 months. This is divided into 3 parts of 15 days each at the start, middle and end of the journey. The India Fellow pedagogy is unique; it engages a strong collective of various leaders, academicians, social scientists and practitioners. Trainings are in locations like Udaipur, Delhi, Bhuj, Himalayan belt, Sundarbans amongst others.
- Constant engagement: Throughout the duration, fellows document their observations, experiences and insights; engage in intense blended learning modules, group online courses for certification and fundraising to build a holistic understanding of development and gain crucial skill sets.
- Mentor-ship: Every fellow is exposed to a pool of mentors, who are experts with deep experience in their domain. Along with that, the fellowship ecosystem consists of facilitators, alumni and experienced professionals who are available to interact with the fellows to enrich their experience.
Read more about the design here: https://www.indiafellow.org/fellowship-design/
ALL THINGS MONEY!
The financials of the fellowship is designed sensitively, such that all key stakeholders – fellow, host, fellowship team part take in it to keep the platform thriving. It will not be fair to view the fellowship as an opportunity to have an income. Rather, view it as a scholarship one receives, to learn in myriad ways and have their costs covered.
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 rest of the country. This ensures that they do not spend anything out of pocket in this journey.
FUNDRAISER SUPPORT
The cost to select and nurture a fellow through this unique journey is INR 3,00,000. The fellows join the fellowship team every cohort, in a collective fundraiser with each other, to raise this sum for the cohort that follows them. Fellows typically look at fundraising INR 1,25,000 for this. This is not a strict mandatory figure. Often our fellows raise way below or above this sum. Please note, this is not a fee or to be paid upfront. The fundraiser happens throughout the fellowship duration of 18 months.
India Fellow has a strong commune run and managed culture and ethos. In the past, the fellows have come forward and supported the fellowship through collective fundraisers, learning precious skills like fundraising and collective action in the process. Many of our alumni continue to part take in critical aspects of the fellowship – like outreach, selection, partnerships and training, pro-bono.
Selection Process:
- Fill out the online application form.
- Participate in a short telephonic conversation with an alumni.
- Respond to a situation judgement test online.
- Attend the assessment day (group activities and personal interview)
- The final cohort will be announced by March 2023. Fellowship begins in 10th April, 2023.
Eligibility:
- You are between 20 to 30 years of age
- You are ready for an 18-month full-time commitment to the fellowship
- You understand that you will be expected to engage 24*7 with the fellowship
- You are already a graduate (in any discipline) or will be by fellowship start date
- You understand that you can be placed in any part of the country and in any thematic area
Why India Fellow?
Development of India is the responsibility of everyone. Our belief is that in each and every sector, India needs talented young leaders who have had deep exposure to India’s broader realities, who understand the challenges and opportunities presented in diverse environments; and have the empathy, skills and determination to create social good. Our future bankers, scientists, bureaucrats, teachers, entrepreneurs need this learning experience. We believe that this will help them become committed and passionate leaders of tomorrow, and in process, contribute to the development of India.
Our vision and values: https://www.indiafellow.org/vision-values/
