Youth Against Tobacco Fellowship 2022

Applications Close June 26th, Sunday

Founded in 2016, Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC) aims to increase the participation of young people in the policymaking process and build their capacity to lead change. Our interventions are designed to equip citizens with a better understanding of the society they live in and the challenges that it confronts. The aim is to help young people broaden their perspective, think critically about their socio-political construct, tap their leadership potential and acquire skills to create long lasting impact. We currently run programs in different cities in India and Nepal, in addition to undertaking projects in civic engagement and public policy.

Tobacco Crisis in India:

Tobacco use is a major risk factor for many chronic diseases such as cancer, lung disease, cardiovascular disease and stroke. India is the second largest producer and consumer of tobacco, with nearly 267 million adults (29% of all people above the age of 15) using tobacco in 2016-17. World Health Organization (WHO) cautions that tobacco consumption is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced, killing more than 8 million people a year, including around 1.2 million deaths from exposure to second-hand smoke. While an increasing number of people are prioritizing healthy living in the post-pandemic world, there is an urgent need to engage citizens in building tobacco control awareness and knowledge on prevention.

About The Fellowship

The Youth Against Tobacco Fellowship is designed to engage young thought leaders and build a narrative of choosing health over tobacco consumption. It aims to identify and build the capacity of passionate young people in the age group of 18-28 years to work towards a tobacco-free future for India. The fellowship will bring tobacco control issues to the mainstream and use creative ways to engage the public in an effort to curb disease and death caused by tobacco use.

Specifically, the fellowship aims to

Build critical thinking on tobacco consumption: To raise awareness about India’s tobacco-related health crisis and how it impacts young people. This will be done through interactions with partners, officials and other stakeholders.

Build problem solving capacity: To give opportunity to aspiring young changemakers to identify hyper local, state as well as national level issues and use creative means to build solutions.

Disseminate information: To mainstream youth-centered tobacco control narrative in national and regional media through knowledge products.

Eligibility Criteria

• An Indian resident between 18-28 years of age
• Passionate about the cause, with a strong desire to work on the issue of tobacco control/public health
• A professional from any field including media, journalism, medicine, public health, law, urban planning, public policy, photo/video journalism, advertising, content creation, digital marketing, or social impact Currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree or in possession of one, with keen interest in public health
• Creative and out-of-the-box thinker
• Comfortable with English as well as with their local regional languages

Structure of the Fellowship

• YLAC will anchor the Youth Against Tobacco Fellowship
• The fellowship will run entirely online with virtual sessions and meetings
• We will closely work with 6 or more network-based partner organizations working primarily in public health
• We will identify and onboard 15 young and passionate individuals with a keen interest to work in the anti-tobacco awareness space in India
•  The fellows will be placed with the partnering organizations on specially curated projects to advance their existing work in this space
• The fellows’ travel and other logistical requirements, if any, for local meetings with stakeholders, will be reimbursed

Expectations

• Part-time engagement of 12-15 hours per week for 6 weeks
• Developing independent knowledge and awareness products that feed into our partners’ larger vision of tobacco control initiatives
• Each fellow to develop one or more knowledge product(s) during their fellowship
• Participation in internal team meetings and scheduled sessions, and check-ins with the YLAC team
• Submitting deliverables as per timelines

Projects/ Themes

• The fellows will be working on one or more of the following themes:
• Cultural context of tobacco consumption: using art, culture and social traditions (including popular culture and social media) to address the shifts in tobacco consumption
• Women and tobacco: highlighting consumption among women and the impact on their health, including maternal health and childbirth
• Going smoke-free: young people’s lens on existing government data around exposure to second-hand smoke among general public, women and children, and prevalence of second-hand smoking in non-urban households/communities, strengthening of smoke-free policies, and critical issues around tobacco and environment
• Using technology to address tobacco consumption: how technology (digital apps, AI) can be used/leveraged to reduce tobacco consumption
• Policy landscape for regulation of tobacco marketing: government’s control and other policy measures for tobacco advertising, marketing and sales, both offline and online
• Tobacco in the post-covid world: building on existing health narratives

Key Application Dates

Applications Close – June 26th, Sunday

Fellowship Schedule Full cohort sessions

Opening Session July 9th, Saturday 10:30 am- 1:30 pm

Mid Fellowship Presentations August 6th, Saturday 10:30 am – 1:30 pm

Closing Session August 20th, Saturday 10:30 am- 1:30 pm

Weekly Check-ins

YLAC mentors will have brief check-ins with the fellows every week for regular updates and feedback on the outputs produced

Partners During the fellowship, the fellows will work with one or more partner organizations who work in the fields of public health, community development, education, medical research and cancer awareness to enhance their work in the tobacco-control space. The organizations that are partnering for this fellowship are Hriday-Shan, Salaam Mumbai, SRKPS Rajasthan, MANT Kolkata, Balajee Sewa Sansthan Uttarakhand, Generation Saviour Association, MACT India, SEEDS Bihar and Jharkhand, RCTC, a joint initiative of PGIMER Chandigarh and The Union, and CPAA.

What is in it for the Fellows

• Fellowship Experience: Opportunity to connect with like-minded young leaders who are passionate about making a difference
• Opportunity to work with civil society: Gaining experience by working alongside established public health and other civil society organizations
•  Chance to strengthen the narrative: Knowledge products created by the fellows will get credibility from established civil society organizations. The curated products will also be amplified to raise awareness

Please fill the application form enclosed below. You are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Application closes on June 26th, Sunday.

To Apply, click here 

Before submitting, do read the detailed information brochure here.

Have a question?  Write to us at office@theylacproject.com or call us at +91-11-4307-7660

Our office hours are Monday to Friday 10AM to 6PM.