|
Background
|
India is at an important juncture in its development. With more than 70% of India’s population under the age of 35, India can shift the paradigms of progress by strengthening civil society and engaging its youth. Impassioned with the desire to see India reach new heights, students and young professionals across India are increasingly willing to contribute their energies to the continuing process of nation-building. By acting on this expression of interest by its future leaders, India can nurture the leadership capacity of motivated individuals who wish to inspire positive change.
However, to date, the development sector in India has failed to inspire civic responsibility in India’s youth, leaving the country’s civic potential largely unfulfilled. Indicorps strongly believes that the country must ignite this energy and revive every individual’s hope in India’s future. A structured program of civic engagement can harness the potential of citizen service and add unprecedented value to development agencies.
To accomplish this, Indicorps is partnering with DIA (Dreaming of an Indian Awakening, www.dia-india.com), a youth-driven effort geared towards mobilizing young people across India and building leadership capacity through public service. Similar to Indicorps in its mission, the DIA fellowship’s objective is to transform the way Indians interact with their country by providing meaningful service opportunities. The DIA fellowship program would be a domestic counterpart of the Indicorps fellowship program.
‘DIA’ stands for light – The dia that is inextricably linked with India’s history, its religions and its festivals is also a symbol of illumination and knowledge. DIA believes that an ‘Indian Awakening’ can be made possible by channeling the vast energies of young, promising Indians who want to lead India towards an era of glory and prosperity. The purpose of DIA then, is to bring together, inspire and mobilize these young Indians who wish to propel India towards a renaissance. Through a series of world-class art exhibitions, performances, films, lectures and seminars, DIA seeks to awaken a generation of Indians to the sheer richness and diversity of India. Based in Mumbai, DIA is a national, nonprofit, nonpartisan, educational initiative setup by the youth for the youth.
Already in its fourth year, the success of the Indicorps fellowship has demonstrated the power of grassroots service in helping young Indians around the world build positive perspectives on India and cultivate strong leadership skills. Our experiences have strengthened our belief that we as Indians are responsible for India’s future, and that each individual has the innate ability to transform the nation.
Top The Project
|
To build on the momentum of the Indicorps effort, it is a natural step to develop a domestic complement to the Indicorps concept. Indicorps’ long-term strategy is to inspire young Indians in India to participate heavily in the global effort to contribute to the development of their motherland. Creative youth leadership and civic involvement are cornerstones of such participation.
Initially, you will need to research existing models of civic and youth action in developed and developing countries. You will aggregate insights from such institutional learning and help Indicorps adapt appropriate concepts to our indigenous efforts in India. You will work with DIA’s event and discussion forums to recruit a core group of volunteers, promote the vision, and start a pilot fellowship program by mid-2006.
You will need to have a clear understanding of the Indicorps mission and philosophy. The project will require you to observe and understand the intricacies of the Indicorps model as a foundation for the DIA fellowship program. In addition, it will be helpful to collect information about local attitudes through formal and informal interactions with youth (such as focus groups or discussions). By the end of your first year, the framework for a DIA fellowship should be in place and initial recruitment should be possible. By the end of the second year, the DIA fellowship should have completed a successful pilot for DIA to continue operation beyond your involvement.
Because you are working with Indicorps, this project is different from our other fellowships in that Indicorps is your primary host organization as well as your support organization. In the course of understanding how Indicorps works and helping Indicorps programs, your project will sometimes overlap with other staff roles, and will include some administrative responsibilities.
Applicants must show self-initiative, work well in teams, and illustrate their ability to implement vision. Your challenge includes bringing the visions of DIA and Indicorps together and creating an initiative that is larger than either of the individual organizations. Strong communication skills and fluency in Hindi are required; a first-hand understanding of India is a major plus.
If you are experienced in development, have a deep understanding of service in India, and are passionate about empowering civil society, this project is a powerful experiment in national service.
Top Living
|
Indicorps Rating: Difficult
When in Ahmedabad, you will live in an Indicorps guest house or rented apartment. A host family or meal service will help provide meals. You will have computer and Internet access at the Indicorps office. Although facilities may be arranged for certain chores, you should expect to be self-sufficient for day-to-day errands.
TopSpecial Restrictions
|
This is a 2-year project, Hindi fluency required.
Top