“If you cannot see the misuse of power, take the power in your hands.” If you are the kind who is not just an arm-chair-critique rather the one who wants to bring the real change by getting your hands dirty, these are the options to look forward and be the change of the country.
Fellowship is a career option sought frequently these days by graduates from all top colleges. Apart from the hands-on experience in solving the problems of the nation, Fellowships provide a boost to your career, skills, and gets a good weightage in all top colleges while pursuing further Masters degree.
List of Top 10 Fellowship Programs In India
1. Gandhi Fellowship– If you want to learn about aspects of teaching and working of schools, Gandhi Fellowship is the perfect opportunity. A two year intensive Residential Professional Program, it lets you partner with headmasters of primary schools to consult them for transformation.
The initiative is by Kaivalya Education Foundation and Piramal Foundation on Education Leadership. This full time program, which remunerates you as well, is active in Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Gujarat primarily.
For Application- www.gandhifellowship.org
Deadline- 31st March 2018
2. Legislative Assistants to Members of Parliament (LAMP) Fellowship– For those looking to be a part of research that goes in policy work, LAMP is the best option. It provides an opportunity for young minds to be mentored by a Member of Parliament and help the MP by providing research inputs to fullfil their duties. This full time 11 months Delhi based fellowship is scheduled from the beginning of Monsoon session to the end of Budget session and includes workshops on various topics.
For application- www.lamp.prsindia.org/thefellowship
Deadline- Closed for 2017-18
3. Young India Fellowship– Done in collaboration with prestigious foreign universities, Ashoka University provides this one-year multidisciplinary post graduate diploma program in Liberal Studies. The fellows are exposed to a diverse set of subjects and perspectives through workshops by finest teachers and practitioners to transform you into a socially committed agent of change. Their campus is in Sonepat, Haryana and they provide need based scholarships.
For Application- www.ashoka.edu.in
Deadline- 17th December 2017
4. Teach for India– After the global “Teach for All” movement, TFI was started in India 11 years back. They select the best promising minds to handle the grass root realities of India’s education system. After a regressive 5 week training, the fellows become a full time teacher in under-resourced schools. Each Fellow is assigned a classroom in one of Teach For India’s placement cities, and charged to teach academics, values and mindsets and to give their students the access and exposure they need to reach their personal, long-term visions. There are four application rounds each year. Indian youths who have completed his/her undergraduate degree (Bachelor’s degree equivalent) from an accredited college or university can apply.
For Application- http://www.teachforindia.org
Deadline- December
5. William J. Clinton Fellowship– If you are still unsure about the particular field of fellowship and want to explore fields other than education, Clinton Fellowship is a 10-month volunteer service program matching young professionals with development organizations. Fellows get to work on scalable and sustainable projects in the fields of education, livelihoods, technology and innovation, and public health. The term is usually from September to July.
Application- http://aif.org/clinton-fellowship/
Deadline- 15th January, 2018
6. Prime Minister’s Rural Development Fellows Scheme: During the two-years of the fellowship, PMRD Fellows work closely with the District Collector of Additional Central Assistance (ACA)/ Integrated Action Plan (IAP) districts and strive to bridge the gap between people’s needs and the system’s provisions by reducing developmental and governance deficits. Immediately after successful completion of the two year fellowship, the PMRD Fellow is required to spend one year in public service in the State to which she/he is assigned.
7. Azim Premji Foundation Fellowship Program: This fellowship program provides opportunities to build understanding on how change in education can happen. Fellows will build this understanding through hands on teaching, by engaging in educational dialogue and by directly participating in a range of activities designed to bring change. Every Fellow will be actively mentored. They will be posted in the rural districts of the six states and one Union territory that we work out of. They are expected to commit to a life which is seemingly rough but very rewarding – gaining important and exciting insights about the people of that terrain and their lives. Living and pursuing such a life is integral to the change.
8. India Fellow Program: It is a social leadership program which works with partner organisations on projects across Rural India. The 13-month long fellowship will involve working on site with the organisation and undergo training and peer learning while solving issues. The fellows are expected to find their leadership potential and work in the developmental sector in the future.
9. SBI Youth for India Fellowship: It is an opportunity for youth to understand and experience firsthand the issues of rural India and work towards finding solutions. It is a symbiotic project involving young Indians, NGOs and the rural communities. Fellows continue to work in the development field after the fellowship as well.
10. The Urban Fellows Program: The Fellowship focuses on urban development issues, it aims at developing skills to analyse the various issues plaguing the urban areas. It brings together learning from esteemed faculty, in the stream of architecture, developmental planning and other interdisciplinary fields, with ongoing best practices. It will also enable networking on a global level and equip fellows with knowledge and practice to enter the developmental field.
These fellowships in addition to providing the fellows with the requisite experience, knowledge and skills set, also lends a sense of belonging to them. It brings to the fore the fact that there are people who think and feel about these issues in the same way and who are courageous enough to take up road less taken.
