In July updates
The Gram Swabhimaan team, in collaboration with Nature’s Club and Socratus, commenced work in the Kendrapara district. As previously reported, the training of climate champions included a three-day workshop, which participants eagerly attended in preparation for conducting Gram Swabhimaan sessions in the 100 villages where they operate. This workshop was followed by on-ground training sessions in 11 villages within the Kendrapara district, with the Gram Vikas team also contributing to this initiative.
Throughout the ten-day period, we received numerous insightful comments. A particularly noteworthy highlight was the active participation of many school children and young people, who engaged enthusiastically in the meetings.
Here are a few comments from the meetings:
- “Jab bhagwan ne hame sab kuch diya hath pair die hai to hm gareeb nahi hai”
- “Hamre gaon ki sadak hm sab ne apne sharmdan se banai hai. Apni mehant se”
- “Hm pati panti dono apne ghar chalne ke lie parishrma karte hai hai”
In the forthcoming updates, we will provide the final remarks from our internship program. The Gram Swabhimaan internship, a six-month journey, has successfully concluded. This internship spanned all three implementation states of Gram Swabhimaan, ensuring comprehensive engagement in the villages.
In the final phase, the interns constructed water structures in each village and culminated the internship by celebrating GS Utsav with the community. These water structures were developed through discussions on how water symbolizes the self-respect and dignity of the village. The theme, ‘Paani Swabhimaan ka Pratik,’ was a focal point, sparking numerous conversations around this topic. The interns also prepared detailed six-month reports reflecting on their experiences, challenges, memorable moments, highlights, and suggestions. These reports will be shared during regional convocations scheduled for next month.
Additionally, we plan to continue and expand cluster meetings to the Beed district of Maharashtra, where Gram Swabhimaan meetings were previously held in collaboration with Navchetna, a grassroots organization in the region.
This month was very important for our fellowship vertical as well-
In an effort towards Eco-system creation, fellowship plays an important role by engaging the Youth and leaders from the grassroots ; Goonj runs 4 fellowships :
Goonj Setu Fellowship (2018 - present) : offers youth from cities, a year-long opportunity to expand their horizons, exposing them to opportunities as they collaborate with Goonj’s teams, partners, volunteers and communities, gaining valuable insights and practical experience.
Next-Generation Fellowship (2021 - present) : was inspired by the Goonj Founder’s vision that children of the Goonj Processing Teams,primarily women from urban slums, should have the opportunity to grow and prosper. This one- year Fellowship identifies promising young individuals and involves them in hands-on learning, providing exposure to ideas and skills that are a foundation for their aspirations.
Grassroots Fellowship (2019 - present) : aims to enhance capacity and empower rural youth to proactively engage in developmental issues within their local communities over one year. It enables Fellows to contribute to their own villages through civic engagement, local leadership, and sustainable change.
Sanjha Fellowship (2021 - present) : is designed specifically for our grassroots partner organisations. Its objective is to facilitate collaboration and encourage growth of the leaders by providing the necessary tools and knowledge.
Selection process for Setu Fellowship kicked off in March :
- Developed a comprehensive application form for prospective candidates to apply for the fellowship. - Identify the key information needed from applicants (personal details, academic background, work experience, etc.).Consulted with the team to understand what information is critical for assessing Applicants.
- Communication material developed for the release of the application form and promotion of fellowship - Target audiences (students, professionals, academic institutions) and communication channels (social media platforms, email lists, partner organizations, educational institutions) were identified, accordingly visually appealing communication materials aligned with the Goonj’s branding guidelines was developed and circulated by team. Promotional calendar was developed. We also developed and reworked the web page for the fellowship program,including updated content.We organized webinars twice to respond to the queries from people and to give a detailed overview of the fellowship
- Orientation of Pan India team members on effective strategies for promoting the fellowship. - Content covering promotion strategies, key messages, and target audiences. We set up regular meetings to review progress and address challenges. The regional teams organized sessions in various educational institutions.
During April and May
- Screening of Application forms - Evaluation of applications was done by the assessors (team members) based on predefined criteria (qualifications, experience, essays).
- Applications for Grassroot fellowship launched
- Overall : We are in the process of developing a high-level curriculum framework for all the fellowship programs.-Meta level - The overall goals and learning objectives of the fellowship program are brainstormed and the key modules or components of the curriculum are being laid out along with the partnership with Wisdom Tree ; The team will be in touch throughout the year for regular monitoring and evaluation of the outcomes of each of the fellowship.
In June
- For Setu Fellowship, second stage of the selection process was assessment based exercises and Panel interviews, where the candidates selected after the first round were called physically at 4 Goonj offices i.e Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai.
- Group discussions, individual exercises were conducted to assess the applicants
- Panels interviews consisting of team members and external members were set up to review and evaluate applicants. They were provided with guidelines, evaluation criteria, and relevant materials for the interview…
- Sanjha Fellowship : Defined objectives of the fellowship, researched on best practices and drafted initial ideas, Developed a detailed program structure, eligibility criteria, timelines and application process. Review the new format with stakeholders