Know About Gandhi Fellowship
India, as a developing country, continues to experience long-standing challenges such as political corruption, ineffective governance, and poor leadership. In an attempt to combat these challenges, the Gandhi Fellowship was started in 2008 as a unique youth leadership program to identify and nurture individuals who can facilitate changes in the public and social sector.
The fellowship began as a program through the Kaivalya Education Foundation (KEF), a non-profit that is motivated by two quotes attributed to Mahatma Gandhi: “Be the change you wish to see in the world” and philosophy centered around action and reflection. Sponsored by the Piramal Foundation, UNICEF, and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, the Gandhi Fellowship intends to develop leaders who are sincere, empathetic, and have an interest in changing their society through collective action.
The program itself is two years long and residential and pursues holistic development through experiential learning. Each fellow is assigned five schools to work closely with principals, teachers, students, and the community to achieve measurable changes in education ecosystems. The program is broken up into four semesters, comprised of school visits, workshops, meditation retreats, performance appraisals, and peer learning. Through this type of experience, the fellow will develop seven competencies: self-awareness; collaboration; excellence; influence without authority; risk-taking and entrepreneurship; articulation of thought; and leading social innovation.
The fellowship provides a monthly stipend of ₹14,000 with a mobile allowance of ₹600 each month for living expenses. Of the ₹14,000 stipend, ₹7,000 will be given each month, and ₹7,000 will be retained as a no-interest reserve, paid at the end of the 23-month fellowship. The program also provides housing, travel, and other necessary facilities.
A dedicated Placement and Alumni Cell will help fellows plan their career trajectories based on personal goals and aspirations, and to enter purposeful careers in government, education, and development.
Applicants for the program must be under age 25 and demonstrate achievement either in the world of intellectual inquiry (academic performance) and/or in the world of action/service (extracurricular). Recruitment will employ a three-tiered selection process, which will test for leadership potential, empathy, and foresight as it relates to social change.
The Gandhi Fellowship is not merely a program; it is a movement for the creation of ethical, visionary and responsible leaders to usher in a new paradigm of governance and development in India.
