Apply for the 2008 YouthActionNet Fellowship

From the YouthActionNet Website:

Each year, YouthActionNet selects 20 young social entrepreneurs to
participate in its Global Fellowship Program. These accomplished young
leaders are distinguished by their records for success in achieving
positive change in their communities, by their innovative approaches,
and by their ability to mobilize their peers and community members in
support of their social change visions.

The program is open to all young people between the ages of 18 and 29.
Applicants should be founders of existing projects/organizations or
leading a project within an organization. Proficiency in English is
required; applications must be submitted in English. Applicants also
must be available to attend the full retreat, November 1-8, 2008, in
Washington, D.C.

One of the 2007 fellows is Abhishek Bharadwaj, the founder of Alternative Realities. Here is a note from Karmayog.org explaining what the organization does:

Alternative Realities was started by Abhishek Bharadwaj in Mumbai to
address issues of identity, health, livelihood and shelter for the
homeless people in Mumbai. Using diverse methodologies such as street
theatre, studies, survey and research, Abhishek and his volunteers
sensitize the civil society towards the issue, negotiate with other
organizations and institutions to use their existing infrastructure as
night shelters, and arrange access to medical facilities for the
homeless.

Abhishek Bharadwaj did not look for a job after he graduated from the
Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in 2004. Instead, he spent
time with homeless people living on the streets, under bridges, and in
makeshift shelters in Mumbai, India. According to him, Mumbai has at
least 100,000 homeless people.

Most Indian companies dont really care about Social Responsibility: Report

Karmayog refers to itself as a “unique free platform for concerned citizens – for social and civic issues”. The organization has published what might be India’s first ever rating of the CSR initiatives of the country’s 500 largest companies. (via ProPoor.org)

The detailed methodology for the rating process can be found here. Companies were provided a overall rating of between 0 and 5, where a rating of 5 implies that the organization has a robust CSR program (note: there is no mention of impact). However 46% of India’s largest 500 companies rank zero in terms of terms of social responsibility (they have no CSR programs).

This implies that close to half of India’s largest companies don’t real care about social responsibility. Quiet shocking?