Article on Atlas Corps and Deadline for Fellows April 1st

Here is an excerpt from a Washington Post article on Scott Beale and the Atlas Corps, an organization we have written on numerous times in the past:

His creation is Atlas Corps, which lures highly-skilled non-profit decision-makers from India and Colombia to the United States for a year, running Sept. 1 to Aug. 30.

He concentrates on India and Colombia because he speaks the languages and because they have highly-developed non-profit sectors. They also have a high opinion of the United States, Beale said.

To join this program, go here before April 1st, which is when the applications are due.

E4SI selects 24 fellows to help change India

Here is an update on a great fellowship founded by one of our colleagues Nitin Rao.

The Engineers for Social Impact (E4SI) Fellowship Selection Committee is delighted to announce that, after receiving and carefully reviewing the close to 500 internship applications it received for its 2009 edition, it has made offers to 24 outstanding candidates for 14 roles at 10 partner social enterprises that focus on development by means of sustainable for-profit entrepreneurship.

You can read further here.

StartingBloc Institute for Social Innovation – Boston 09

TCI had mentioned the StartingBloc fellowship earlier, and this past weekend, I had the opportunity to attend the Greater Boston institute at MIT Sloan and Tufts Fletcher School.  To provide some background on StartingBloc, the organization holds three institutes in Boston, New York and London, whose goal is to bring together a cadre of 150 young leaders with a passion for social innovation. The institute’s focus is on providing training and networking opportunities. The mission and vision of StartingBloc according to their website is:

Our Mission
StartingBloc educates, empowers and connects emerging leaders to drive positive social change across sectors.

Our Vision
As StartingBloc fellows ascend to positions of influence, they will use the StartingBloc network to launch organizations, guide policies and effect cross-sector partnerships that address social, economic and environmental issues around the world.

The 2009 Boston institute was held over four days and featured speakers, workshops and networking sessions.  One of the highlights of the institute was a talk by Tom Szaky of Terracyle who has built a multi-million dollar enterprise that upcycles garbage.   Upcycling refers to the process of re-using waste material such as juice pouches or plastic bottles to create new products likes bags, purses and spray bottles.  Terracyle is an excellent example of how you can do well while doing good for the environment.

[TC-I Call to Action]: Atlas Corps Fellowship

It’s that time of year again – Atlas Corps is seeking fellows for their 2009-2010 fellowship.  This is a great opportunity for nonprofit/NGO leaders from around the world (including India!) to learn from, experience, and exchange ideas with organizations in Washington, DC or Bogota, Colombia.

Atlas Service Corps seeks nonprofit leaders from around the world to apply for their 2009-2010 fellowship positions in Washington, DC and Bogota, Colombia. All expenses are paid in this prestigious, fellowship program, including a living stipend, health insurance, visa, travel, training, and a $2,500 end of service award. Applicants must have 3 or more years of experience in the nonprofit sector, a college degree, fluency in English (and Spanish if applying to volunteer in Colombia), and a commitment to returning to their home country after one year. Candidates from outside the U.S. are placed at outstanding host organizations in Washington, DC including Ashoka, Asian American LEAD, CentroNía, Grameen Foundation, and Population Action International. Candidates from the U.S. are placed at organizations in Bogota like Give to Colombia and Oxfam GB. In addition to volunteering full time at their host organizations, Fellows are enrolled in a management development training program and join a growing network of nonprofit leaders from around the world. For more details about eligibility requirements and the application process, please visit: www.atlascorps.org/apply.html and watch a short video about the application process here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mx63RKbqoKY. The deadline to apply is April 1, 2009.

[TC-I Call to Action]: Indicorps August 2009 Fellowship

As some of our readers may know, Prerna and I are both Indicorps alums.  My fellowship with Indicorps is too involved to explain in a short post, but the experience is definitely one of the contributing factors to my continued interest and involvement with development in India.  The on-the-ground experience is extremely valuable,  both in terms of understanding the issues at hand, and also for the resulting effects on personal growth.   I am excited that this opportunity is available for more people in the Indian Diaspora to make lasting change:

Indicorps eagerly announces over 30 competitive new projects for the August 2009 Indicorps Diaspora Fellowship.  Indicorps seeks a few dozen dedicated young Indian leaders who are willing to challenge themselves and “be the change.”  Tackle real issues in education, microfinance, social entrepreneurship, environmental conservation, public health, urban infrastructure, and much more.  Live simply and dig deep to learn about real India (and yourself); projects span from Kanpur to Pondicherry, Gujarat to Madhya Pradesh.  To learn more, visit http://apply.indicorps.org.

In the spirit of Obama’s campaign to create “Change you can believe in,” Indicorps is a real opportunity for CHANGE YOU MAKE HAPPEN.  The August 2009 Fellowship model will mobilize passionate, sincere fellows to become strong team players and leaders who will build sustainable new initiatives.

About Indicorps: Indicorps offers prestigious grassroots public service fellowship to implement sustainable development projects with community-based organizations across India.  As a total-immersion leadership program, Indicorps will encourage you to explore your role as a catalyst of change.  Fellowship projects promote both personal growth and collective action towards a secular India that is inclusive, peaceful, and participatory.  The program requires a minimum commitment of one year.

Applications are due 15 March 2009.

Ready to take on one of these interesting projects, from working with youth to social entrepreneurship to health issues? If you are eligible and interested, I cannot urge you enough to apply.

Engineers for Social Impact (E4SI) 2009 Fellowship Program

E4SI is an ambitious fellowship program that we encourage everyone eligible to apply to:

The Engineers for Social Impact (E4SI) fellowship program has commenced its second annual rigorous recruitment process to match the most talented ten undergraduate students from fifteen elite Indian engineering schools with partner social enterprises that focus on development by means of sustainable for- profit entrepreneurship. E4SI fellowships promise to be highly entrepreneurial in a way that combines the best of consulting, technology, and social innovation. Fellows will gain unprecedented access to the development sector as they work with leading social entrepreneurs, attend leadership workshops at the Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad, and pitch their ideas to thought leaders as they join an outstanding cohort of exceptional young leaders.

More information can be found here and the deadline is February 22, 2009.

[TC-I Call to Action]: Rural Innovations Network Fellowship

L-RAMP‘s blog announces the Rural Innovation Network‘s fellowship program, an exciting new hands-on opportunity to hone social entrepreneurship skills. Vinay previously blogged about RIN, an NGO that assists rural entrepreneurs to bring their product to market.

Details on the fellowship:

Rural India needs ideas that can deliver inclusive, eco-friendly and sustainable prosperity. A handful of individuals – better known as social entrepreneurs, are making a difference by blurring the boundaries between business and social good. These individuals stand out for their vision, purposefulness, passion, leadership, innovativeness, risk taking ability, and persistence.

Do you, as an individual aspiring to be one such pathfinder, need a space that’s a live laboratory to hone your instincts and sharpen your abilities? Do you need an opportunity that prepares you before you launch your dream venture? Do you simply want to break away from the routine and engage with the fascinating rural India?

TC-I Call to Action: Net Impact Fellows Program

The Net Impact Fellows Program is a 12-month part-time fellowship for two individuals dedicated to using the power of business and a network of like-minded individuals to change the world. Fellows will help Net Impact scale its impact internationally with a specific focus on India, China, Brazil and Western Europe. [Thanks, Nitin]

[TC-I Call to Action]: Teach for India

A spin-off of the popular Teach for America, Teach for India is now in place and accepting applications. For the inaugural year of TFI, 100 fellows will be placed in schools in Mumbai and Pune. Fellows will receive support from staff and mentors, training before and during service, formal reviews, and will be exposed to a variety of career options after their two-year fellowship.

Applications will be available to submit online soon, or alternatively, you can email a copy. More information on applying can be found here. They will be reviewed on a rolling basis and are due December 1, 2008 or February 1, 2009.

Teach For India (TFI) is a national program that aims to narrow the education gap in India by placing India’s most outstanding college graduates and young professionals, of all academic majors and career interests, in low-income schools to teach for two years. In the short run, TFI will provide a source of dedicated teachers who will work tirelessly to expand, in a measurable way, the educational opportunities available to hundreds of thousands of India’s most underprivileged children. In the long run, TFI will aim to build a powerful and ever-growing leadership force of alumni who, informed by their experiences and insights, will work from inside and outside of education to effect fundamental, long-term changes necessary to ultimately realize educational opportunity for all.

This is an extraordinary opportunity to “teach, lead, and transform.” Apply now!

[TC-I Call to Action]: Grassroutes Fellowship Program

Maybe it’s time to unleash the Che Guevara in you! 

The Grassroutes Fellowship Program encourages youth to embark on road-trips, interact with change-makers at the grassroots and understand first-hand the problems that plague our nation.The Program sponsors 6 teams of adventurous, passionate young people every year on such 10 day road-trips. Applications are due November 15, 2008 for the winter edition of the fellowship.

During the Program, the Fellows will have to:

• Research and understand the on-ground reality – the problem at hand, the non-profits, the change-makers and their actions, the role of the community and the local government.
• Play the role of social journalists and capture the stories of all the people involved in community development
• Lend a helping hand to the change-makers during the 10 days in their own little ways.
• On their return, Grasssroutes will help the fellows produce quality videos of their travelogues and bring to fore the amazing work being carried out by change-makers at the grassroots. Such media will be hosted on the Grassroutes portal and the fellows will work towards inspiring the larger Indian society to contribute to the work of these non-profits and similar activities in other places

Grassroutes is run by non-profit society  called Yofa (for Youth Factor) that provides a banner for people to run novel projects to engage youth into social action. Yofa and Grassroutes were founded by a team of BITS Pilani alumni in early 20’s.

Want to be an Acumen Fund Fellow?

Recently, I attended a talk by Acumen Fund Fellow and Harvard Kennedy School alumna, Catherine Casey, who worked in Kenya with the Sustainable Healthcare Foundation, a micro-franchise healthcare and drug distribution chain based in Nairobi, Kenya. The Acumen Fund fellowship is a relatively new program, with a vast array of opportunities in India. Just this past year, 3 out of 7 of the Acumen Fund Fellows were placed in India:

Chris Walker, Dial 1298 for Ambulance, India

Chris is working with Dial 1298 for Ambulance, the Mumbai-based provider of emergency medical services. Chris is developing and implementing a marketing strategy to raise awareness about the ambulance service as well as providing assistance on business development.

John Tucker, VisionSpring, India

John is developing the vision entrepreneur channel for VisionSpring, Acumen Fund’s investment in low-cost reading glasses in India. In addition, he is designing marketing tools and incentives for micro-franchises.

Tricia Morente, LifeSpring Hospitals, India

Tricia is supporting LifeSpring Hospitals, an expanding chain of hospitals that provide high quality health care to low-income women and children in India. She is creating and implementing LifeSpring’s Customer Relationship Management (CRM) strategy, which includes the company’s community outreach work.

Interested?  You have until October 20th to submit your application, so don’t waste another minute re-considering – apply!

Apply to be a StartingBloc Fellow!

Want to be part of a group of emerging leaders and learn about the latest innovations in corporate social responsibility and social entrepreneurship? Apply to StartingBloc!

StartingBloc’s mission begins by training tomorrow’s most promising young leaders with a new mindset towards value creation. Each year, working with an admission committee composed of MBA admissions directors, we select a cadre of young leaders age 19-26 years old to become StartingBloc Fellows. Once accepted, Fellows participate in our Institute for Social Innovation. Held at our partner graduate schools, the Institute features thought-leading practitioners and academics who train Fellows in the most cutting edge theories and industry best practices towards sustainability, social entrepreneurship, and corporate social innovation. The Institute serves as both calibrator and middle ground for a globally diverse group of young leaders who will work in all three sectors together to drive sustainability. Once Fellows graduate from the Institute, they become part of StartingBloc’s growing global network of young changemakers.

Want to learn more about the program? Meet one of the StartingBloc Fellows – Nitin Rao:

Shortly after the 2007 London Institute, Nitin Rao, a StartingBloc Fellow from India, returned to his country to create and online network called Let Me Know. The website provides young leaders with a platform to share career opportunities, as well as best practices in social innovation. Based on his success, Nitin visited the US in April 2008 to present a paper at Harvard University and reconnect with his StartingBloc peers. Nitin was recently accepted to MIT Sloan School of Management, one of StartingBloc’s founding partners.

Applications for the Greater Boston and Greater New York Institutes will run from September 15 to December 1, 2008. Click here to apply to the 2009 Institute for Social Innovation.

[TC-I Call to Action]: InfoChange India Media Fellowship

Independent journalists, filmmakers, researchers, and media professionals based in India may be interested in the media fellowship offered by InfoChange India. All applications must be submitted by October 3, 2008.

The topic of the fellowship may cover:

a diverse range of issues in the social sector – from environment, poverty, livelihoods, public health, women and child rights, social exclusion, displacement, migration, gender and sexuality to globalisation, trade and development, intellectual property rights, social entrepreneurship and much more.

More details, including eligibility, fellowship requirements, and application instructions, may be found here.

TC-I Call to Action: Exciting Jobs, Fellowships, and Conferences!

Looking for ways to put thought into action? Well, look no further! Below you’ll find our weekly review of opportunities. Please send along any other opportunities to info@thinkchangeindia.org.

Jobs

WaterAid India is currently seeking a Chief Executive to be based out of New Delhi. Responsibilities include “leadership of the Senior Management Team and overall responsibility for all staff members, currently 40 strong.” Interested candidates can send in their CVs with a cover note and 3 references to resumes @thirdsectorpartners.com, or contact +91 22 6660 3558/6660 3559. The last date for applications is 16 September 2008. For more information, go here.

Fellowships

The last day to apply for the Deshpande Fellowship for Social Entrepreneurship, North Karnataka, is 20th September 2008. The program runs from 10 January 2009 to 10 July 2009, with hopes to award a total of 25 fellowships. According to the website,

The Fellowship is an interactive, applied learning experience that aims to foster a generation of successful social entrepreneurs. Participants will learn existing best practices and engage with the foremost social entrepreneurs and local innovators to develop a working knowledge of leading social change models. The program will leverage this theoretical framework to aid each participant in the creation of an individualized proposal for social change.

To apply, check www.deshpandefoundation.org for downloadable applications or email fellowship@dfmail.org with your request for an application. More opportunities follow after the break!

Discover your inner Social Entrepreneur on the Train

The Tata Sons are starting to be quite innovative in designing their CSR efforts [via Financial Express]:

Tata Jagriti Yatra 2008 will be an inspirational train journey undertaken by around 400 young and enterprising participants, between 18-25 years, from India and overseas, Tata Sons’ Executive Director, R Gopalakrishnan, said in Mumbai.

The youth will participate in an 18-day train journey interacting with social and economic entrepreneurs across the country, encouraging the spirit of social entrepreneurship, he said.

Of course, this is not the first time the Tata Group has taken an interest in social entrepreneurship. Earlier this year, it launched a International Social Entrepreneurship Scheme in partnership with UC Berkley and University of Cambridge [TC-I coverage here].

If you are one of those lucky ones between 18 and 25, you should find a way to get on that train [and may be live-blog for TC-I!]