About Sambhaavnaa Institute
The Sambhaavnaa Institute of Public Policy and Politics is an alternative learning and living space for those concerned with social and political change. Nestled in the village of Kandwari, in the lap of the mighty Dhauladhar ranges of Himachal Pradesh, Sambhaavnaa’s primary objective has been to nurture value-based leadership by encouraging individuals, especially the youth, to discuss and develop a critical perspective on the ideals and ideas that define a just society.
The Institute was founded under the aegis of the Kumud Bhushan Education Society in 2004. Since 2011, it has emerged as a platform for individuals and organisations to reflect on and engage with the injustices that prevail in society today.
Background
Anyone with moderately open eyes would agree that there is an urgent need to question and challenge the inequities and ecological crises resulting from our current social, economic and political structures, and to radically change many of these structures and their functioning to better serve the public interest with the principles of equality, justice and ecological harmony.
In light of the above, for the last thirteen years, the Sambhaavnaa Institute has been organising short term (4 days to six-weeks) participatory, reflective, perspective and skill building programs on a range of social-political-economic issues of India and the world. Sambhaavnaa seeks to encourage civil society members, and youth inclined in such directions to develop a critical perspective on the ideas and ideals that define a ‘just’ society – and actively deploy the same in manifesting such a society.
Our workshops have panned specific yet intersectional themes like gender, environment, development, economics and finance, caste, communalism, public service delivery, agriculture and many other topical issues. We also organise a range of skill building programs around theatre, writing and journalism, research methods etc.
Some of the young people who have come for our workshops have expressed a desire to be here long-term where they can develop a better understanding of the Indian socio-political-economic reality through attending more and diverse programs. They also believe that such an opportunity would help them meet and interact with a range of people engaging in different ways towards a more just society.
While the Institute aims to design longer programs for youth that could serve this purpose, we have currently decided to experiment with a fellowship format where we house a very small number (two to three) of individuals who have this interest in learning by being here over a longer time period.
This learning opportunity by attending workshops is however dovetailed with the fellows assisting in the functioning of the institute while being here. The fellowship is thus a middle ground that can meet both the expectations of such youth, and help them give back meaningfully to the institute while they are here.
Learnings
The program foresees following capacity building skills for the fellows.
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Understanding of the social-political issues currently facing our society
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Learn from and interact with, activists and academics facilitating the Sambhaavnaa workshops.
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Learning the complete process of organising the Sambhaavnaa workshops in their entirety
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4-6 week internship to a grassroot organisation or some contemporary campaign.
Program Details
The fellows’ time would be spent along the following four major dimensions:
A. The primary benefit to the fellow is an opportunity to attend these workshops, and interact with not only a diverse set of participants from across the country but also close interactions with the resource persons.
Attending the workshops also offers a chance to remain connected with some of these resource persons to get advice and support through the course of their fellowship, and even later on in life.
B. Assisting in organising a workshop involves a host of activities
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Assist the office team in outreach for the workshop, including designing and updating our social media
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Research and collate materials (articles, movies, and other resources) that could be used during the workshop
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Assist the office team in managing logistics for the participants and resource persons
After attending a workshop, the fellows would be expected to
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Update captured pictures and videos of the workshop on social media
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Make a report on the workshop that you attend
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Review the workshop to figure ways of improvement – be it regarding program design, participant selection, content and delivery.
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Figure ways to strengthen best practices at Sambhaavnaa
C. During the course of fellowship the fellow must choose a particular issue that is of interest or close to their heart, and work on strengthening their understanding on the same. At the end of the fellowship they will be required to produce an output which could be a research document/presentation/ article/video story/ a workshop session plan and content etc.
D. Sambhaavnaa has good relationships with many grassroot organisations across the country, working on a diverse set of issues. We would arrange a 4-6 week internship for the fellows in some organisation / area of interest of the fellows’ choice. At the end of the internship, the fellow would be expected to share their learnings with the other fellows and the Sambhaavnaa team.
Fellowship Period
November 15, 2023 to July 15, 2024
Eligibility
Applicants should have an innate interest in working for a just world. They should additionally possess the following traits:
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Someone who wants to work for social justice and environmental justice.
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Willingness to learn
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Is a team player
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Disciplined, dedicated and self-driven regarding their work: this is critical.
The Fellowship is open to all Indian citizens who meet the following eligibility criteria:
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Between 23-30 years
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Qualification – Masters degree
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Good command over both English and Hindi; Should be able to write well in one of these languages too.
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Basic knowledge of IT, Social Media, Zoom, MS Office etc
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Knowledge of basic video editing will be an added value.
Application
Interested candidates can apply via the link given below at the end of the post.
Honorarium
Rs 10000 per month.
Click here to apply.