An HR College graduate, Shrishti had always been socially inclined because of her involvement in the National Service Scheme and Daan Utsav Fellowship. To gain a better understanding of the development sector, Shrishti applied for the YES Foundation Media for Social Change Fellowship.
For her, the 1-week Induction training was an opportunity to network with 45 Fellows, from varied backgrounds, with different skill sets. Shrishti was placed at Magic Bus, which equips some of India's poorest children and young people with the skills and knowledge to be successful. Shrishti captured real-life stories on camera through community visits and interactions with members.
The discussions at the fortnightly workshops prepared Shrishti for the probable challenges while working with a NGO and enabled her to cope better when faced with any challenge at the grassroots. Shrishti learned to manage last minute situations, to take responsibility and accountability for completion of deliverables, and to negotiate her space in the NGO.
Shrishti’s 8-week Fellowship experience led to a change in her perception about the social sector. She values NGOs and the good work they do for people and in society. Shrishti credits YES FOUNDATION for the opportunity to gain maximum learning and exposure through the Fellowship.
With a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and a Post Graduate in Communications for Development, Pragati Khabiya, avid traveller, basketball player and passionate social development volunteer, yearned to deploy her academic knowledge and skills for the benefit of social causes. Assigned to Pratham, after an intense 7 days Induction course conducted by YES Foundation, Pragati set out to employ her knowledge, sharpened by the training program, to promote the objectives of Pratham, a NGO engaged in pioneering work in the education sector, with focus on children living in the urban slums of Mumbai. Working hand in hand with the Pratham team, Pragati visited schools in far flung areas of Mumbai to gain a deeper insight into the mechanisms employed by Pratham to reach out to children who would ordinarily remain outside the classrooms. The eager faces of the children and the passion exhibited by Pratham team were a revelation to Pragati, who quickly integrated and launched herself whole-heartedly into defining her deliverables and achieving them during the period of her 7 weeks internship.
Having recently returned from Ghana, Nicholas was in search of an internship in the media field. He immediately applied for the YES Foundation Media for Social Change Fellowship, and on selection, began looking forward to creating short films and executing social media campaigns for NGOs.
Nicholas was introduced to the basics of communication, media platforms, development sector and CSR space during his 1-week Induction training. He came to believe in the vision and mission of YES Foundation - in the power of the youth and media. The sessions involved knowledge-sharing from industry professionals and with the Fellows. Nicholas learned to understand, cooperate and be a team player to achieve social change collectively. The feedback received at the fortnightly training workshops gave him confidence and reassurance to work hard and deliver results efficiently.
For 7-weeks, Nicholas was placed at Salaam Bombay Foundation, which works to empower children to make the right choices for their health, education and livelihood, where he was given the opportunity to create a series of three child-friendly short films to deter BMC school children from tobacco consumption. He realized the number of processes involved in the making of a film – from location, sound, lights, props and camera angles, to actors, voiceovers, music and special effects - and took YouTube tutorials to understand the complexities of it.
One of the ‘Top 5 Outstanding Performers’, Nicholas’ creation ‘Cham Cham’ is being screened in BMC schools across Mumbai. He learned professionalism, responsibility and openness to challenges, and this experience has moulded Nicholas personally and professionally. He feels honored to have had the opportunity to engage and immerse himself in the Fellowship, not only for his NGO but also for other NGOs.
An English Literature Graduate from St. Xavier’s College, Kimberly applied for YES Foundation Media for Social Change Fellowship with the hope of spending a meaningful summer vacation before pursuing her Post Graduation in Media. Her happiness knew no bounds when she received her selection letter for the Fellowship.
Through the 1-week induction training, Kimberly learned how to use social media, create eye-catching content, photographs and films effectively for NGOs. She also learned the importance of creating brand YOU and developed values of team work and team spirit.
Kimberly was placed at CORO for Literacy, Mumbai for a period of 7 weeks, where she developed communication material, social media channels and a website for her NGO, and its Mumbai-based women empowerment program. Through activation of social media channels, she managed to harness Birla Sun Life Insurance, Majlis Law and a mainstream blogger to offer multi-channel support and employment opportunities to community women.
Kimberly was one of the ‘Top 5 Outstanding Performers’ of the Fellowship. She believes that this is only the beginning of her journey; the Fellowship was an all-encompassing umbrella which has given her maximum exposure to the development sector and field of media. The access to mentors and fellows made it a learning experience where she gained not only theoretical knowledge but also practical experience. She feels privileged to have been a part of such a high impact program which has transformed her into a socially conscious youth leader.
Dhwani Solanki pursued B.Sc. in Animation and a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Design at the Welingkar Institute of Management and Research.
The YES Foundation training program, which was demanding, was also very rewarding for her and equipped Dhwani with first hand learning from the gurus of the media industry.
Dhwani was assigned to ATMA – Accelerator for Education and its associated organisations – Anandi, Sai Sweekar, Spark A Change Foundation, and Maharashtra Dyslexia Association. Drawing on her academic knowledge and the inputs from the YES Foundation training program, Dhwani made a mark for herself by designing logos for Anandi and Maharashtra Dyslexia Association. She was also instrumental in designing style guides for Anandi and Spark A Change Foundation and contributed to content creation for the internal brochure for ATMA.
The Fellowship facilitated Dhwani’s learning about how to translate classroom theories to real life situations, the value of team work, team spirit, the pooling of ideas and the virtue of patience on the road to success.