Thursday, March 12, 2020

Building for tomorrow : Making Change happen within and beyond

Building for tomorrow : Making Change happen within and beyond
It is such an energizing learning experience to spent time with thirty five young enthusiastic people with leadership qualities. Some of them are already doing amazing work in their twenties. I am sure many of them will play a leadership roles in kerala, India and beyond. In the last few years, Bodhigram helped to mentor more than three hundred young people in Kerala and around hundred people from different parts of India.
Bodhigram began as a students youth leadership initiative in Pune, largely by many of us studying in Pune University. Its vision was nurturing ethical leadership through knowledge and action. Its first voluntary initiative was centre for alternative education and leadership. Initially we worked with children in slums who dropped out of school. Today many of those children completed their studies and some of them even became successful entrepreneurs. Our students volunteers also worked with mainstream schools to educate them on environment, gender equality,, civic rights, heritage education etc
Bodhigram was always a non funded voluntary initiative. And still all of us work as volunteers with zero money.
We plan to develp this in to an unprecedented youth leadership mentorship initiative.
We would like to express immense gratitude to mentors who spared time with young people. Prasanth N found time to travel in the midst of so many other meetings outside kerala. Ginu Zach too found time to be with us. Dr. Sarin , a man of mission and he came all the way from Ottappalam. Dr.Keshav Mohan and Dr. Beena Raveendran are our in-house members and members of the Board of Bodhigram. We are privileged to have a retired scientist Viswambharan Raghavan Pillai as the Chief of Bodhigram. We have some of the best people in our board includingDr Ram Mohan, Dr. Arifa Sainudeen and Dr. Varghese Perayil.
We now have now many civil servants, academic leaders, media leaders and civil society leaders in kerala and beyond in the Bodhigram mentors team.
Our school of democracy and leadership will continue such leadership program once in two months. Our school of Public policy and Governance will be beginning an year long national program post graduate diploma in Public Policy and Governance, with international collaboration. Our School of career and leadership development will begin an innovative learning program in partnership with schools and colleges. Bodhigram cultural and media initiative will begin Bodhigram books as a new initiative.
We will strive to make a difference by making change within and beyond

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