UDAAN Fellowship

Overview

Around the world, there is a growing interest in the role of politics amongst the youth, especially in a democratic system.

Rightly so, as the Youth play an important role in shaping every sphere of Politics, Media, Society or Science & Technology. Particular to political ecosystem, Youth are vital for strengthening democracy.

Despite their importance, it is ironical to realize the relatively low participation of Youth in formal, institutional political processes, especially when compared to their older counterparts. This challenges the representativeness of the political system and leads to the disenfranchisement of young people. The absence of right opportunities and skill management is also a constraint to become potential future leaders and lead the country from the front.

Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini (RMP) is the only institution preparing future political leaders. To establish the sincerity of this cause, RMP had also institutionalized the Indian Institute of Democracy and Leadership (IIDL), under whose aegis it is running a Post Graduate Diploma course. It constitutes a formal interdisciplinary course, with focus on filling the gap in India’s democratic political entity and governance through budding young talent.

Arising from this burning need, IIDL, in partnership with Manipal Education and Medical Group (MEMG), have established this interactive and knowledge-accentuating Fellowship Programme.

Programme Support & Trainings

Contact Sessions

Regular virtual and physical meetings and events to sustain team building and networking within the fellows.

Skill Building Workshops

To enhance the capabilities, frequent functional and behavioural skill-building sessions for the fellows, throughout the year.

Coaching and Support

Timely mentorship, coaching and periodic reviews to ensure success in the project.

About UDAAN Fellowship

This programme is for aspiring youth leaders and policymakers in the field of leadership, management, politics, governance, democracy and public policy.

The Fellowship will empower participants to get work experience in the socio-political sphere by close interactions with leaders, think tanks and related organisations in the above-mentioned domain.

The Fellowship will also provide a space for the youth to contribute and inspire other young leaders to cultivate knowledge about politics.

We are ensuring that Fellows earn a decent stipend during their engagement, still our best offer is a unique experience to influence the socio-political ecosystem of this country.

Objectives

Empower Fellows to actively participate in the political decision-making.
Provide an alternative career option to strengthen the skills in governance.
Brand the Fellows to network within the socio-political ecosystem.

Eligibility

The applicant should be above 21 years of age.
The applicant should have some experience in the socio-political landscape, minimum 1 year of experience.
The applicants should have a keen interest in the issues of society and politics, who aspire to contribute to society.

Duration & Stipend

The duration of the Fellowship is 11 Months.
The stipend of the Fellowship is Rs. 22,000/- per month.

Role of UDAAN Fellow

The UDAAN Fellow would be expected to dedicate a year of their life to the fellowship with full commitment.
The UDAAN Fellow is required to maintain professional behavior and carry out the necessary engagements and proceedings with public leaders (MPs/ MLAs, Leaders working in political parties), political think tanks or leading organisations working in socio-political space, politics, governance and democracy, allotted to them.
The UDAAN Fellow is required to work sincerely, and attend all trainings and workshops carried out as part of the framework.

The UDAAN Fellow is expected to create a working relationship with the office of the public leaders (MPs/ MLAs, Leaders working in political parties), political think tanks or leading organisations working in socio-political space, politics, governance and democracy, allotted for the duration of the fellowship.
The UDAAN Fellow is required to keep a constant reporting with the RMP for the purpose of monitoring and evaluation.

Important Disclaimer

IIDL-MEMG reserves the right to reject any application without assigning any reason
Incomplete applications in any respect shall not be considered for fellowship
IIDL-MEMG reserves the right to cancel the fellowship at any point of time on the grounds of nonperformance of the Fellow
The duration of the UDAAN Fellowship is 11 Months.

Any Fellow is not entitled for same type of Fellowship more than once
IIDL-MEMG aims to promote the under-represented sections (such as women, persons with disability, people belonging to educationally backward areas etc.), in order to upkeep its diversity and inclusion ethos
A Fellow must have clean financial, legal and emotional historical background to support the candidature

Frequently Asked Questions

Who are we looking for ?

We are looking for young & dedicated individuals, who are keen to participate in the governance and socio-political ecosystem while keeping the welfare of the community at the center

Why has IIDL-MEMG launched this programme?

The programme has been launched to bridge the participation, skill and experience gap that exists in the Indian political scenario for the youth. The role of youth in issues of politics and
governance remains pivotal, therefore it is important to train and provide exposure to the youth and create potential future leaders.

Who are the stakeholders I would be engaged with?

As a UDAAN Fellow, you would be engaging with public leaders (MPs/ MLAs, Leaders working in political parties), think tanks or leading organisations working in socio-political and governance field.

What is the institutional support we will provide after the fellowship is over?

A year-long fellowship involves training of the fellows to configure their interest areas and build a network within the socio-political space. We do not provide any formal support once fellowship is over.

Where will the training of the fellows happen?

Generally, at the IIDL campus near Mumbai but owing to the difficulties posed by COVID19, as well as the logistical challenges to get all Fellows at one location, the training programmes will all be conducted virtually unless specified otherwise.

Will the work of the fellows be virtually conducted?

The Fellows will be placed at the designated physical office locations. Remote work is not a probability as of now.

What would be the location?

The location could be dynamic, and dependent on the location of the stakeholders you will be actively engaging with

Will there be regular classes for the fellowship?

No, there will be no regular classes. There will be trainings and workshops from time to time to enhance the skillset of the UDAAN Fellows, the schedule for which will be provided beforehand.

Process of Selection?

The applicants will be short-listed and scrutinized by an expert committee constituted by IIDL and MEMG. The applicants will be assessed through grades and scores given by the Expert Committee. Based on the assessment scores out of the selection process, the short-listed candidates would be incubated as UDAAN Fellows.

Where will we be placed?

Placements will either be with an organisation, or a leader, both in the socio-political domain, and post the completion of selection and placement process.

Is specific work experience desirable for a UDAAN fellow?

Work experience in any field would be desirable to become a UDAAN Fellow. However, due to the nature of the fellowship, exposure to socio-political environment might equip the fellows to work more efficiently and collaboratively with a specific organisation or a leader.

What is the duration of UDAAN fellowship?

The duration of the UDAAN Fellowship is 11 Months.

Established in 1982, Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini (RMP) is a unique Training and Research Academy, primarily aimed at enhancing the capabilities of voluntary activists and elected representatives of the people. RMP has an excellent state-of-art training facility spread over 15 acres of land on the outskirts of Mumbai, known as Knowledge Excellence Centre (KEC). RMP-KEC will be the host campus for the PGP course being conducted by IIDL. RMP is recognised by the United Nations as a Special Consultative NGO.

Manipal Education and Medical Group (MEMG), today, operates three Universities in India, recognised by the University Grants Commission. Separately, the businesses and other initiatives of the Group were restructured, where activities of similar nature were clubbed under four key verticals of Education, Healthcare, Research and Foundation. All institutions and businesses under MEMG are governed by a charter that requires them to offer socially relevant and affordable services.