It isn’t enough for a college student to just concentrate on academics. With the growing competition for jobs, joining various organisations helps students not only to gain credit, but also gives them valuable experience and exposure and aids in their personality development.
“Studies are important but do not give me the knowledge I have acquired from volunteering. And despite not going to a regular college, I have gained exposure and interacted with a number of people and learned a lot about organising and management. Working with NGOs has made me aware of various social issues and the need for change,” says Radhika Chugh, who is pursuing chartered accountancy.
There are a number of societies which enrich students with leadership qualities, social sensitivity and global exposure. Unlike internships, which need more time commitment, volunteering does not require the student’s full and constant attention and can be carried out easily with regular college schedules. If one performs well, one may also get opportunities to attend national and international conferences and summits, where one can interact with many dignitaries as well as people from different countries.
AIESEC: The world’s largest youth-run organisation, AIESEC provides students a global learning environment with people from hundreds of nations. They facilitate exchange of people from all over the world, promoting cultural understanding and cooperation between students in different countries through their programmes and activities. “We empower our members with leadership qualities, and provide them with practical business and management skills. Our aim is to create an impact on society and every individual,” says Manu Siddharth Jha, president, AIESEC in Delhi IIT.
(http://www.aiesec.in/)
The YP Foundation: Another youth-run organisation, TYPF supports and enables young people to create programmes and influence policies relating to various social issues. The organisation promotes, protects and advances young people’s human rights by building leadership, and strengthening youth-led initiatives and movements. “Working with TYPF has been a truly enriching experience in every way. It has given me ample opportunities to apply my skills and exposed me to the problems that plague our society, and the extent to which the foundation has been successful in negating its impact,” says Tulika Jain, peer educator at TYPF. (http://www.theypfoundation.org/)
{{/usCountry}}The YP Foundation: Another youth-run organisation, TYPF supports and enables young people to create programmes and influence policies relating to various social issues. The organisation promotes, protects and advances young people’s human rights by building leadership, and strengthening youth-led initiatives and movements. “Working with TYPF has been a truly enriching experience in every way. It has given me ample opportunities to apply my skills and exposed me to the problems that plague our society, and the extent to which the foundation has been successful in negating its impact,” says Tulika Jain, peer educator at TYPF. (http://www.theypfoundation.org/)
{{/usCountry}}Becoming-I Foundation: This NGO, which was started in 2010, aims to mobilise the youth and engage with their community and the problems faced in and around them. They have launched 10 successful campaigns in Delhi, Chennai and Hyderabad, and have won a number of national and international awards and grants. (http://www.becomingifoundation.org/)
University Express: UE is a youth media network connecting various through their columns. They extract the latest happenings, gossip, news and information and deliver it online and in print. “We aspire to develop the art of student journalism by giving them a chance to discuss relevant youth-related issues on a digital platform,” says Videt Jaiswal, founding member, UE. (http://www.universityexpress.co.in/)
DU Beat: A student-run newspaper, DU Beat reaches the top colleges of Delhi University. The team is about 60 students, who provide comprehensive news coverage, live event coverage, interviews, etc from across DU. They have a weekly issue in print, online site with half a million visitors, and social community of over 90,000 followers. “We believe in providing quick and accurate news from DU and offer a great platform for students to engage with,” says Dhaval Gupta, director.