Youth for Development Inspiring stories of change from the State Bank of India’s Youth Fellows Youth for Development Inspiring stories of change from the State Bank of India’s Youth Fellows “The future belongs to the young generation” 4 I often mull over Mahatma Gandhi’s meet their needs. India has been India’s oft quoted statement “You must observing a National Youth Day on be the change you wish to see 12th of January every year since 1985 demographic in the world”. I feel it is primarily in honour of Swami Vivekananda addressed to the youth, the trustees whose thinking and philosophy of tomorrow. As such I thought had galvanized the youth into a potential it quite apt for the celebration of potent force. We too at SBI have the International Youth Day. It is conceptualized an initiative –“Youth offers us an especially relevant for India, as for India” Fellowship—to accelerate India is set to become the youngest growth and development in the rural country by 2020 with over 60 sector while transforming Fellows unprecedented percent of its population by then into caring citizens with a more falling in the working age group. This holistic worldview. Our programme edge demographic potential offers us an in association with reputed non- unprecedented edge and it is for our government organizations (NGOs), youth to draw on the words of the encourages the youth in joining Mahatma and leave their imprint on hands with rural communities, the world. empathize with their struggles and aspirations for equitable and The future belongs to the young sustainable growth. We need to generation and it is imperative that continually tap into this vitality today’s youth empower themselves as the hope of the world rests on with knowledge and information the shoulders of this cohort. The which will give them the strength and International Youth Day celebrated conviction to stand up and demand globally on the 12th of August will go that the right path be followed. They a long way in adding to the growing need to be professional, acquire awareness about the potential of the the right skills, gather the correct young. attitude so that their energies can be focussed on bringing about the change they wish to see—a change Arundhati Bhattacharya towards equality, better quality of Chairman, life, health and environment. State Bank of India The youth today are very aspirational and we must provide adequate resources and the enablers to 5 “Empower young people to play a strong role in building a more inclusive and sustainable future for all” 6 Young people are among the about the role and the potential of Young people are greatest assets countries have. For young people in today’s world. India, which is estimated to have 356 the driving force million young people, it offers a huge Experience from across the world demographic dividend. The energy, reveals that when young people of development enthusiasm and innovation of young lack opportunities to engage people can be an important driving proactively and realize their potential, force of development. development may be affected. In turn economic and social crises The State Bank of India’s Youth for can impact young people. It is Development Fellowship recognizes essential to include and empower this spirit of young people. The young people to play a strong role corporate social responsibility in building a more inclusive and initiative undertaken by one of sustainable future for all. the country’s largest public sector banks places young people in rural areas along with established NGOs Yuri Afanasiev and allows them to call on their United Nations Resident Coordinator ingenuity, innovation and passion to and UNDP Resident Representative make a difference in people’s lives. As the stories in this booklet tell us, it’s transforming both their lives, and the lives of the local communities they support. We commend the State Bank of India for their commitment to this exciting initiative and in particular, the Chairperson, under whose leadership this Fellowship Programme continues to expand. We can think of no more appropriate setting to celebrate the achievements of these Fellows than International Youth Day, celebrated each year on 12 August, which raises awareness 7 SBI’s Youth for India Fellowship allows young people to follow their heart Youth for India is a corporate social and L&T, before taking a break from responsibility initiative launched by their lucrative careers to apply for the State Bank of India to bridge the Fellowship. growing urban–rural divide in India. The Fellowship allows young Indians to follow The current batch of Youth for India their heart and implement innovations Fellows was selected from among 6,500 that promote the socio-economic applicants. More than half the current development of rural areas. Launched Fellows are women. Projects undertaken in 2011, ‘Youth for India’ is a thirteen by the Fellows include health and month-long Fellowship that enables sanitation, behaviour change, income bright, urban youth to work on rural generation activities rooted in the development projects. During the course local economy, and strengthening local of the Fellowship, the Fellows live locally governance institutions. near the project site, working closely with experienced non-governmental organizations. SBI Youth for India Fellows are from diverse academic backgrounds including from some of the best institutions in India, like the Indian Institute of Technology, Indian Institute of Management, National Institute of Design, National Institute of Fashion Technology, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Mumbai University. Many have worked in the private sector in leading corporate and consulting companies, such as the Tata Group, Reliance, Deloitte, Accenture, IBM, Infosys, Ernst & Young, Thomson Reuters, CISCO 8 Showcasing inspirational stories: Youth for Development Dialogue On 12 August 2015, to mark the occasion of International Youth Day, a few of State Bank of India’s Youth for India Fellows will showcase innovations they have undertaken during 2014-15 in four states, including Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Rajasthan. Projects undertaken by SBI Fellows complement flagship initiatives of the Government of India such as the Swachh Bharat Mission, the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme and Smart Villages. Fellows will be presenting their work to an audience of young people, leading development practitioners, policymakers, representatives from bilateral and multilateral agencies, corporate sector and UN agencies. The dialogue is organized by the State Bank of India and the United Nations in India. These presentations will be but a few of the many inspiring efforts undertaken through the Youth for India Fellowship programme managed by State Bank of India. You can read more inspirational stories at http://www.youthforindia.org/ 9 “Every woman bleeds and it should not be a matter of shame. Every woman has the right to earn and she should not refrain” 10 Let’s Talk Menstruation! Simren Singh Twenty-five-year-old Simren has always Mandir, an NGO in Udaipur, to bring in adopting the changed behaviour, been convinced of the need to break about behaviour change in menstrual the village development committee the taboos that surround menstruation hygiene practices among tribal women has sanctioned a new sewing machine in India and has worked relentlessly to in Khervara. She also helped promote so that more sanitary napkins can be create awareness on the issue. Better income generation by training the produced for the women in the village. menstrual hygiene promotes improved women in the village, most of whom health status of women, in particular were wives of migrant workers, to make teenage girls. But women in rural areas and sell eco-friendly, hand-made cloth lack convenient choices in the use of sanitary napkins. sanitary napkins. The first batch of sanitary napkins was Many rural women adopt practices produced by 10 women. The women that are unhygienic and contribute to started by using a machine made their poor health. As a Youth for India available by Jatan Sansthan. Seeing Fellow, Simren worked along with Seva the enthusiasm of the local community Simren is from Dehradun. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Lady Shri Ram College for Women, New Delhi and has completed an MA in International Relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University. 11 “I hope I have inspired village communities and local government bodies that ‘Clean India’ is not just a phrase. It is actionable with very little effort” 12 Clean Villages, Clean India Priyvrat Thirty-one-year-old Priyvrat joined the village sarpanch, he conducted waste recyclable material to the local scrap SBI Youth for India Fellowship with one audits in the village. In meetings with dealer, which was a great motivator aim – to promote community hygiene the villagers, he explained the benefits for the villagers. Hardingo village will in rural India. He took a sabbatical from of community hygiene. With community soon be a clean village. Priyvrat’s pilot his job at the State Bank of India and support, he organized cleanliness drives, project has been approved by district headed to Odisha to pilot a project street plays and drawing competitions authorities and will be rolled out in on decentralized waste management among school students to help promote many more villages in the district. systems to improve sanitary conditions waste management practices. By in Hardingo village in Ganjam district. installing colour-coded dustbins to In a span of six months, Priyvrat segregate waste, thereby reducing was able to mobilize 177 households the time-consuming job of waste to adopt solid and liquid waste segregation, he made it easier for the management and segregation practices. villagers to adopt the change. He also With the assistance of Gram Vikas, a promoted revenue generation by setting local NGO, the gram sabha and the up a system for the community to sell Priyvrat is from Haryana.