“Social change is the result of several actions towards a social cause, small or big, coming together when needed.”
Small or big I have always wanted to do my part for the country, and the society I live in but I lacked enough resources, and knowledge and was clueless and did not know where to start. When I got to be a part of India Fellow, it opened a vast number of possibilities. From being a part of numerous social causes which drives me to do more of it, to supporting me with enough resources to navigate the rough terrain it is, this journey has been transformative enough to make a difference, initiate a change, and ignite and spread the blaze of social consciousness in me and the community around.
I, Sreekanth Sanjay P, a 31-year-old, software engineer from Andhra Pradesh with 12 other driven individuals in the 2023-24 cohort of India Fellow work at the grassroots level in various parts of India engaged in social change initiatives.
India Fellow is an experiential social leadership program for young Indians that includes working full-time for 18 months with a host organization on a social issue together with training, peer learning, and mentoring. This experience will empower India Fellows to find their own leadership potential, shape their future, and make a difference.
As a part of my fellowship journey, I have been working with the Centre for Pastoralism, Sahjeevan and Satvik promoting Ecological farming, and organizations working with different pastoral communities. I'm part of a livelihoods project which addresses the lack of employment opportunities for the pastoral communities and as well as reviving the value chain for the indigenous wool.
An opportunity to work on these issues with a marginalized community in an isolated part of the country was only possible for me through this transformative journey. India Fellow collaborates with more than 50 organizations in India that see the imperative need to invest in the nation's youth, by matching them with committed and enthusiastic fellows on their team and offering youth exposure to real-world grassroots experiences.

Half the costs of this journey for a fellow are raised by the fellowship team and mentors, and fellows like myself raise the other half through collective fundraising. Your contribution, no matter how small, can have a significant impact on thousands of lives by sustaining the engagement of youth in social change in the country. It costs INR 2,50,000 to support each fellow for 18 months of this transformative program, and our cohort has agreed to raise $15,000.00 in total through collective fundraising.

This is our way of paying it forward; by supporting me, you will enable the fellowship to support more young people like me, develop more leaders who are socially conscious, and mentor and educate more fellows via this experiential learning module.