State Bank of India (SBI) Foundation, the Corporate social responsibility (CSR), is inviting applications for the 11th edition of the Youth for India Fellowship. Candidates can apply for the fellowship programme by visiting on youthforindia.org website.

According to a statement by the SBI Foundation, the 13-month Fellowship delivers a framework for intellectual urban youth professionals or new graduates to unite and promote change with rural communities and NGOs across 17 states.

Candidates registering for the Fellowship must be resdents of India or overseas citizens of India, Bhutan, or Nepal.

The SBI Youth for India Fellowship covers 12 thematic areas: Health, Food Security, Rural Livelihood, Traditional crafts, Environmental Protection, Education, Technology, Social Entrepreneurship, Women’s Empowerment, Self-Governance, Water, and Alternate Energy. Affiliates can perform in one of these twelve areas according to their interest.

The Fellowship aims to fill the gap between urban youth's aspiration to contribute to the development sector and undergo rural reality, as also supplement the shortage of competent human resources with various educational and professional backgrounds in the NGOs operating at the grassroots level. The 13-month-long Fellowship delivers an active framework for the youth to think about sustainable development approaches for rural development and capacity building in numerous ways.

Over the last ten years, Youth for India has witnessed active participation from hundreds of youth, and 34 alumni have either established or started a program, business, or non-profit, according to an official statement.

The SBI Foundation said over 100 alumni of the programme go on to seek higher studies in development disciplines after their SBI Youth for India Fellowship experience, and about 70 percent go on to pursue occupations in the social sector by functioning in Public Policy/Governance, Rural Development, Academia, etc.

News Source: The Hindu