In 2004, the Social Leadership Program (SLP), an initiative of The Akanksha Foundation, was first offered to Akanksha students to empower them to give back to their communities and society. The program is founded on the Gandhian philosophy that each person must be a catalyst of social change. SLP exposes participants to various social issues and encourages them to begin thinking about circumstances and the potential for individuals to affect change.
SLP is a two year program. In the first year, the sessions are held once a week, every Sunday for four hours each. Each session covers current affairs, issues around the world and develops leadership skills. About 7-8 issues are covered in a year and cover topics such as child rights, education, and environment, and are conducted by people who work in that particular field. After each issue has been discussed in depth, the students complete a project on that topic.
In year two, each student thinks of an issue that he or she feels strongly about. They then start their own venture based on the issue, or join an organization that specialises in that field. We continue to meet the group on Sundays to discuss how their projects are going and their learning from the same.
Objectives
- To create awareness of the major issues plaguing the world and an understanding how individuals and organizations are making a difference.
- To create the belief in the students that they can ‘be the change’.
- To develop creative and critical thinking skills.
- To empower the students to identify the leadership qualities within themselves and their peers.
- To develop social service projects.
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