I applied for Yes Foundation’s ‘Media for Social Change Fellowship’ with the hope of spending a meaningful summer vacation before pursuing my postgraduation in advertising and PR at EMDI, Mumbai. I filled out a detailed online application form and had a telephonic interview. After one week, I received the Fellowship letter. I was one of the 45 Fellows handpicked out of more than 920 applicants across India.
Yes Foundation held a one-week induction training for us. I learnt how to use social media for non-profit organisations, develop creative content, and use photographs and films as a mediums of communication. Apart from the interactive and informative sessions by media professionals, team-building activities and self-introspection and personality development workshops were also conducted regularly.
After the training was complete, I was placed with CORO for Literacy, Mumbai — a nonprofit organisation which works for the empowerment of women from marginalised communities. I was given the opportunity to develop communication material and launch social media channels for CORO’s Mumbai-based women empowerment programme, Mahila Mandal Federation. The members were welcoming; they shared their resources and interacted with me. I was surprised to know that CORO is a grassroots organisation where members belong to the communities they work for. I began visiting communities and capturing images and videos of women, with their consent. Listening to real-life stories of domestic violence was an eye-opening experience.
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Within a week of launching it on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, Mahila Mandal Federation received more than 200 likes on its Facebook page and a positive response on other platforms as well. Birla Sun Life Insurance offered employment opportunities to women from various communities. We also received support from Majlis Legal Centre For Women. They conducted several sessions to educate women about their legal rights. That is the power of media for social change.
Although I was successful, I faced my share of ups and downs. The community members were not familiar with social media. However, their openness in asking questions and willingness to learn helped me conduct workshops for them. They learnt the basics of social media, photography and website development. My little knowledge of Marathi initially resulted in a communication barrier during field visits. However, I decided to carry out the conversations in Marathi itself. I faced my biggest challenge during the last week of the Fellowship. As part of my non-profit’s social media campaign, I took the initiative to choreograph a flash mob, to be performed at Chembur Railway Station to generate awareness about women empowerment. Unfortunately, I met with a knee injury. I was advised by my doctor not to walk, and definitely not to dance. It was the first time the women in the communities were performing a flash mob, and so I decided not to give up. Thanks to their constant support, we managed to perform successfully.
Fortnightly workshops were organised for Fellows so that they could benefit from the mentorship and feedback. I was able to learn from my Fellows’ experiences.
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The convocation ceremony was one of my most cherished moments of the Fellowship. I saw my father’s face glowing with pride when I was declared one of the ‘Top 5 Outstanding Performers.’
This Fellowship has given me tremendous exposure to the development sector and the field of media. Access to mentors and Fellows made it a great learning experience, and I have gained not only theoretical knowledge but also practical experience.
Courtesy: internshala.com