CALL FOR APPLICATIONS FOR ADVOCACY INTERNSHIP, 2008-10
The National Centre for Advocacy Studies (NCAS) is a social change resource centre that aims at promoting and strengthening rights-based people-centred advocacy. It endeavours to create enabling conditions for people’s empowerment at the grass-roots level as well as to facilitate efforts for human rights, social justice and transparent and accountable governance. It primarily provides support to various grass-root initiatives and people’s movements by way of capacity building, campaign and media support, and research & documentation.
The Advocacy Internship Programme is a capacity building initiative of NCAS that aims at building a cadre of sensitive young leaders for this country, who are equipped with the knowledge, a pro-people rights-based perspective, and skills to pursue social action for social justice.
The internship programme provides an opportunity and space for energetic young men and women to develop a conceptual understanding of social issues within the complexity of socio-economic-political environment, sharpen their political perspective, explore their own potential as leaders for engaging in activism for social change, as well as identify and build the necessary skills. Exposure to and engagement with various people’s movements, grass-roots initiatives and struggles of the marginalised for their rights, during the internship, provides them an opportunity to understand themselves as social change agents within the given social reality.
DURATION: 18 months of which six months are dedicated to field work though field placement with grass-root organisations or movements.
WHO CAN APPLY:
Candidates who want to understand the world in all its complexities.
Who are eager to learn and take initiative for learning.
Those who have a social conscience and value social commitment.
Show sensitivity and commitment towards issues that effect lives of people, especially the marginalised.
Willing to face challenges as social change agents
YOUNG ELIGIBLE CANDIDATES FROM MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES, (INCLUDING WOMEN), ARE ESPECIALLY ENCOURAGED TO APPLY.
PREFERRED AGE GROUP: 20-25 YEARS
PREFERED QUALIFICATIONS: A postgraduate degree in any discipline or an undergraduate degree with at least two years experience with a social action/ human rights/consumer rights group.
EXPECTATION FROM THE INTERNS:
• Contribute to the body of progressive debate on ‘people-centered advocacy’ that NCAS is engaged in
• be engaged in concrete efforts to give back to the community/society both as an individual intern and as a member of the internship team.
• to work with NCAS team and contribute to its various activities.
• to actively learn from the inputs and other opportunities available at NCAS
CURRICULUM:
A multidisciplinary curriculum spread over 11 months focusing on understanding the Indian society, polity and economy; issues in new social movements; concept and practice of people-centered advocacy; contemporary human rights activism, practical knowledge of policy analysis, strategic planning, communication, research, campaign building &networking.
A six months placement with a grass-root organization or a social movement provides the ground for building knowledge, sharpening perspective as well as practicing skills in the given social reality.
The intern is expected to write a dissertation on any aspect of the advocacy efforts of the field organization in which she/he is placed.
A certificate of completion of the internship is issued to the intern after successful completion of the programme.
Filled-in application forms should reach NCAS by 25th June 2008
(forms are available on website www.ncasindia.org )
PROCEEDURE FOR SELECTION OF INTERNS:
• Candidates are short-listed after preliminary screening of applications.
• Shortlisted candidates are invited to participate in a Youth Camp in Pune in the second week of July 2008.
• Final selection of the candidates is done after this camp on the basis of potential to work with people, motivation, competence, leadership qualities and vision.
• The new batch commences in second week of August.
STIPEND:
Each intern is given a monthly stipend towards living expenses in Pune for a period of 12 months.
During the six months placement, NCAS takes the responsibility of negotiating with the field organization for the boarding, lodging and a minimum amount of stipend for that period.
A contingency amount is also provided to reimburse the purchase of books during the Internship period.
For more details, visit our website www.ncasindia.org or write / email to:
The Executive Director,
National Centre For Advocacy Studies
Serenity Complex,
Ramnagar Colony, Pashan,
Pune 411 021.
Tel/Fax: +91-020-22952003/4, 22951857
E-mail: ncas@vsnl.com , ncas@dataone.in, ncasindia@vsnl.net