A one day workshop on social internship under the aegis of Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) was organized on 7th March at Multi Activity Centre inside the VNIT Campus.
The program was attended by more than 350 students of 50+ Higher Educational Institutes (HEIs) registered as Participating Institutes (PIs). These PIs are from the East Vidarbha region i.e. six districts namely: Nagpur, Bhanda, Gondia, Gadchiroli, Chandrapur and Wardha. The program is specifically targeted for the UG and PG students of these institutes and it propels them to interact, understand and work with the rural community, especially the tribal community of this region. During this social internship, students would visit the villages and would stay there with the villagers for five to fifteen days and would get the first hand experience of the village life.
VNIT has identified 20 plus NGOs working this region and has tied up with them. The student interns would be working in the villages along with these NGOs and these NGOs would provide the hand-holding.
The one day workshop started in the morning at 11 am. The keynote speaker was Mr. Vaibhav ji Surange, All India Yuwa Ayaam Pramukh of Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram (VKA). In his scintillating address he highlighted the need to understand the tribal culture first before we think about their upliftment. He further emphasized the need for rethinking on what we mean by their development. In his address he explained that the tribals have a unique culture and identity and we should not force our concept of development on them as this will destroy them, nature and finally the planet. He encourage the students to come and stay in the tribal villages for few days and observe their way of life.
Prof. Yashwant Katpatal, in-charge Director and Dean R&C in his address encouraged the students to engage in these internships with sincerity. He emphasized the importance of genuine community engagement. He highlighted that Gen-Z carries a significant responsibility to contribute meaningfully to society and address grass-root challenges. By working closely with rural communities, students can gain real insights into local issues while applying their knowledge for practical solutions. He further urged them to view this opportunity as a step toward contributing to the broader vision of a Viksit Bharat through responsible and socially conscious actions.
Prof Umesh Deshpande, Dean Student Welfare addressed the gathering and encouraged the students with his motivational speech. He asked students to take advantage of NEP2020 which gives academic credits for internships.
Dr Bhooshan Rajpathak, RCI Coordinator, UBA was the overall coordinator of this workshop. He presented a brief preface and talked about ethos of UBA and the theme of this workshop.
Various NGOs presented their work including Youth for Seva by Pravin Kuthe, Snehanchal by Devayani Gharote, Global Abhyuday Village – Khapa by Sachin Deshpande, ROLE Foundation – Aheri by Pradeep Deshmukh, Garaj Foundation by College students
The program included activity for the students to select 50 candidates for the internship spots and concluded at 5 pm with certificate distribution.