The Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala)-based NGO Kanthari (formerly the International Institute for Social Entrepreneurs) invites enrolment applications for the 2013 Kanthari International Leadership Course. Now in its fifth year, the leadership programme has been a platform for social entrepreneurs and change makers from around the world. The seven-month residential programme starts in May with the intake restricted to 25 participants. The last date for enrolment in the 2013 programme is March 15.

Kanthari selects highly motivated individuals who want to make a positive difference within their communities and societies. “We are especially interested in visionaries who have overcome adversity such as blindness, poverty, war, discrimination, exploitation, disability or any other kind of marginalisation. We believe those who come from these margins of society bring intrinsic motivation to create  sustainable impact,” says Kanthari’s co-founder Sabriye Tenberken.

The course curriculum includes project management, finance, fundraising and social marketing, and soft-skills development including public speaking, theatre and communication. “Participants are trained in highly creative and practical methods that are relevant to their own social dreams,” adds co-founder Paul Kronenberg.

Participants need to be above 22 years of age, the medium of learning is English and basic computer skills are also required. Accommodation and training fee for selected participants is covered entirely by scholarships from donors.

In the past four years, Kanthari has trained over 75 social innovators from 30 countries worldwide resulting in more than 40 impactful social initiatives and projects.

Earthian 2012 winners

The Bangalore-based Wipro Ltd announced the winners of Earthian 2012, the second edition of its sustainability engagement programme which was launched in 2011 to “create spaces for sustainability learning and action within the education process in schools and colleges,’’ on February 16.

This sustainability programme for educational institutions comprises two phases. In the first, participants are required to submit entries in the form of essays, narratives and scripts on subjects related to sustainability. They are encouraged to identify a socio-environmental scenario relevant to their context, explore multiple layers, do a critical analysis and suggest possible solutions.

In its second phase, Earthian essays/narratives are evaluated. Earthian 2012 received over 2,000 registrations and 900 submissions from around the world. The winners were selected on the basis of comprehensive understanding of issues, exploration of the nuances of complexity, and for providing clear arguments for grounded solutions.

The winning schools include DPS International, Saket, New Delhi; Bhavan’s Adarsha Vidyalaya, Kakkanad, Kochi; Prakriya Green Wisdom School, Bangalore, and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Almatti. The winning colleges include University of Houston, USA; Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering, Sriperumbudur; Indian Institute of Management, Shillong; Rajalakshmi Engineering College, Chennai; Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi; Sethu Institute of Technology, Madurai; TERI University New Delhi; Great Lakes Institute of Management, Gurgaon, and IIM-Kozhikode.

The winning institutions were awarded trophies and cash prizes by Azim Premji, chairman of Wipro, at the end of a day-long event at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

IIM-B-Pearson concordat

The Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore (IIM-B) and Pearson Education (India), a subsidiary of the London-based Pearson Group, announced their intention to jointly publish a range of books covering business scholarship and collaborate in the field of management education. The agreement which will include participation of the Financial Times, the globally-respected business daily owned by Pearson, was formally concluded with the signing of an MoU in Bangalore on February 13. According to Dr. Pankaj Chandra, director of IIM-B, it’s a pact between “two world respected entities with a record of innovative and authoritative achievement”. Definitive agreements will be concluded by the end of 2013, according to the MoU.

The initial foray will be in publishing, including a series on sectoral knowledge, strategic management, and another on business and industry case studies. These titles will be published in paperback and e-book format for global distribution. Pearson and IIM-B will also evaluate the possibility of launching online education courses. IIM-B and the Financial Times (which has a presence in India dating back four decades), will also explore hosting conferences and seminars jointly.

“With our expertise and global experience in developing content and providing e-learning solutions, we hope to create world-class solutions for learners. With the penetration of technology, the global landscape of teaching and learning has experienced a sea change. We are proud about this partnership with IIM-B, and look forward to working on many projects with them to make learning outcomes better,” said Ranu Kawatra, president and chief executive of Pearson Education, speaking on the occasion. 

Gurukul The School’s Tech Spree 2012

The Ghaziabad-based Gurukul The School (GTS) in association with Tony Blair Faith Foundation organised Tech Spree on its sprawling campus in end 2012. “The objective of the festival was to stimulate young students by providing them a platform to express their creativity and faith through the use of technology,” says Seema Sahay, principal of GTS.

Classes VI-XII students from 15 schools in Ghaziabad and Delhi NCR (national capital region) participated in the festival. The events included Panorama, which evaluated student movie presentations on the theme ‘Peace, One World, One Place’; Symphonic Fantasy, which tested students on merging their own music compositions with a musical piece composed by the host school; Melting Borders, designed to test proficiency in using software applications like Photoshop and Corel Draw for design of magazine cover pages, and Devinette, a quiz contest to test digital knowledge.