By Mohd. Faheem Khan | Associate Director
Udayan Shalini Fellowship programme (USF) of Udayan Care is a unique academic excellence and personality development programme for deserving and talented girls from weak socio-economic backgrounds aiming to turn them into empowered and dignified women or Shalinis. It is unique because it goes beyond being a usual scholarship programme by not only supporting higher education but also providing regular mentoring and leadership development and inculcating a sense of social responsibility in them.
Summary
In the new academic session, the schools have returned to pre-covid mode. September to November was busy for students due to their class tests and other activities in the school. All the activities at the chapter level have begun offline. Shalinis are getting opportunities to meet their Mentors face-to-face. They all are coming together to attend the workshops. There is an extremely good response from Shalinis and attendance is extremely commendable for all the workshops.
The USF team continued their efforts to support Shalinis and their families whenever required and encouraged them to keep enhancing their skills through various sessions and programs. All efforts are being made to ensure that Shalinis are being guided, and workshops are being organized to get prepared for professional life and work-life balance. To be well aware and equipped with essential attributes of leadership, team building, negotiation skills, and employability skills.
The Selection Process has also started in all the chapters. The USF programme aims to induct between 1800-2000 girl students into the fellowship this year. The entire USF team, including the core committee members, is guiding the chapters to induct the most deserving fellows for the FY 2022-23.
We are pleased to inform you that a total of 919 Shalinis appeared for the class 12th exam across 21 Chapters, out of them 762 Shalinis secured 1st Division, 230 Shalinis secured between 80% to 89% whereas 107 Shalinis secured above 90 %. Despite multiple challenges at different levels including the Digital divide, Shalinis were able to achieve a pass percentage of over 92% across India.
Our workshops and sessions continued mostly in offline mode and some in virtual mode as per the ground situation. Sessions were conducted on diverse topics to help Shalinis enhance their skills which included Environment Sustainability, POSH, Suicide Prevention, and Career Counselling. Missing Awareness and Safety School Program (MASSp). Shalinis are made aware of the Prevention of Child Marriage Act 2006 and they will be trained to make the community aware.
Google trained Shalinis in Digital Marketing. 9 of them are absorbed by Logicserve with a good package. Dentsu & Publicis are interviewing another 10 Shalinis. Some are in process of being shortlisted. Other opportunities offered at Amazon & Interactive Avenues are in pipeline. One Shalini each has secured a job at TATA Electronics & Microsoft too.
Exposure visits were organized for the Shalinis to various corporates, industries, and institutes. EY Kolkata & Tresvista at Pune invited Shalinis to commemorate Independence Day.
Offline Mentoring has begun in most of the chapters. Shalinis are very excited to be guided face-to-face by their respective Mentors. New mentors are approached and a new set of Shalinis will be joining in. We are privileged to get a good response from EY, Tata Proengagers, IVP, Deloitte, Interactive Avenues, ING Netherlands, TresVista, and Genpact India to mentor Shalinis. Many alumnae from different chapters have shown interest in becoming mentor didis. All Mentor Didis and Corporate Mentors are being trained & oriented to the USF Mentoring programme. These workshops and mentoring sessions have helped Shalinis to be focused and ensure their mental well-being.
In September-October-November, our Shalinis had the privilege of attending sessions conducted by experts from diverse fields. We conducted 5 Employability sessions on the topics of Assertiveness, Non-Verbal Communication, Team Work, GD & Interview Skills, and Managing Workplace Bias- Women’s Rights various small workshops and sessions were also conducted on topics of Personal Branding, Managing Change, Building self-esteem, Suicide Prevention, Prevention of Child Marriage, Menstrual Hygiene. It has been a sheer blessing to have support from partners like Kunal Pareek, Ishan Behl, E&Y, and ICICI Foundation who have helped us keep our Shalinis encouraged through regular mentoring and positivity.
As an initiative to keep our Shalinis engaged, we celebrated Daan Utsav from 2nd Oct to 8th Oct and Shalinis from across the chapter carried out different activities like planting saplings, cleaning activities, and donated food, clothes, sweets, candies, and raw ration, also did awareness campaign at their level in small communities on different topics. The Daan Utsav was done across the country by Shalinis to make this world more beautiful.
We will also take this opportunity to thank all our donors and partners for always being the pillar of support for our Shalinis and extending all the help required. We also hope that they continue their support so that we continue working for the betterment of girls’ education and expand our reach to induct more girl students in 2022-23.
September
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In regards to the impact study of USF, a group discussion was organized by StartUp which is doing the impact analysis. Where shalinis and alumnae were divided into two different groups of Shalini and alumna. The discussion started with their experience in USF where they shared about their selection process, Workshops, Mentoring, Social Work, and Financial Support. The alumnae group talked about this experience and shared how they are still connected and engaged in USF and how Udayan care helped them grow. They also discussed what things need to be changed and what improvements they think should bring to in Udayan Shalini Fellowship. It was an amazing discussion that help them to freshen up their memories with USF.
After the written test, the next step in the selection process is a Personal Interview. We have conducted Personal Interviews (Selection Process 2022-23) of 150 Shalinis. There were 15 panels led by Faheem, Ashish, Garima, Ashish, and our Senior Alumnae of the North Delhi Chapter. All the 150 shalinis were present in the Interview with their parents. We are thankful to MSMS for their immense support all the time since the beginning of USF. Thanks, is not enough for MSMS support. Thank you to all the panelists, who came and helped us to complete the interview of 150 Shalinis successfully.
Session on Assertiveness conducted by Kunal from TATA Pro-engage with 1st-year shalinis. The session started with the meaning of being assertive and why everyone needs to have this skill. There was also a discussion on different kinds of behaviour and their benefits. Girls also got to know about what is being passive and aggressive and how assertive the most desirable behaviour in one’s life. There were many activities and role play, that helped Shalinis to understand things in a better way.
The session on Non-Verbal Communication was conducted by Ishan with class 12th Shalinis. The session started with what is non-verbal communication. Shalinis have their definition and talked about why is it important in their life. In the session they learned about how to stand up, sit, shake hands, facial expressions, tone of voice, etc. which is a part of body language. It was an engaging session where Shalinis got to know about the importance of Non-verbal Communication.
We are at the final of selecting our Shalinis which is home visits. We have done a total of 88 home Visits at different places in North Delhi Which include, Sakurpur, Rohini different sectors, Jahangirpuri, Keshav Puram, Shalimar Bagh, and many more. In the whole process alumnae, Shalini of the North Delhi Chapter was a big support. And now we will be selecting 60 shalinis for the FY 2022-23.
October
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From 2nd October to 8th October, every year Udayan care celebrated Daan Utsav (Festival of Giving) where all the shalinis across India did donations at their level. During the Daan Utsav Week, shalinis planted saplings, did cleaning activities, and donated food, clothes, sweets, candies, and raw ration. They also did an awareness campaign in their communities to sensitize people about donations and how it is important. During the Daan Utsav week, they not only donated themselves but also inspired many people from their community college and school.
A session on government schemes of Insurance has been done by E&Y. The session started with the definition of Insurance. Where shalinis have discussed a different kind of insurance. Then there was a discussion on why insurance is important and how it helps people in their life. They have mainly shared about Pradhan Mantri Jivan Jyoti Bima Yojna (PMJJBY), and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojna (PMSBY). They have shared about its eligibility, benefits, and how to avail of it. Shalinis was excited and curious. They have asked many questions and resolved their queries. It was an interesting and informative session.
A session on Mental health day was conducted by Deloitte, the session started with the importance of mental health and then shalinis started sharing their view on what do they understand when we say mental health. Then the resource person shared about the social stigma related to mental health. Shalinis have also shared their experience and thoughts on the same. They have also discussed how one can help others when they are dealing with mental health issues and what are the signs to understand one’s situation. Shalinis have also shared their experience if they have faced these issues or if some of their friends have experienced this. It was an interactive session.
The Mental Health Day session was celebrated by North Delhi shalinis, who participated in different activities. These activities are:
1. Think - What you do for your mental health.
2. Do - Do that activity today, which help you to heal your mental health.
3. Share - Share your one picture of doing the activity.
In this activity, shalinis did self-realization where they found out what they do with their mental health, and do they consider it as an important part of their life. They decided to do different activities which help them to relax and give them peace of mind. The shalinis did different activities like writing poems, loving nature, walking out alone, painting, arts and crafts, and many more activities.
They also spread awareness among people around them and shared these activities. That helped others to heal their mental health.
A session on Menstrual health and hygiene was conducted by Genpact for our shalinis. Menstrual health is part of every girl’s life so this session is one of the important sessions where Shalinis got to know about what are the reasons for periods, What are period cramps, remedies to fight menstrual cramps, How to maintain a good diet during periods and what are the do’s and don’ts during periods. They also discussed mood swings and premenstrual syndrome, What precautions one can take to maintain good hygiene during periods. Shalinis asked many questions and resolved their queries related to periods.
A session on Team Building was conducted by Dimpika with 2nd-year shalinis. The session started with what is a team and why is it important in one’s life. Then they discussed what are the places where teams can be seen. They also got to know what are the important dos and Don’ts when you work in a team. Then they also got to know about what are the key steps of team building. Many activities were being done for a better understanding of shalinis. It was an interesting session where shalinis learned about how to work in a team.
As batch 17 shalinis are in the final year of their college, they must soon appear for Group discussions and interviews for their jobs and further studies admissions. This session was organized for them to understand the basics of GD and Interview skills. The session started with the definition of group discussion and interviews. They have discussed what are the dos and don’ts when you are in an interview or GD and what things are being noticed by the interviewer or employer. There were a mock GD and Interview was organized to give a better understanding of to Shalinis the process. It was an interesting session and because of the activity girls got the chance to practice it physically.
A session on promoting entrepreneurship was organized by the Fauji startup group, it was joined by our final year and alumnae shalinis. The session started with the importance of startup and business ideas. Where he shared the comparison between a job and having own business. Shalinis also got to know about the online promotion of their business and developing a website. Commander Mittal and his team motivated shalinis to think of some good business ideas and start working on them.
November
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A session on Workplace bias was organized for our 1st-year shalinis as they are going to their colleges and must be encountering different biases. To understand and handle these situations session was organized. The session started with the definition of biases and what types of biases exist. The session majorly focused on gender bias and other biases that are prevalent in society. The session also helped shalinis to understand how to address these biases. There were many activities and role plays were conducted for a better understanding of shalinis. They enjoyed the session and also shared their learnings at the end of the session.
A session on Gender Bias was conducted by Sapna and the session started with what is the difference between gender and sex. How gender is socially constructed and why this gender bias exists. Shalinis also shared their daily life experience and their impact on their lives. There was a brief discussion on women’s rights and are major laws to protect those rights. Like Maternity Act, POSH, and other acts related to women’s rights. There were many activities and role play conducted to give a better understanding of the shalinis. They have also got to know how to combat this gender bias in their lives.
On 13th Nov 2022, we conducted our Orientation Session for our new batch (Batch 21). The session was started by Faheem (Associate Director, USF). Where he motivated Shalinis and their parents also shared about USF Program in brief. Sheel (NDEL core committee member) also joined and motivated girls with his beautiful words. Kit distribution and pledge ceremony were also done. All the new Shalinis and their parents were happy to join the session. We would like to thank Faheem for his leadership, innovative ideas, regular guidance, and presence in the whole selection process. Thank you to Sheel for taking out time of his busy schedule and joining the session. Thanks to MSMS for their regular support at every program. One more thing would like to share is that MSMS infrastructure is transformed and more attractive now. Credit goes to the Trustees of the Mahavira Foundation for the same.
On 16th Nov 2022 we conducted our 21st Induction Ceremony online. We have indicated a total of 71 Shalini in the North Delhi chapter this year (FY 22-23). The event was commenced by Neha an alumna & Program Coordinator of the North Delhi chapter We were honoured to have Bharat, Member secretary of Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA) as our Chief Guest. We are very much thankful to our Founder & Managing Trustee, Kiran. Our Chairperson of the North Delhi Chapter S. L. Jain, Our Executive Director Anjali, and our Associate Director Faheem for joining the event. The ceremony started with a formal welcome and introduction and was followed by the lamp lighting. Then Kiran interacted with new shalinis and motivated them for their future and also shared about the components of the USF Program. Then S.L Jain introduced about North Delhi Chapter and blessed new shalinis for the new beginning. Then Anjali Hegde addressed girls and motivated them to do well in their life. Then the event was followed by Faheem (Associate Director USF) speech, where he talked to the new shalinis and their parents where guided shalinis to stay motivated and focused in their careers, and also asked parents to support their girls. Then there was experience sharing by two of our alumna shalinis where they shared about the impact of the program over their lives. Then there was the pledge ceremony where all the new girls took the pledge to become dignified women. Then there was a speech by our chief guest Bharat he shared his experience and how he is overwhelmed to see the achievement of girls and the success of the program. Then he motivated girls for their better careers and also bless them for their future. Then there was a vote of thanks by Neha and the session ended with the National Anthem.
USF North Delhi Shalinis (12 Girls) participated in the FICCI FLO event at Ashoka Hotel today (21st Nov 2022), where they performed 2 plays on two different topics. 1. Are we independent that highlighted the different issues like child labor, child sexual abuse, and Women’s safety that are prevalent in society even after the 75 years of independence. 2. The second play was on Gender Discrimination where they highlighted gender discrimination in every sphere of life like Family, Society, and Workplace, and also conveyed a message that we are the one who is promoting this discrimination knowingly or unknowingly. It was an amazing experience for girls to perform in front of a larger audience.
Deloitte Impact Day was celebrated on 25th Nov 2022, where all the shalinis from the North Delhi chapter joined the session on the Importance of Networking Skills. The session started with a warm welcome of the girls and then they introduced a little bit about the topic. All the shalinis were asked to join the breakout rooms. There was a total of 26 breakout rooms and every room had one or two facilitators who will be taking the session of shalinis. In the breakout rooms, the shalinis got a chance to interact with their resource persons. In the session, they shared about networking and how networking is very much important in their lives. They have also shared about the social networking sites like Instagram, LinkedIn, and others sites too which are helpful to develop new networks. The session was very fruitful for the shalinis. They have learned a lot of new things and enjoyed the session.
DEEKSHA, Batch 14
Deeksha joined USF in 2015. Currently, she is working as a digital marketing professional at LS Digital, Gurgaon. She belongs to a lower-middle-class and conservative family. But She says after joining USF thought process of her whole family completely changed. When she joined USF She was a very low confident, reserved, shy kind of girl. She always dreamt of a bright future and always hoped for an independent life. Since She joined USF, her life transformed fully and so beautifully. After coming to USF She has participated in public speaking, and social camps, taught kids, worked for awareness regarding many social stigmas, represented her college in many sports, achieved university certification for boxing, became a junior Under Officer in Nation cadet Corps, served in NCC for 3 years as a cadet and later JUO, did a diploma in Graphic Designing. She says “All the credit for my achievements and current job also goes to USF only. I was sent by USF to complete my training in Google and got selected for this amazing opportunity. I am grateful for everything that USF has done for me. Now I am capable enough I can also help my mother to pursue her dreams. Currently, my mother is completing her education and pursuing BALLB. That’s why I say USF is a miracle for me and my family.
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