Bootcamps, immersive travel, and more: How this organisation is finding new ways to bring public policy to the youth

India, the world’s largest democracy, is also home to the world’s largest youth population. Given that democracy is the will of the majority, and the majority of India’s population — nearly 400 million voters — is the youth, it is essential to look at the way this majority can be harnessed to participate in democracy and contribute towards the development of the country.

The 21st century has witnessed increased participation of the youth in matters of governance and policy making— be it the clarion call for Lokpal Bill in 2011-12, or the widespread demand for a tougher law on sexual harassment resulting in the passing of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2015.

However, unlike the West, youth involvement in public policy in India is relatively new. The increased government focus at involving young minds in governance models with various fellowship programmes has also been supported by various independent think tanks, policy professionals, and non-partisan advocacy groups.

One such organisation, Vision India Foundation, founded by faculty and alumni of various IITs, aims to bring systemic reforms in India that align with the “nation’s aspirations and ethos.”

“We identify, mentor and prepare the brightest youth of the country and provide them avenues of nation-building. We focus on bringing systemic, long-term reforms by working on public policy, governance and institutional frameworks of the nation. To achieve this goal, young minds across the nation are engaged in a wide spectrum of activities,” says Shobhit Mathur, Executive Director, Vision India Foundation, and alumnus of Indian Business School and IIT Bombay.

Started in 2014, the organisation has  partnered with State governments, cities, elected representatives, quasi-government organisations, grassroots organisations, and academicians to work on different dimensions of public policy and governance. Till date it has mentored and trained over 500 youngsters from across the nation, and abroad, on projects including e-governance, rural development, education, local governance, and skill development.

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Building the nation, one project at a time

The organisation runs multiple programmes to achieve its vision of making India (Bharat) “a global power again.”

Milind Mhaske, Founder of Praja Foundation, a non-partisan organisation working towards enabling accountable governance since 1999 speaks of the importance of involving the youth.

“The youth are the future leaders of our country who will get into the bureaucracy, government, politics, and corporate jobs. As leaders if they are more informed and engaged in public policy we will have a better outcome for India. At the moment, engagement of citizens is not adequate to policy discussions and such programmes [like Vision India Foundation] will work as a catalyst.”

Vision India Foundation’s initiatives include a ‘Good Governance Yatra,’ an immersive travel programme that provides an experiential learning platform for aspiring change makers. It gives them a first-hand exposure to good governance models, an opportunity to meet policy-makers, ministry, and the bureaucrats behind the projects. Further, they also offer a 15-week immersive educational programme in Public Policy and Governance, with an aim to equip the students with a practitioner’s perspective.

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Policy BootCamp

Policy BootCamp is Vision India Foundation’s flagship programme aimed at training young leaders in public policy and governance. It is an opportunity for policy enthusiasts to engage with diverse leaders in this space and find out career paths.

The 21-day bootcamp is an immersive residential programme based in Delhi/NCR.

"The participants will get an opportunity to engage with politicians, bureaucrats, academicians, social workers, thinkers, and policy entrepreneurs. From job creation or Trump’s rule on tariffs and how it will impact the whole global economy to a recession or discussing agriculture— the cohort deliberates and discusses multiple issues through workshops, community interactions, group exercises, ideation workshops, and field work," the team explains.

The bootcamp also provides the 150 participants an opportunity to connect with union ministers, bureaucrats, parliamentarians, grassroots reformers, social leaders, academicians, impact investors, and young achievers.

“Public policy and industry has worked together with the government to influence policy since prior to independence itself. I believe that such projects will sensitise young people and will give them the tools and the wherewithal to serve in the different areas either in the policy front or as entrepreneurs and address the social problems in India,” says Dilip Chenoy, Secretary General FICCI.      

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Holistic development and growth  

The team is constantly on the lookout to update its research and filed work and curate programmes with an aim that their student-led ideation and projects can help the bureaucrats to replicate them at scale for mass consumption.

“We don’t just study innovative educational practices but also create institutional mechanisms to implement them,” Shobhit adds.

Vision India Foundation is presently accepting applications for its Policy Bootcamp programme.