The major driver for UoC’s programs have always been the participants. For the third edition of the Creative Leadership Program, the participant’s energy to explore, enthusiasm to contribute and curiosity to learn remained inspirations for us, as we designed new opportunities for them to contribute back to their communities.

Whether it was through experiencing inclusion and diversity through UoC’s friends at Enable India, to getting inspired with the work of volunteers and change-makers at Notebook Drive, the program continued it’s charter of providing insightful immersions with organizations and individuals who are making purposeful change in their communities, whilst triggering a spark of creativity and leadership among the participants.

Finally, the day that all of us have been working towards was here. On the graduation day, it felt like the room was filled with lots of creative energy and ideas. This was the day when each of the participants would showcase their ideas in areas that mattered most to them. I was excited, for sure!

(Click on Image for gallery view)

To my surprise, one of the most reserved participants of our batch, Varun, a Software Developer, was the first to volunteer to present. It was quite inspiring to see the dedication and the hard work that he had put into his research – a subject that was close to my heart as well – which was on the ‘Impact of Workplace Stress’. As per Varun’s analysis, there was a need for replicating behavioural and cultural models that was followed by communities working in small-scale industries (who seemed to be able to manage stressful situations much better) into MNCs.

Iccha, who’s an IT Employee, touched upon a subject that she felt closely attached to – about the nature and state of creativity in the educational sector. Her intervention focused more on creating awareness at the parental level, to increase their appetite for risk-taking.

Shipra, a Design Student at Srishti, Bangalore, had recently finished working very closely with Enable India. Her project was related to increasing social inclusion for people with disabilities. Her intervention focused on the idea of ‘reverse inclusion’ – a concept that created opportunities for people without disability to be a part of spaces that were created by people with disabilities.

Nikhila, an Engineering Student from MVJCE, showcased a powerful presentation titled ‘Shh..Koi Sun Na Le’ – which discussed the taboos around menstruation as well as the harmful effects of using gel-based sanitary napkins. She focused her ideas around how one could re-purpose traditional and more sustainable methods to look at holistic health and well-being of a woman, than just look at menstruation as an ‘issue’ to be solved.

As usual, there were more inspiring ideas to share than there is space in this reflection. As we end the first phase of discovery for these participants, we shall cherish the moments that we spend together and learnt how to take small but significant stepping stones to being active contributors in their communities. Further highlights and reflections from the latest program, can be found on the CLP Event Page.

, ,