Indicorps fellowship 2010-India

The Indicorps fellowship is a profound personal experience and an opportunity to understand participatory development through intense voluntary service. The structured program encourages participants to leave their comfort zones, place others’ interests before their own, test their own potential to affect change, explore their relationship with India, and understand what it means to lead by committing themselves to innovative grassroots projects. Indicorps believes that giving one’s time and energy, without any attachment to the outcome, regardless of the circumstances, is an unparalleled personal experience in service. At the same time, the fellowship is a chance for fellows to address their own identity, recognize their personal boundaries, and understand how to produce change in their environment(s). The fellowship is deeply rewarding, a transformational and challenging personal journey, and part of Indicorps’ collective experiment for change.
Approach to development:
Indicorps’ approach to development involves a total investment of body, mind and soul into the process of “being the change.” Fellows take individual personal responsibility to execute and complete projects, defined in partnership with local development organizations, that address particular community challenges. Recognizing the project as a foundational cornerstone or platform for change, Indicorps pushes fellows to actively test their and creatively explore the possibilities of community-oriented leadership.
More about the Fellowship program:
Each year, Indicorps selects young professionals of Indian origin for one and two year service fellowships with grassroots service organizations in India. To be eligible for the fellowship program, you must be a person of Indian origin (Government of India definition) and have at minimum a university degree or five years work experience. Individuals apply specifically to projects of their interest.
The first month of the fellowship involves an -intense, physically and mentally rigorous, month-long orientation to India, the Indicorps philosophy, and practical living. In conjunction with grassroots fieldwork, Indicorps also requires fellows to attend periodic workshops that encourage participants to deepen their understanding of Indian development, to reflect, to share progress, to collectively solve problems, and to re-energize. Some fellows opt for a second year to broaden their understanding of development and take leadership in managing projects or Indicorps programs.
The fellowship has stringent documentation requirements and promotes self-accountability. The program is carefully crafted to consider long-term impact and to defy common critiques of both international volunteers and the organizations with which they work.
Indicorps provides a nominal stipend to enable fellows to live simply and work in India for the duration of their fellowship. Basic room, board, and fellowship-related travel are covered by Indicorps or the local project partner organization. Indicorps is a total immersion program and encourages fellows to be a part of their communities to the greatest extent possible – including attempting to live within the means of their location.
NOTE: The Indicorps stipend is designed to cover only basic living costs, some of which may be provided in-kind. The stipend does not include airfare to/from the applicant’s current location, incidentals, health care or insurance, or a personal spending allowance. Participants will incur some out-of-pocket personal expenses during the fellowship year.
Evaluation for effort:
As part of our commitment to development, Indicorps will continually evaluate for effort. Indicorps reserves the right, at any stage of the program, to dismiss fellows who do not embrace the spirit and/or commitments underlying the Indicorps concept.
Before applying, please read the following documents for background related to the Indicorps Fellowship:
Fellowship Overview, The Indicorps Philosophy, Indicorps Fellowship Handbook.
For the 2010 fellowship year (as per Government of India’s definition), Indicorps will accept applications from qualified persons of Indian origin who have a university degree or five years of applicable work experience from anywhere in the world.
If you are not of Indian origin, do not qualify for the fellowship program, or do not think the Indicorps program is right for you but are interested in working in India, please contact us, we will work with you to find a suitable volunteer experience and may have other opportunities available. (you may also want to visit our Indiserve volunteer-matching platform).
A complete Indicorps application includes the following:
Application Part One, including:

• General Applicant Information
• Short Answer and Essays (Various)
• Self-Reference Form
• Two Outside References
• Health and Medical Form
• Current Resume / Curriculum Vitae
• Official Transcript (if currently enrolled in a graduate/undergraduate program)

Application Part Two(s)
(one for each project for which you are interested)
Phone or Personal Interview
(applicants may or may not be interviewed, interviews will be arranged after applications are completed)
Learn more about the Indicorps application process:
http://apply.indicorps.org/ApplicationGuidelines.php
Indicorps will accept supplemental application materials; however, we cannot guarantee that it will be evaluated. Supplemental materials should be sent by email to apply[at]indicorps.org by
(01 Mar, 2010).
Applicants who need to mail items physically should contact Indicorps staff for instructions before mailing.
Indicorps may conduct multiple interviews, contact references, coordinate face-to-face meetings with alumni, and request additional materials during the application process. In some cases, at the suggestion of the evaluation committee, Indicorps may ask a candidate to consider changing his/her project preferences (and file an additional project application, if not already submitted). Ultimately, applicants will only be evaluated for projects in which they overtly express interest.
http://www.indicorps.org/