Project: Best out of Waste
'Best' LEADer Winner 2010: Geeta Hegde
Project: Best out of Waste
Government First Grade College, Sirsi
The Idea: After vehicles use tires, is there another use of them? Yes, there is. These LEADers found an innovative idea to make use of these old tires. Tires can produce strong and durable ropes with a small investment and can generate self-employment for many villagers. One used tire can produce a maximum of 3000 ropes. A single tire usually costs Rs. 150, but can produce a maximum of Rs. 3000 as ropes.
The Activity: The LEAD team trained poor people how to extract ropes, so that they could do this as their livelihood activity. Before, many of these people didn’t have any means of living. Now, with this new method, they can find a way to make a living.
The Impact: Now, tires are no longer being wasted in this area. The poor people have a livelihood and are extracting ropes for a living. This project was such a success, that the team is getting multiple calls to come train people to do this type of work. The team hopes that this project can be a model for the rest of the state.
Project: MAESTRO
2. Duration: 1/04/2011-15/04/2011
3. Team Leader: Hemanth S. Joshi
4. Team Members: Parth B., Sashwath N., Pramod V., Nikhil J., Akshata Y.
5. College: K.L.E.Institute of Technology-Gokul-Hubli
6. Place of project implementation: college seminar hall
hh
When Hemanth passed pre-university, he had to choose between an engineering degree or a medical one. This process was so confusing for him, that he decided to help other students out with their decisions.
The team hung posters of the event in all of the colleges. All college students were invited. They also published the event in all of the campus newspapers, and got permission from the principal to arrange a bus to bring students in from different destinations. They also requested that the principal and dean to teach sessions on engineering.
The team only had a few days. They took this time frame as a challenge and with a new spirit completed the project. They faced other problems, like running out of time to announce the project in all colleges before all pre-university exams were over. However, they did not give up. They published the event in all possible ways and gathered nearly 110+ students.
The most memorable experience was when they approached the principal to ask permission to publicize the project. He treated them like strangers, insulted and criticized the event. They did not gave up. However, the principal did not budge and did not let them publicize. They were really surprised.
After doing this project, Hermanth learnt many things, like teamwork and patience. He came to know about many places, new procedures and how to manage a team.
Because the team started late, they depended on LEAD to publicize their event.
The greatest achievement of this project, Hermanth said, was that he "got more experience in how to organize a event and manage time. I came to know how to manage studies along with extra activities."
The team wants to continue this event in their college every year. This will be continued by their juniors. They are planning to partner with the Times of India and LEAD to make this event a big and successful event in the college.
Project: Water Purification
Lake water is the only source of drinking water in the village for cooking and other domestic purposes. This has caused different health problems in the village, such as viral fever and infections. The people suffering had to travel a long distance to Hubli for treatment. Jerusha decided that the villagers needed to be taught various methods to filter water.
The project was done in a village named Shriguppi, 18kms from Hubli, with approximately 400 families. The team visited the village on 25th of May 2011 and, after a lot of effort, they were successful in convincing the Panchayat of the project's importance. Later, they gathered plastic filter knobs to distribute and prepared charts with several directional pictures. The villagers gathered in the nursery school for the lesson and the knobs were distributed.
The challenging task was convincing the Panchayat and gathering the people in one place. Another challenging task was to explain the importance of filtration through the charts in Kannada. The Panchayat was also asked to repair the filter machine, which had been given by the government.
The most memorable moment for the team was when they were standing in front of 100 people and trying to teach in Kannada, which was very difficult. At some point, people laughed at their grammatical mistakes. The purchasing of 350 knobs and preparing of charts all are very memorable experiences of the project.
Jerusha learned how to be a good leader, to face all challenges, to co-operate, co-ordinate, and work as a team. He said, "I’m good at projecting my ideas in front of people and this project has taken away the sense of shy feeling and made me friendly."
However, Jerusha thought the communication of the project could have been improved.
Jerusha said, "The greatest achievement of this project was that the people there are now filtering the water before consuming it and the Panchayat has now repaired the filter given by government."
Jerusha would
6-16 Jan 2012 LEAD Prayana
-->
An initiative of LEAD, Prayana is a 10-day journey of Karnataka to unleash students' leadership potential. One hundred talented participants, ages 18 - 25, are taken to 9 destinations - Hubli, Sirsi, Manipal, Dharmasthala, Mysore, Bangalore, Chitradurga, Hampi and Bijapur.
In the upcoming 2012 LEAD Prayana, students will have the opportunity to meet celebrated Indian leaders in the Inspirom Series. Last year such personalities included, Kiran Bedi, India's first and highest ranking female officer in the Indian Police Service, social activist and TV personality; Gururaj Deshpande, entrepreneur and chairman of Sparta Group LLC, A123 Systems, Sycamore and Tejas Networks, and founder of the Deshpande Foundation; Ramji Raghavan, founder of Agastya International Foundation; Prasanna, founder of DESI and designer of national repute; Veerendra Heggade, a leader, philanthropist and educator; and L. Narayan Reddy, an innovative organic farmer and contributor of LEIS magazine. Visit the LEAD Prayana website for more information.
Jan 16 2012 LEAD Mela
-->
LEAD Mela is the biggest LEAD event of the year. Held in January during the Deshpande Foundation’s annual conference, the Development Dialogue, LEAD showcases to the world its most innovative projects and awards its top young leaders.
During last year's LEAD Mela, over 200 projects were showcased and 11 awarded for their special commitment and dedication towards bringing about social change. Several distinguished leaders made an appearance, such as Drs. Gururaj and Jaishree Deshpande, co-founders of the Deshpande Foundation and Nayaran Murthy, founder of Infosys, the first Indian company to be listed on NASDAQ.
15 Jan 2012 Yuva Summit
-->
The Yuva Summit kicks off the yearly 3-day Development Dialogue, an international conference on development, entrepreneurship, and cultural showcases. This year, the Yuva Summit will be held on the 15th of January 2012. We are excited to announce that Infosys founder Narayana Murthy and Deshpande Foundation founder 'Desh' Deshpande will be this years keynote speaker. We expect this year to outdo last year in every way.
At the 2011 Yuva Summit, the keynote speaker was Mr. Rahul Bose, a celebrated Indian actor, screenwriter, director, social activist and rugby player. Other special guest speakers included Dr. Gururaj Deshpande, founder of the Deshpande Foundation; Dr. Ashok Shettar, principal of B. V. Bhoomaraddi College of Engineering and Technology; Dr. Ken Zolot, professor of entrepreneurship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and Mrs. Meenu Venkateswaran, CEO of Pravah.
At the 2011 Yuva Summit, the keynote speaker was Mr. Rahul Bose, a celebrated Indian actor, screenwriter, director, social activist and rugby player. Other special guest speakers included Dr. Gururaj Deshpande, founder of the Deshpande Foundation; Dr. Ashok Shettar, principal of B. V. Bhoomaraddi College of Engineering and Technology; Dr. Ken Zolot, professor of entrepreneurship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and Mrs. Meenu Venkateswaran, CEO of Pravah.
Project: Shedding Light
Name of the project: Parking shed in BVB campusDate: 25/3/2011- 30 /6/2011
Team Leader: Sonika B. Mohite
Team Members: Jugal V. Hiran, Sumathi Kulkarn, Anil G. Kakhand, Pragati Shanbagh, Rajlaxm, Chinmayee L. M., Rajveer Rane, Akshay Benni
College: BVBCET
Place of project implementation: BVB college campus
The first thing Sonika noticed when she joined the College was that there was no proper protection for the vehicles from rain and sunshine in the campus. This caused the petrol to evaporate and damage the vehicles. Sonika thought she and her team had to take the initiative and so decided to build a prototype for the protection of the bikes.
Initially the college was not ready to give the team permission for the project. The team decided that they would do it themselves if the school didn't help. Eventually, the college gave in to their demands. The funds the team required were huge, but everyone lended openheartedly because BVB-ians wanted a parking shed. Teachers helped the team with the technical details of the shed. Sonika didn’t expect people to be so co-operative. She was amazed to see how much people wanted to do good things, if only given an opportunity. The pleasure one gets when they do something for someone else can't be matched. "Thanks to LEAD," said Sonika, "I know I am gonna have more of that good feeling coming my way."
Foremost, Sonika learned how to manage people in a group. She learnt how to let everybody shine and use their specific talents. She realised that you have to know your capability and resources at hand before taking up any work. The most important lesson, however, was never to give up.
Sonika said that there were some things she could improve on. "I think we could have planned out better and then we wouldn't have the clash of the project with exam dates." Yet, Sonika feels the project was a great accomplishment. She said, "my friends thanked me as their bikes now had a shelter and we did see a bit of people coming early so they could park their vehicles in the shade. That made me feel real proud,and it got me thinking if only I could provide that shed better to the whole college." She plans to extend the project. "I would love to take up the same project again," she said, "and cover the whole BVB campus. I am also open to new projects. All I look forward to, in this endeavour, is to do something for others and better myself as a person." Project: Stationery for Everyone!
Leader: Prashant Iligar
Team: Pradeep, Akshay, Veena, Gouri S, Ashwini M
Date of implementation : April- June 2011
Place: Vijaynagara School
College: BVB CET Hubli
Students who have no amenities like others are capable of outshining the ones who have the supplies. When Prashat Iligar found out that students of Vijaynagara School lacked basics, such as writing materials, pens and books, he felt that it was his duty to help them. 
Sixty students are given free education in the school. These children are from poor families, but have a zeal to learn. The team planned to collected stationery, such as notebooks, pens, pencils, erasers, sharpeners, scales, and even money. BVBCET, IMSR, CBA, PCJabins are the colleges that contributed to the cause.
The second phase of the collection took place in June, when the school reopened. The response to the second phase of collection was positive. Eighty percent of the work was completed earlier, while the rest took place in June. The school authorities were excited about the endeavour. Project: Canteen Mural
Leader: Abhinash
Team: Pooja B, Pratyush P,Abhilash, and Priyanka
Date: January to November 2010
College: BVB CET
Place: BVB CET
Abhinash believes that everyone has an abundance of talent. He and his team decided to help students showcase their talent though a graffiti wall. He secured permission from the college authorities to cover a space on the canteen wall. Every time somebody does some creative work they have to wait a year for the annual magazine to publish it. This wall would be an outlet to showcase work by budding artists and writers. 
The canteen is the most ideal place to create the wall because most students use the canteen. What better motivation is there than having thousands of students and faculty see and appreciate the work? During the months when the wall was active, they received at least 3 artworks a day. This was also a platform to shortlist the work that could be shown in the magazine. 
The wall was built like a notice board, where work was displayed. The artwork was later returned to the creators. The procedure was simple: the creators would contact Abhinash who would then post it on the wall. Because of his busy schedule the wall has been a little less active.
Project: Bottle Shoes
Leader : Ankur Verma
Team: Sourab, Debjyoti and Rakesh
College: KLE CET, Belgaum.
Place of implementation: Khanapur
Date: 7/12/2010
Having prior experience with Thinkindia and UNICEF, Ankur decided to use this experience in association with LEAD and create a difference in the lives of the people of Khanapur in Belgaum. After speaking to one of his friends, he discovered that few people had shoes in the small village. Ankur decided to make the best use of the available resources and make shoes out of old mineral water bottles. After collecting 40 bottles, Ankur and team made 20 pairs of shoes. They distributed the shoes freely. The cost of making the shoes is minimal since they used nylon threads. The nylon bands are sturdy and do not wear off. Ankur told the people how to make the shoes and showed them how to fill the bottles with cloth for more comfort.
The experience has been good and rewarding. As Ankur wishes to be an entrepreneur, this experience has been an insight.
Project: The Art of Banking
Title: Banking literacy
Team leader: Shweta Hegde
College: MES college
Place: Shiraguni, Sirsi
Date: 10/12/2010
Shweta, a commerce student herself, knows the importance of banking, especially at a young age where the idea of saving can be incorporated easily. She decided to educate a few 10th graders in the local government school about banking. The lecture included why students should open bank accounts, the advantages of ATM cards and transactions using cheques. Shweta said, “well, these students will be leaving for bigger cities for further education and it will be so much easier for them if they know how to transact in a bank."
Shweta thought the task was challenging, as the bank manager declined her offer, saying that they were out of forms. Shweta convinced him and obtained the forms from the syndicate bank. By the end of the project, 25 out of 50 students had opened bank accounts in SSLC. Out of 25 students, 10 students have deposited cash. Some of them deposited 100/-, while some some of them 500/-. Other students opened their account with zero balance.
This project has helped Shweta realize that she can use her knowledge for the betterment of students and society. She has also learned the skill of communicating and convincing people.
Project: Yoga for Health!
Team leader: Pavitra Hegde
Date : 31 /10/2010
Place: Battagere, Sirsi
College: MES Commerce College
Yoga is a remedy for many problems. Having seen that women need exercise to keep fit, but lack the time for it, Pavitra chose to teach 25 daily wage women workers the art of yoga for a period of 8 days. These women have hard physical jobs, suffer from a lack of concentration, and are subject to several ailments.
Pavitra said, “They are suffering from so many ailments like fevers and headaches. These women are very poor. They are not able to pay the doctor's high fees for medical treatment.” Having learnt yoga, she felt that she should give back to the society.
These women practiced yoga for 2 months and have since become more active and healthy. They have been able to invest some time in themselves and have cured themselves. The experience has taught Pavitra the advantages of taking up an initiative, and come out of it more confident and with a better application for her skills.Project: Insured and Assured!
-->
Project Leader: Mallikarjun
Team: Jaydev
College: Ayurvedic College
Date: 21 January 2011
Place: 8 villages in Bijapur.
After noticing that the villages close to Bijapur had very little information about insurance, Mallikarjun decided to create awareness about the issue. Insurance is an important requirement and people from small villages are unaware about it, and Mallikarjun is of the opinion that people should see the importance. 
However, he knows that with hidden costs and expenses, private insurance companies are troublesome. The concept of Postal Life Insurance (PLI) and its advantages struck Jaydev, who suggested this to Mallikarjun. Postal Insurance has a very low investment beginning from Rs. 10. The team addressed people in 8 villages: Honnavar, Kaulgi, Sarwad,Hegyal and few others around Bijapur. Nearly 85 people have opted for PLI and are happy with the decision. They are assured that the Postal Department, unlike other private insurance companies, will not create too many complications during the claiming process. 
Although Mallikarjun and Jaydev had to speak to the village elder to get permission, it was all easy after that. They asked Mr. S.C. Patil, a FDC at the post office, to come with them to help people understand the process of applying for PLI.Project: Traffic Trouble
Master Leader : Manoj Vunki
Team members : Bharath, Abhi, Prajwal
College: PDIT Engineering College, Hospet.
Date: December 2010
Place of implementation: Dr. Rajkumar Park and Municipal Corporation, Bellary.
Manoj Vunki is a boy with big ideas and now he knows how to execute them. He saw that parking spaces at government buildings in public places lacked thought, discipline, or design. Manoj and team decided to design efficient parking spaces. He approached every government official in Bellary. He spoke to the Commissioner of Police, DC, SP, RTO office and even the City Court about his idea. Manoj secured permission from 7 places. The 7 offices included the RTO, court premises, Central Jail, Municipal Corporation and Dr. Raj Kumar Park. After approaching about 25 sponsors who promised to help Manoj with the project, Manoj decided to take the assistance of Mr. Bharani Prasad of Point Blank Ltd. (a jeans brand). The firm promised him a sponsorship of Rs. 25000 in materials. Manoj took the help of painters provided by Point Blank to paint the area by his design. Manoj designed the parking layout, based on the requirements, on his computer.
After missing a lot of classes in college and speaking to a lot of people to get permission Manoj feels that the effort was worth it and he feels lucky to have had the idea and the opportunity to execute it. He thanks LEAD for providing such a huge platform. His initiative is appreciated by local media of Bellary and it was published in a Kannada newspaper. Manoj won the Best Leader award in LEAD Mela 2011 because of this project. He is appreciated by hundreds of local people and hundreds of personalities who participated.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
