Event | LEAD

International Women's Day 2016: Recognizing the Unrecognized

Women work without a break for their families, society, and friends all through the year. So, on IWD 2016, LEAD conducted their 3rd annual "Recognizing the Unrecognized", where women in our society who are rarely recognized but are responsible for important work were recognized for their contributions, such as cleaning railway stations, bus stands, picking household trash, selling vegetables etc. LEAD and LEADers believe that, without these women, our communities would come to a standstill.

About LEAD

The youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow. To that purpose, the LEaders Accelerating Development (LEAD) Program of the Deshpande Foundation was born. LEAD develops innovative and entrepreneurial thinking within college students by exposing them to social issues, encouraging them to volunteer their time and effort into the community, and igniting their latent talent to come up with creative solutions. Through this unique platform provided by LEAD, students are gaining the skills and confidence needed to transform their visions into realities. Armed with guidance, exposure, networking opportunities, financial assistance, and encouragement from LEAD, students from throughout 75 colleges and 14 districts are unleashing their leadership potential to go on inspiring and improving those around them.

Inspire, Innovate, Engage: Yuva Summit 2016

The 6th Yuva Summit, an international youth conference on leadership, innovation, and entrepreneurship hosted by the Leaders Accelerating Development program, began in Hubballi on 6th February with Mr. Ravindranath Gumaste, Managing Director of Kirloskar Ferrous Industries Ltd., cutting the ceremonial ribbon that let the hundreds of attendees, including students, faculty, entrepreneurs, and honoured guests, into the event grounds.

LEAD Prayana 2016

On 24th January, 107 promising students from across Karnataka and neighbouring states descended upon the VTU campus in Belagavi to mark the kick-off of the 5th annual LEAD Prayana. These students, along with 32 beginning their journey on the same day in Nizamabad, were selected from a pool of almost 500 applicants. LEAD Prayana, which began in 2012 with just 63 students, is an annual leadership journey that takes almost 150 passionate students between the ages of 18-26 throughout India on a 14-day tour across Karnataka...

My Story: Prajwal M

I am passionate about science, especially physics. My affair with Science started during my childhood and it deepened in my high school when I started participating in Science exhibitions with my models. During Pre University Education, I built the Levitation Train with few of my friends and grabbed prizes at several competitions. “Physics of the Impossible” by Michio Kaku was a book that exposed me further to the vastness of the science and motivated me to start a science group called “Blackbody Science Group (Which Absorbs All Wavelength of Intuitive Minds)”. This group engages in creating interest about science among government and physically disabled school children.

Special guest Mr. Nasib Bamal visiting project showcase

On 18th April, Ek Soch Sandbox at MCIIE (IIT BHU) hosted the LEAD Varanasi Valedictory of 2016.

The event was organized to appreciate and award the college youth for their leadership initiatives that they took to solve the problems of the local community.

College youth and faculties based at Varanasi and surrounding participated to witness the exhibition of top 25 leadership projects and awards to the best leaders.

The guests of honour of the event were Wing Commander Mr. Nasib Bamal (Commanding Officer, 7UP Air Sqn BHU, VNS), Dr. P.K. Mishra (HoD, Chemical Engg. Dept. & Coordinator TBI, IIT BHU), Dr. P.K. Sharma (Program Coordinator, NSS BHU), and Mr. Ajay Suman Shukla (Functional Head, LEAD, Deshpande Foundation).

Out of 108 leaders who successfully executed their ideas into action as leadership projects, 7 leaders were appreciated for the remarkable leadership work that they have done to bring a positive change in the society.

Shabnam and Amrita receiving Best Leader Award

Arya Roshan receiving Master Leader designation

Awarded leaders include;

Leaders Rishu Kumar and team (BHU) - Best Team Award for executing 10 leadership projects in the team of 12 members
Leader Priyanka Srivastav (Rajkiya Mahila Mahavidyalay, DLW) - Most Female Empowerment Initiatives Award. She executed 9 leadership projects along with her friend Susheela to solve the problems of DLW surrounding community. Read more about one of Priyanka's projects here.
Master Leader Uttam Dixit (BHU) - Best Leader Award for bringing tech solutions in promoting the education and ensuring 500 meters of road construction by motivating and ensuring the use of allotted fund to the village panchayat at Susuwahi. Read more one of Uttam's projects here.
Leader Dharmendra Patel (BHU) - Best LEADer and Best Project Awards for executing four leadership projects (helped 150 people to get the Aadhar Card, helped 250+ villagers to get the ration card without any extra fee, helping 118 village women and youth to open their bank accounts in UBI). Read more about the projects here.
Leader Anand Krishna (DAV College) - Most Daring Leadership Project Award for initiating and executing the project in four district jails to teach the kids below 6 years who live along with their mothers within the jail premises, executed same project for bricks Klein (Bhatta) workers' kids. Read more about the project here.
Leaders Shabnam and Amrita (ABRPG College, Anpara, Sonbhadra) - Best Leader Award for raising the funds and cloths from the localities and helping the 100+ people living on the roads and in slum in winter season.

Four leaders were promoted to Master Leader to further enhance their leadership skills and spread to word about LEAD on their college campuses. The new Master LEADers for 2016/2017 are Uttam Dixit (FoSc. BHU), Dharmendra Patel (FoA, BHU), Arya Roshan (SHEPA College), and Priyanka Dey (VKM, BHU).

Ms. SurShakti receiving recognition

As the theme of the event was "Recognizing the Unrecognized", LEAD also recognized a woman in the community whose valuable work goes unseen. Special guest SurShakti cooks the midday meal and cleans the campus at a local primary school, all while raising her family on her own. This act is a continuation of the successful International Women's Day project taken on by LEADers across the country.

The event started with a showcase of 50+
of the best projects from the year

LEAD Hubballi celebrated the accomplishments of LEAD 8 in their Valedictory ceremony on 20th April, 2016 with the theme "Recognizing the Unrecognized".

Guests of honour watering the plants for inauguration

The guests of honour, Mr Laxman Uppar (Director, Classic KAS & IAS Study Circle), Mr. Rupam Das (Hubballi Area Director, Clarks Inn Group of Hotels), Sister Erminia (Our Lady of Lourdes German Hospital, Dharwad), and Mr. Naveen Jha (CEO, Deshpande Foundation) presided over the celebration. The event was attended by more than 250 LEADers, students, and faculty from the locations of Hubballi, Dharwad, Haliyal, Sirsi, Hulkoti, and Ballari.

Many LEAD students were awarded for their accomplishments this year (see full list below).

Manjunath Gogi from KLEIT Hubballi won Most Promising LEADer for his dedication and work in his project TALAASH, a competition for technical ideas to win seed funding and startup mentorship, now in its third year. You can read more about Manjunath's story here.

AKSF Fellowship winning Best Team

Kush from NTTP Dharwad receiving
Best Innovative Idea from Mr. Laxman Uppar

Valedictory is also the mark to start preparing for the coming year. Harish Gadgin for KLEIT Hubballi was promoted to LEAD Ambassador, the highest LEADer level and a great accomplishment, and 17 LEADers were promoted to Master LEADer in order to start their journey in promoting LEAD throughout their colleges and helping to unleash the leadership potential in those students around them.

Best Awareness Project: "Career guidance program"by Varadh Kulkarni, Veerashaiva College Ballari

Best Adult Education Project: "Darkness to Bright Future" by Jyoti Hanagi, Jigulur Womens College Dharwad

Best Children's Education Project: "Destitute Children Hampi Trip" by Saibindu & Shashi, Veerashaiva College Ballari

Most Initiatives Taken: Sardharganesh H V, Veerashaiva College Ballari

Most Creative Project: "Canteen Renovation" by Raghavendra & Shushant, KCD Dharwad

Best Community Project: "Painting Road Breaks and Bus Stand" by Sampath & Abhishek, GFGC Kalghatagi

Best Innovative Idea: "Head Mouse" by Kush, NTTF Dharwad

Most Promising LEADer: Manjunath Gogi, KLEIT Hubballi

Best Fundraiser: "Help the Needy", Veerashaiva College Ballari

Best Team: "Wearing Helmets Saves Lives", AKSF Fellowship Hubballi

Pages

International Women's Day 2016: Recognizing the Unrecognized

About LEAD

Inspire, Innovate, Engage: Yuva Summit 2016

LEAD Prayana 2016

My Story: Prajwal M

LEAD Valedictory 2016 - Varanasi

LEAD Valedictory 2016 - Hubballi

Follow LEAD on Social Media!

Read the LEADer stories!

Locations

Check out the LEAD Prayana blog!