Ground Zero
The Learning Journeys of Fellowships Aastha Maggu
“W
hy do nonprofits choose a fellowship model?”
“How do nonprofits develop fellowship models that are suited for their context?” “How do nonprofits make fellowship a meaningful learning experience for an individual?”
Universe Simplified Foundation
In the last decade, there has been a surge in fellowships launched by nonprofits. In this piece, we speak with four organizations working in varied contexts to understand their rationale and approach to designing and implementing fellowship programs. Universe Simplified Foundation Universe Simplified Foundation (USF) is a nonprofit working to make inquiry-driven, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) education accessible to all. The team envisions creating a world where hands-on, inquiry-driven STEM education empowers students and communities to find innovative solutions to real-life challenges. USF is working in the outskirts of Mumbai, in villages along the Kalyan-Murbad road. The parents of most of the students are farmers. About twenty percent of the children belong to Adivasi communities and their parents are daily wage labourers. In 2017, the Teach For India team piloted the yearlong TFIx incubation program where they partnered with eight entrepreneurs from across the country, supporting them to adopt Teach For India’s Fellowship Model and launch contextual teaching fellowships in their own geographical and social contexts. With the support of TFIx, USF began its
journey of developing a STEM fellowship in 2018. Henna from USF shared, “With the help of the TFIx team, we got access to resources such as courses, webinars, etc. and networks that helped us design our fellowship model. Peer learning sessions and mentoring from domain experts were also an integral part of the fellowship. As an alum, you can reach out to the TFIx team and network for support. For instance, I was speaking to the team recently and they shared some helpful resources. The team is also helping us secure funding for running the fellowship. Their support has been integral in the fellowship design.” The USF team hosted two fellows in the inaugural cohort. In 2020, with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent
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