IndiaCSR News Network
NEW DELHI: After successfully reaching out to more than 50,000 students across 30 colleges in Delhi and Pune in its pilot phase, LEADearthSHIP, a first-of-its-kind youth programme on leadership and business sustainability initiated jointly by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and Tetra Pak India, embarked on its 2nd phase on 2 September 2014.
The launch ceremony was attended by over 250 Delhi NCR college students who are seeking to be future youth leaders. Celebrating the achievements of the past year, the ceremony also saw the felicitation of the LEADearth Fellows.
In its pilot year, the programme inducted 24 LEADearth fellows who were able to gain first-hand experience of cutting edge sustainable practices by industry leaders and learn about the triple bottom line – people, planet, profit – through various interventions. The fellowship programme for a new batch is set to open in November 2014. Currently, applications are being invited from students from the two cities.
TERI’s Educating Youth for Sustainable Development Director Ranjana Saikia said, “We are pleased with the successful completion of the first phase of LEADearthSHIP as well as the involvement of the students during the programme.
The youth are becoming increasingly aware of environmental problems and issues related to sustainability. For this reason, it is integral to channelise their energies to safeguard our collective future. With the launch of the second phase, we aim to focus on giving more grassroots exposure to these students through experiential learning.”
Tetra Pak South Asia Markets Communications Director Jaideep Gokhale said, “At Tetra Pak, sustainability forms an integral role in the way we conduct our business. We believe that the youth – equipped with the right information and skills through the LEADearthSHIP programme – will lead the transformational movement by better understanding environmental issues and integrating sustainable solutions in their future careers. The level of participation and commitment showed by students has been inspiring and we are certain that this year LEADearthSHIP will give an even larger platform to tomorrow’sleaders.”
At the launch function, LEADearth Fellow Shreyak Mahajan, who won the programme’s “Antarctica Calling contest” and accompanied polar explorer Robert Swan on the two-week long International Antarctic Expedition in March 2014, spoke about the leadership skills he had acquired. He was joined by Ankita Tiwana, a young and prominent golfer, who interacted with the participants on skill development and leadership.
