Youth In Action: 72 Mumbai College Students Set To Tackle Local Civic Grievances Through 3-Month Community Fellowship

Mumbai, May 21: Around 72 young Mumbaikars began their civic action journey through the Community Connect Fellowship (CCF) by engaging with social issues for three months. The fellowship will conclude with the young minds conducting in-depth research on the city’s well-being, inclusivity, sustainability, and entrepreneurial qualities.

The 16th edition of CCF, organised by Blue Ribbon Movement (BRM), commenced on Saturday with the selection of 72 college students from 260 applications received.

The young participants, aged between 17 and 20 years and drawn from multiple disciplines across 37 Mumbai-based colleges, will work across 20 municipal wards over the next three months. They will identify the most common civic issues faced by citizens in their neighbourhoods and work towards solving them.

Programme focused on civic leadership

According to BRM, the fellowship is a structured leadership programme designed to foster civic awareness, leadership capability, and grassroots action among Mumbai’s youth.

Operating at the crucial intersection of the self, civic systems, and active citizenship, the workshop-based model serves as a funnel, transforming initial student interest into deep, long-term community commitment.

This year’s fellowship commenced with an immersive opening workshop designed to equip the young leaders with essential interpersonal and analytical tools.

Utilising a human library format, fellows engaged directly with established leaders from the social sector. They also underwent rigorous training in civic survey methodologies and participated in practical listening and teamwork exercises.

Over the next three months, BRM’s curriculum will balance practical community intervention with personal development through various aspects of social change, including a nuanced understanding of social issues, the capacity to execute action on the ground, recognising personal strengths, mastering the mechanics of municipal governance, and clear communication.

WISE survey to assess neighbourhoods

The cornerstone of the fellowship will see the cohort conducting a WISE survey within their own neighbourhoods. The survey assesses how ‘Well-being oriented, Inclusive, Sustainable, and Entrepreneurial’ Mumbai’s diverse localities truly are.

Fellows will use the data collected to identify pressing, everyday civic issues faced by residents and actively work towards solving them by filing formal complaints with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and tracking them through to resolution.

Last year’s WISE survey had identified a critical shift in priorities, as more than 800 out of 1,371 surveyed citizens stated that clean air, green spaces, and mental well-being matter more to them than jobs or roads. It also highlighted that only one in four citizens feels their locality is adequately prepared for climate shocks such as floods and heatwaves.

The average inclusion score in informal settlements like Dharavi reached 3.9 on a five-point scale, highlighting safety and social respect. Moreover, it noted that fewer than 30% of respondents knew where to access emotional or mental health support in their locality.

Young participants reflect on learning

Darshil, a fellow from the cohort, reflected on the immediate impact of the initial training, saying, “A key learning was communication skills, which I personally struggle with. Even during the tower-building activity, the group communication and reflection on it really stayed with me. It is really important that young people have such a space where they can come together and grow, and not just converse but contribute back to society.”

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The impact of the programme extends well beyond the three-month curriculum through BRM’s alumni network. After completing their tenure, these 72 fellows will continue to volunteer with BRM, mentoring and supporting the next generation of civic changemakers.

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