It’s hardly a secret now that top foreign colleges, especially the US colleges, put a lot of emphasis on community work. As you can see from the pie chart below, extracurriculars and community work (volunteering) make up around 23% of the college admissions (evaluation) process. In fact, it is the second most critical piece after college essays. However, post-COVID, things are not too easy and straightforward. In this post, Mandeep Kaur, Founder & CEO, TribesforGOOD talks about the 6-week remote internship on social work and community development for high schoolers. Read Summer Program on Community Service and Social Impact for high school students 2022.
Why are Extracurriculars and Community Work Important for College Admissions?
As reported by Forbes, in a recent survey of 264 admissions officers at US colleges, 58% of admissions officers agreed that community service has a positive impact on a student’s acceptance. More importantly, 53% stated that community service was a tiebreaker between equally qualified students. Additionally, 61% of admissions leaders at private four-year universities reported community service as a tiebreaker.
How Colleges Look at Extracurriculars:
The colleges look at extracurricular from a different lens. Every college needs to have a sports team, need to have an editorial staff, need to have event volunteers, need to have musicians, need to have a debate team, etc.
As they build the class out, they look at admitting students who are interested in these extra-curricular and also have experience. As a student, follow your interest but some activities may be highly competitive and some may not. For any activity you pursue, you just need to show your “spike” in it so some of the top colleges think about you when they are looking at the diversity of the admitted pool.
How Colleges Look at Community Work:
Every College likes to have students who are “good citizens” and want to do good. Leadership and community service is your avenue to show them how you have made a difference and how you plan to be a good community citizen.
Many students try to check this off on the list by doing a few weeks of work, but that is not good enough to impress the admission teams at the top colleges. You should show them your commitment through involvement over years or by meaningful participation and results.
Read more on Why is Community Service so Important for College Admissions?
Build your Profile by doing Social Good and Community Development
By Mandeep Kaur
“If our hopes of building a better and safer world are to become more than wishful thinking, we will need the engagement of volunteers more than ever.”
– Kofi Annan
“Some people only ask others to do something. I believe that, why should I wait for someone else? Why don’t I take a step and move forward?”
– Malala Yousafzai
TribesforGOOD, a Mumbai-based Social Enterprise works with the same motto of giving back to society by equipping young minds. The Global Challenges and Social Justice program offered by TribesforGOOD encourages students to think critically about their role in society & their influence as future leaders.
Through an experiential learning program & by delving into live projects, high-schoolers in urban India deep-dive into analyzing the world’s resources & their individual contribution to a nation’s growth, therefore, developing an understanding of challenges on a micro & macro level.
About Global Challenges and Social Justice
TribesforGOOD’s unique social impact curriculum allows students to explore causes on a personal & professional level – incorporating social responsibility as a part of daily life. Students undergoing training under TribesforGOOD will gain a greater understanding of the environmental & social challenges that are shaping the nation; the current state of their communities & how to create an impact that brings value to society.
Can a Young High schooler make a difference?
“I’ve been working with Nanditha and Heidi in the Menstrual Health and Hygiene and the theater classes respectively; Hands down, these few weeks have been a journey of self discovery and immense knowledge. I’ve spoken, listened and learnt and plan on doing do for as long as I can.”
– Devyani, Grade 11, The Mother’s International School Delhi
“The project aided me in creating a sustainable change among real people by teaching them more about technology. I also believe that our creation of a database of welfare schemes will also be highly impactful!”
– Anjolie, Grade 11, Singapore International School, Mumbai
The program is for high school students (13-18yrs) with a keen interest in solving social issues and contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations. The key prerequisite for the course is sheer passion and an attitude to learn and help each other. A TFG student’s journey starts with the selection of a suitable project and a social cause that can help both the Partner NGO and the student. The program includes expert mentorship, guidance, and exposure to the realities of social work through “Virtual Field Visits”.
A word with Team TFG
Our Team mainly works with passionate high-schoolers/ Gen-Z from urban backgrounds. Thanks to the age of tech, they understand the impact & connectivity that technology brings to our lives. Seen as one of the “most vocal” generations with great influences like Greta Thunberg, Mari Copeny & Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, GenZ has contributed to the rise in socially conscious citizens who recognize the various disparities in today’s world and are seen as driving forces of change.
Our work was to identify crucial yet exciting themes and projects for the students to learn and grow from. This year, we ventured into the nitty-gritty of Digital Inclusion, Gender Justice, Youth Employability, Financial-Digital Literacy, etc by working with grass-root NGOs.
As 2021 is nearing its end, we plan to delve even further into areas like Human Trafficking, Environmental sustainability, etc.
Program Schedule:
- Week 1: Understand the basics of community service and the social cause
- Week 2-3: Customized Action Project + Research
- Week 4-5: Prototype your idea/ Field Work
- Week 6: Pitch your Action project + Report Writing
- Post Program: Expert mentorship + Alumni initiatives and activities
Want to Build your Profile by doing Social Good?
Apply for the TribesforGOOD Program
Our 2021 Final Projects:
- Project Pancchi: Project Pancchi envisions to support girls with a vulnerable past( victims and survivors of Human Trafficking and abuse) who wants to set a foot into the world of opportunities. Creating awareness and equipping the girls with the right tools/ information is a key aspect of the project.
- I have a Doubt: The campaign is intended to bridge the education-digital gap created by the pandemic and provide learning support to students from humble backgrounds.
- Puccho Sakhi/ Seekho Sakhi: The Pucho-Seekho Sakhi campaign entails 2 important aspects of change: Awareness and Upskilling. The project focuses on women from low income families and tries to impart crucial knowledge about the Financial- Digital world along with upskilling.
- The Milk Bag Project: The campaign focuses on environmental sustainability by collecting and recycling Plastic Milk bags, and creating awareness among urban households.
Program Details:
- Start Date: Oct 15, Nov 1, Dec 10
- Fee: Rs. 25,000 (inclusive of taxes and 1 year post-program mentoring)
- Duration: 6 weeks
- Time: 2-3 online classes per week- Each session is 1hr long
- Application Form: http://bit.ly/TribesforGOOD
Tales of Tribe: Stories from our Alumni Changemakers
Did you know that nearly 130 students found their tribe through our community service program this year? Almost 3000 hrs contributed to solving Global Challenges by the Young Changemakers.
With a clear insight on social service, our Young Changemakers ventured into 1) Social Entrepreneurship 2) Building their own NGO 3) Activism and Advocacy 4) Social Media Activism 5) TFG Changemakers Collective, etc.
Want to Build your Profile by doing Social Good?
Apply for the TribesforGOOD Program
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Featured Image Source: Princeton Review