A six-month, part-time, field-based district fellowship on youth leadership, governance, and public problem-solving.
ABOUT THE FELLOWSHIP
Around 65 percent of India's population is below 35. For most young Indians, opportunity is shaped in the district — where they study, search for work, access public services, and imagine their futures. Yet districts vary sharply in the opportunities they offer.
This fellowship brings together two goals. First, it identifies and trains promising young people at the district level, helping them build a grounded understanding of governance, public institutions, and leadership in the public interest. Second, it builds a clearer, evidence-based picture of youth opportunity across Indian districts — documenting what exists, where the gaps are, and what can be improved.
Fellows will be part of a national pilot cohort working to shape India's first district-based youth opportunity framework, linked to YouthPOWER, the Foundation's initiative to define, measure, and improve youth opportunity at the district level.
THE WORK
Over six months, fellows will complete structured district-level field assignments using clear checklists, templates, and reporting formats.
All fellows will receive structured training before and during the fellowship, covering district government structure, how to identify relevant institutions, how to conduct field visits and interviews, how to record and verify evidence, and how to write clear field notes.
WHY APPLY
India needs more young people who understand governance, are grounded in district realities, and can engage public institutions with seriousness and competence. This fellowship is designed to build that kind of young leadership.
By the end of the fellowship, fellows will have a stronger understanding of district institutions, greater confidence in engaging public systems, and sharper skills in observation, communication, field documentation, and public reasoning — capabilities that open pathways into governance, NGOs, research organisations, media, and other public-interest fields.
Fellowship stipend, paid upon completion of all assigned tasks.
Training and fellowship certificate from the Future of India Foundation.
Selected top performers will be invited for an institutional exposure visit, including a tour of Parliament and meetings with Members of Parliament.
Top-performing fellows will be considered for permanent roles in their own state, subject to organisational needs.
Meaningful exposure to practitioners in governance, public administration, media, and academia — including district administrators and senior officials.
ELIGIBILITY
Preference given to:
COVERAGE
The fellowship is open to residents of 224 districts across five states:
The full list of eligible districts is available in the application form. Applicants must reside in one of these districts.
State capitals and major metropolitan districts — including Lucknow, Jaipur, Bhopal, Patna, Faridabad, Gurgaon, and Gautam Buddha Nagar (Noida) — are not eligible. The fellowship is focused on non-metropolitan districts.
SELECTION
Applicants will be shortlisted based on their application form and the completion of two screening tasks:
Introduce yourself and name your district. Then:
Be as specific and grounded as possible. We are looking for your understanding of your own district, not general statements about India. For instance, if you identify unemployment, explain what kinds of jobs are available, why young people do or do not take them, and what institutional gap might improve the situation.
Assessed on: clarity, seriousness, district-level understanding, specificity, and ability to connect a real problem to a practical response. Production quality does not matter.
Visit one youth-relevant public institution in your district — a government college, ITI, library, employment office, Common Service Centre, or similar — and submit a note covering:
Attach two photographs of the institution (entrance, signboard, noticeboard, facilities, or another relevant part).
Assessed on: careful observation, clarity of writing, and ability to connect one real institution to the larger question of youth opportunity.