Vidya-Setu A Tribute for Education by Dr. Vijay Page

Preamble

The aim of education is primarily to prepare a student for life. University education further aims at

shaping the youth to conquer societal challenges and build a vibrant and enlightened civil society. In our

country, institutions of higher learning were founded as early as 7th Centrury BC (Takshila/Nalanda) to

evolve, develop and deliver knowledge to build a learning society, a tradition nourished and fiercely

guarded by modern centers of learning including the universities of Mumbai, Madras and Calcutta. For the

last 150 years, they have shaped millions of professionals and academicians who have richly contributed to

the economic and social upliftment of our country.

However, as the chasm between the haves and the have-nots appears to be causing concern, the role

and responsibility of academicians and centers of learning have assumed new dimensions. It has now been

conclusively held that the gap between the rich and the poor is basically the 'knowledge gap'. Though

technological advancements like the World Wide Web and global networking have brought us closer to one

another, it is critical to ensure extensive participatory exchange and interaction between the knowledge

haves and have-nots in our midst. Only through their bonding and fusion can we hope to build an

enlightened civil society.

Therefore, the United Nations evolved and adopted Millennium Development Goals (MDG) to mark

the 21st Century covering a wide range of critical concerns like: poverty alleviation, education, health, etc.

Through public and private partnerships and active participation of the NGOs, the UN hopes to reach out

to the global society. Though the goals are to be accomplished in two decades, the progress has been

insignificant in this decade. One cannot fault the mission or the message of the UN (MDG) for this lapse,

but there appears to be a strong case for integrating the youth medium into the program, besides

broadening the interface, to build passion for pro-active participation for societal upliftment.

Our university, while celebrating its 150th year of service, has taken upon itself the onerous task of

bridging the knowledge divide in our society through initiatives, which will reach out to the weakest

segments. They will galvanize the knowledge workers of the university, to reach out, especially to the

underprivileged sections and bring them in the main stream through empowerment and capacity building

by deployment of soft skills. The approach, content, methodology and delivery of this program focuses on

building small successful models driven by care, concern and compassion of the knowledge workers to

shape a mass movement, which will elevate the weakest segments of the society. This effort will be

integrated into the heart of the structured learning system with students and faculty leading the way.

This is our humble tribute to the society, which has richly contributed to the metamorphosis of our

university. A celebration of awareness, this is our offering "VIDYA- SETU" - a bridge spanning the

knowledge divide.

Dr. Vijay Khole Vice - Chancellor

University of Mumbai

Prof. Vijay PageDirector

MET League of Colleges

Knowledge bridge for societal bonding


Vidya Setu Knowledge bridge for societal bonding

Objective :

To evolve and deliver participatory civil society enrichment programs so as to nurture and

enhance the quality of life through interventions by students and faculty of the university by deploying

tools like, information sharing using IT, networking, dynamic training, skill development, counselling,

experiential learning and other soft skills, thereby bonding all the stakeholders for promoting

community welfare, harmony, sharing and caring, thus elevating knowledge economy to sublime levels

and in the process shaping the youth as responsible global citizens.

Core Program :

Our society like many others the world over, presents a multi-layered class structure with the rich

and the poor separated by an ocean of ignorance, lack of opportunities and aspirations. Undoubtedly,

the state and market mechanism are continuously engaged, in fine-tuning governance to build and

sustain the liberalized economic entity. But, the dice seems to be heavily loaded against the poor and

weaker sections of the society. A deeper analysis of the successes and failures of our system reveals,

that apart from the inputs of hardware and resources, economic sustainability and growth are

primarily driven by the software and soft skills - the knowledge component. There have been

numerous successes in our country where with the same availability of opportunities and resources,

a handful of societies and regions have progressed leaps and bounds. Driven by passion, they

surmounted obstacles and shortages through knowledge and skill set. The process blessed the

beneficiaries, while the change agents attained nirvana of sorts.

The Vidya Setu therefore has been designed keeping in view the benefit and enrichment of both

deliverer and the receiver. On one hand, the missions are meant to help the students and faculty of

the university to reach out to the weaker sections of the neighbourhood through knowledge sharing

and deployment of soft skills. On the other hand, this process of intensive and extensive interaction

with the broad strata of the society will enrich the learning of the academia. It will eventually shape

and mould the students as chosen members of the civil society, which they inhabit and will inherit.

The youth will undoubtedly bring in passion and a breath of fresh air and thought, which will

galvanise the forces of development and hopefully build a seamless enlightened society with equal

opportunities for all.

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Plan of action

Broadly, this involves the following components:

� Principal Missions

� Methodology and Focus

� Implementation

� Assessments and Rewards

� Logistic support and facilitation

Principal Missions :

The 15 principal missions proposed to be launched are as follows:-

1. Mission to Eradicate Hunger and Poverty

2. Mission to Promote Universal Primary Education

3. Mission to Promote Gender Equity and Women Empowerment

4. Mission to Reduce Child Mortality

5. Mission to Improve Maternal Health

6. Mission to Combat HIV. AIDS/ Malaria and Others

7. Mission to Ensure Environmental Sustainability

8. Mission for Popularization of Fitness and wellness including Sports and Yoga

9. Mission for Reaching out to Physically/ Mentally handicapped persons [Differently Abled]

10. Mission to Nurture and foster dignity and respect to Elders through study & practice of

Geriatric Care [Senior Citizens]

11. Mission for Providing Relief, Counseling and Hand holding to School dropouts/ street urchins

and other underprivileged children [ The Economically needy category]

12. Mission for Reaching out to high risk, high work pressure/ stress groups like Defence/ Police/

Fire fighters/ local train/bus drivers to provide emotional relief / counseling/ etc. to this High

Stress Category.

13. A mission to promote universal cross cultural understanding through culture tourism and

exchange showcasing the city as Global Tourism & Brotherhood hub.

14. Mission to Generate dynamic societal participation in development of Emergency response

systems and networking vital for Disaster Management

15. Mission to Develop Global Partnership for Development


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Missions from 1 to 7 and 15 are based on, 'Millennium Development Goals' promoted by the

United Nations and universally adopted to be achieved in the first quarter of this century. They are

aimed at development of an enlightened civil society worldwide. The missions from 9 to 14 have been

evolved so as to reach out to the community and ensure bonding of society with our

stakeholders.Under each of the above missions, ten sub-missions are proposed which will be focused

on action areas to be developed through participation of students and faculty, thus reaching out to the

STAKEHOLDERS of our education system. In all there will be totally One Hundred and Fifty new

missions proposed to be launched by the university in the service of community.

METHODOLOGY & FOCUS :

Right from inception, focus of the program would be on identification of the weaker, neglected

and under-privileged members of the community located preferably in the 3-4 km. radius of the

institution who would form the core of the beneficiaries to be covered under the respective mission

head. Having located the critical segment, identification of their needs with regard to knowledge gap

inhibiting their sustenance and growth would be done through benchmark surveys. Then with the

help of faculty and subject experts, tools and learning inputs as well as information sharing will be

deployed and delivered to the beneficiaries. Help support and participation of NGOs, voluntary

organizations, facilitators, neighbouring educational institutions including primary and secondary

schools will be sought to achieve the mission objectives. Thus, the emphasis of the program is on

empowerment and capacity building through training, counseling, skill development and other soft

skills including IT so as to build courage and confidence alongwith competence of the beneficiaries.

Care will be taken to resist access to instant success models involving doling out funds and goodies as

they have been found to be counter productive and harmful to the society. In addition help and

support of technology using IT and knowledge sharing and exchange platform will be taken so as to

improve efficacy of the program.

All these sub-missions will be delivered to the society on the following lines :

A. STAKEHOLDERS OF THE MISSION PROGRAM:- STUDENTS/TEACHERS/

ACADEMICIANS/INSTITUTIONS - These stakeholders of the university would reach

out to the society through students and faculty to serve with care, concern, compassion

and love.


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a. AREA OF OPERATION:- Each institution will sensitise its students/faculty on the

principal missions, thus forming the core of implementation team. This will be extended

to the neighboring school children/institutions, thereby ensuring complete coverage of

the area covering 3-4 km. radius. Besides, the institution may add either local or

outstation areas so as to work with other interested organizations and communities.

b. PARTICIPANTS:- The program will be compulsorily implemented by students and

faculty of each affiliated institution of the university, commencing in the 1st semester of

the first year in the under graduate program and will continue till the completion of

graduation. The registration of students will be done by registering minimum of five

students per sub mission at the undergraduate level. Thus there will be a minimum of

750 students for every institution. They will be guided by minimum of six full time faculty

members, consisting of one coordinator and five mission controllers who will each

monitor three mission. In case of post-graduate institutions, the number can be

proportionately adjusted, depending upon the strength.

IMPLEMENTATION :

The main action areas and delivery platforms for reaching out to the stakeholders will focus on

leveraging dynamic training, skill development, counselling, demonstrative and other learning tools

through students and faculty interaction. This will involve -

� Induction/Training Program for faculty, who will deliver the same to the students

� Promoting the missions among the stakeholders

� Registering interested mission beneficiaries willing to participate in the program.

� Delivering the program to the beneficiaries.

� Program review and impact assessment.

� Feedback, research and archives

After the INDUCTION of the faculty, in the first year students will be trained in the actual training

and delivering of the mission program. Initially, the second year students will be registering

participants, while the third year students will try to reach out the stakeholders to popularize the

missions. From the second half of the academic year, the first year students will continue mission

implementation in their chosen areas for the next two-and-half year. In the last semester of the

undergraduate program the students will undertake program review and impact assessment of the


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beneficiaries they have covered in the four semesters and submit a final paper of their achievements.

The post-graduate students of the university will be primarily concerned with areas like assessment

and review of mission program, monitoring and course correction and impact assessment. A paper of

the work done by each post graduate student will be submitted to the university towards completion

of the program.

ASSESSMENTS AND REWARDS :

Each student and faculty will contribute a minimum of three hours per week or sixty hours per

semester to this program. For this contribution, the student input will be assessed by the internal

faculty. At the end of the semester through joint evaluation of the mission coordinator and the

Principal of the institution, maximum of one hundred marks per semester may be awarded to each

student. Thus every marksheet of the student of the University of Mumbai will carry a new column

of subject Vidya Setu I to VI. The same will be applicable to post graduate students as well. This

system of assessment and allotment of marks will be fine tuned and implemented subject to the

consideration of the Academic Council and the regulatory mechanism of the university.

There will be at least one hundred and fifty merit awards offered by University to the students

and fifteen awards to faculty for best participatory effort every year. In addition the fifty outstanding

institutions will also be rewarded with trophies etc.

LOGISTIC SUPPORT AND FACILITATION :

The program will be monitored by the Directorate External Education of the University. It will

seek funding support from donors/industry/UGC/GOI, to raise and allocation of Rs. 1 crore in the first

year, which will be subsequently raised if needed. Necessary support of NSS, NGOs and voluntary

organizations will be sought to ensure speedier implementation of the program.

Thus, the entire mission program would be aimed at uplifting the weakest section of our society

through deployment of soft skills so as to help build momentum for generating mass movement, since

this would serve as a model and motivator to the upper strata of the society to reach out and attain

higher levels of economic prosperity and growth. The whole process itself will prove the belief of the

poet who wrote:-

“As one lamp lights another nor grows less,

Nobleness enkindleth nobleness.”


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M

ISSION PROGRAMS AND IMPACT

Now we shall briefly present the 150 missions grouped under each

focus area and present the desired impact. Here, it must be noted that

though it is assumed that each sub-mission will be addressed by at least five

students, thus offering 50 students per area i.e. a minimum of 750 students

per institution per year, the program coverage and resultant impact may

not follow a linear function. What is attempted here is initiation of a

dynamic process of change and quantification if any, may not reflect the

true picture. It is needless to state that development and growth are

reflected in the quality of life and not necessarily in metric tones or calories

consumed. Therefore the reference to numbers is purely to indicate the

quantitative dimension, which has to be read and judged in conjunction

with the impact it will generate on the quality of life of the poor.


Mission: To Eradicate Hunger and Poverty [Missions 1 - 10]

Objective :

To identify critical group of beneficiaries from the poorest section of the community in the

neighbourhood of the institution through an assessment of the micro economic parameters, while

keeping in view practical issues of access, mobility and perception to change and betterment, and

evolve and deliver appropriate needbased soft skills training to them so to sharpen and improve the

employability of the focus group through E-empowered information sharing, knowledge building,

counselling and support from facilitators and stakeholders.

Process & Phases :

(This is a part of the Millennium Development Goals adopted by the United Nations for

universal compliance by 2020.)

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MMiissssiioonn,, SSuubb-MMiissssiioonnss && SSttuuddeenntt TTeeaammss [[HHPP 11-1100]]

HP1 Critical beneficiary identification - with benchmark survey

HP2 Facilitate & Deliver need based Training programs for self sustenance & Leveraging network strength for work options agencies

HP3 Link up & Leverage Agencies for employment generation & promotion

HP4 Link up & Leverage Agencies for financial assistance & marketing

HP5 Set up Help Desk, Counselling & Information sharing hub

HP6 Develop web support System for data storage, management &online training

HP7 Identify & develop seasonal/ exceptional job opportunities with websupport

HP8 Networking with Ex-Servicemen/ public servants/ citizen groups/ etc. for synergistic action

HP9 Set up pilots for each micro area of assistance to deliver customized solutions for poverty eradication.

HP10 Develop idea exchange forum for promoting creativity and out of box thinking & action for poverty alleviation

Impact :

While each locality would present a unique model for development, the benchmark survey

followed by impact surveys at periodic intervals will help impact assessment. It will also help in

reshaping and redesigning the approach and tools so as to ensure rapid coverage of the critical group.

It may be difficult to quantify the beneficiaries of such a program but it will be safe to assume that this

mission group will be able to reach out to a hundred families in a year and facilitate upward mobility

of at least half the number per annum. This number will gradually go up manifold as more agencies

join the program and the community starts receiving the benefits of the intervention. Through this

process it is safe to assume that even with sustained input of fifty students per year, over 1000 families

would be benefited under this program in a decade.

Review & Monitoring :

The faculty concerned with the mission with support and assistance from the post graduate

students and institutions like TISS and Maharashtra Labour Institute, etc., will conduct a pre and post

program audit. This will help shaping the outcome of the program as well as help assess the student's

performance to facilitate academic evaluation.


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Mission: To promote Universal Primary Education

[Missions 11 to 20]Objective :

To identify critical group of illiterates both young and adults, belonging to the weaker section of

the community in the neighbourhood of the institution by conducting a benchmark survey with the

help of schools in the proximity with focus on illiterate parents of the school children and housewives,

while keeping in view practical issues of access, mobility and perception to change and betterment,

and evolve and deliver appropriate literacy and functional literacy programmes besides launching a

school children enrolment drive with the help and support of other NGOs and popularize the mission

through E-empowered information sharing, knowledge building, counselling and support from

facilitators and stakeholders.

Process & Phases :



* SDWT - Self Directed Work Team


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MMiissssiioonn,, SSuubb-MMiissssiioonnss && SSttuuddeenntt TTeeaammss [[PPEE 11- 1100]]

PE1 Critical beneficiary identification - with bench mark survey

PE2 Facilitate & Deliver literacy training program Leveraging network strength for extensive & intensive coverage

PE3 Link up & Leverage Agencies focusing on working male literacy

PE4 Link up & Leverage Agencies focusing on working female, housewife & senior citizens literacy

PE5 Set up Help Desk, Counselling & Information sharing hub especiallyschool dropouts

PE6 Set up SDWT* to link up & leverage agencies for delivering Survivalskills to school children/ teenagers

PE7 Link up & leverage agencies for delivering 8 Habits, cleanliness & hygiene to teenagers

PE8 Set up pilots for each micro area of assistance so as to offer models for follow up

PE9 Develop web support System for data storage, management & online training

PE10 Develop idea exchange forum for promoting creativity and out of box thinking & action for poverty alleviation

Impact :

Since high levels of illiteracy are present among the poorer strata of the society the mission will

focus on identifying whether children as well as their parents need functional literacy skills. In this

process the local networking with primary and secondary schools will help in conducting benchmark

surveys and identification of the beneficiary groups of young children and illiterate parents. This will

be helped by a school enrolment drive and reach out to illiterate parents, especially to housewives.

Functional literacy training programmes launched with help of NGOs and voluntary agencies will help

generate more interest in the mission. By forming Self Directed Work Teams (SDWT) with

participation of NGOs and students, it would be feasible to achieve mobilization of 100 beneficiary

families every year, thus easily achieving the figure of 1000 beneficiary families in a decade, depending

upon the ground situation.


The critical support of primary schools, NGOs and other agencies is vital for success of the

mission. Therefore faculty concerned with the mission review and support will have to keep this fact

in view while conducting a pre and post program audit with the help of TISS and other PG evaluators.

This will help shaping outcome of the program as well as help assess the student's performance to

facilitate academic evaluation


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Mission: To Promote Gender Equity and Women Empowerment

[Missions 21- 30]Objective :

To identify critical group of women including housewives, single mothers, working women and

widows, belonging to the weaker section of the community in the neighbourhood of the institution by

conducting a benchmark survey with the help of schools in the proximity with focus on parents of the

school children, while keeping in view practical issues of access, mobility and perception to change

and betterment, and evolve and deliver appropriate literacy and functional literacy programmes

besides offering counseling and employment opportunities including entrepreneurship promotion

through self help groups like Lijjat/Annapurna mahila support groups etc. with the help and support of

other NGOs and popularize the mission through E-empowered information sharing, knowledge

building, counselling and support from facilitators and stakeholders.

Process & Phases:





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MMiissssiioonn,, SSuubb-MMiissssiioonnss && SSttuuddeenntt TTeeaammss [[WWEE 11-1100]]

WE1 Critical beneficiary identification- with benchmark survey

WE2 Facilitate & Deliver Training programs aimed at developing self reliance & confidence

WE3 Link up & Leverage Agencies for providing training in functional education

WE4 Link up & Leverage Agencies for providing training in personal finance/marketing/ CRM areas

WE5 Set up Help Desk, Counselling & Information sharing hub including work and family issues

WE6 Link & Leverage Agencies for providing training in micro business/ entrepreneurship

WE7 Set up SDWT* to link up & leverage Agencies for participating in women welfare associations and programs

WE8 Set up pilots for each micro area of assistance to deliver customized solutions

WE9 Develop web support System for data storage, management & online training

WE10 Develop idea exchange forum for promoting creativity and out of box thinking & action for providing relief

Impact :

The mission will focus on identifying women, young and old alike especially those who are

illiterate and need functional literacy skills. In this process the local networking with voluntary women

self-help groups like Lijjat and others, will help in identifying critical beneficiary group and deliver

programs. Their involvement right from conducting benchmark surveys to the delivery of programs

will significantly improve response and coverage of the mission. By forming Self Directed Work Teams

(SDWT) with participation of NGOs and students, it would be feasible to achieve mobilization of 100

beneficiary families every year thus easily achieving the figure of 1000 beneficiary families in a decade,

depending upon the ground situation.


Women empowerment and promoting gender equity is a difficult task in poorer sections of the

society since the exploitation levels are very high. But with multi-level participation of voluntary

agencies, success can be achieved. Therefore review will focus on ensuring wider voluntary agency

participation for mission accomplishment. Therefore faculty concerned with the mission review and

support will have to keep this fact in view while conducting a pre and post program audit. This will

help shaping the outcome of the program as well as help assess the student's performance to facilitate

academic evaluation


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Mission: To reduce Child Mortality

[Missions 31 - 40]Objective :

To identify critical group of mothers with new born kids or pregnant ones, young and middle-aged

women including housewives, single mothers, working women, belonging to the weaker section of

the community in the neighbourhood of the institution by conducting a benchmark survey with the

help of maternity care centers/hospitals in the proximity, while keeping in view practical issues of

access, mobility and perception to change and betterment, and evolve and deliver appropriate child

and mother care, health and hygiene inputs with the help of NGOs and voluntary support from

Medical professionals and offer counseling and employment opportunities including critical medicare,

help and inputs from Pharma companies and popularize the mission through media based information

sharing, confidence building, counselling and support from facilitators and stakeholders.

Process & Phases :

(This is a part of the Millennium Development Goals adopted by the United Nations foruniversal compliance by 2020.)


MMiissssiioonn,, SSuubb-MMiissssiioonnss && SSttuuddeenntt TTeeaammss [[CCMM 11-1100]]

CM1 Critical beneficiary identification - focusing on women in labour & children below 5 years.

CM2 Facilitate & Deliver need based Training programs for child/ mother health hygiene & preventive care

CM3 Link up & Leverage Agencies seeking critical beneficiary participation in K.G. education

CM4 Link up & Leverage Agencies for including NGOs for offering cash/ kind support to the critical beneficiaries

CM5 Set up Help Desk, Counselling & Information sharing hub

CM6 Help set up SDWT* as early response mechanism for critical child health support

CM7 Help set up direct action group for abandoned & wayward children

CM8 Set up pilots for each micro area of assistance to deliver customized solutions

CM9 Develop web support System for data storage, management & online relief

CM10 Develop idea exchange forum for promoting creativity and out of box thinking & action for providing relief


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Impact :

This mission focuses on a highly delicate and sensitive issue concerning every household.

Therefore mixed student groups especially girls will have to be trained for overcoming the initial

resistance from the weaker sections of the community to identify the focus group. In this process the

local networking with voluntary groups especially the maternity care hospitals and specialists is critical

for identifying beneficiary group and deliver programs. Their involvement right from conducting

benchmark surveys to the delivery will significantly improve response and coverage of the mission. By

forming Self Directed Work Teams (SDWT) with participation of Medicos, NGOs and students, it

would be feasible to achieve mobilization of 100 beneficiary families every year thus easily achieving

the target of 1000 beneficiary families in a decade, depending upon the ground situation.


In this mission group induction of trained students working side by side with medical professionals

and voluntary agencies right from focus group identification to the delivery of mission programmes is

vital. Only through multi-level participation of mother care agencies and support of medical fraternity,

success can be achieved. Therefore review will focus on ensuring wider voluntary agency participation

with mother care agencies for mission accomplishment. The faculty concerned with the mission

review and support will have to keep this fact in view while conducting the pre and post program

audit. This will help shaping the outcome of the program as well as help assess the student's

performance to facilitate academic evaluation.

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Mission: To Improve Maternal Health [Missions 41 - 50]

Objective :

To identify critical group of mothers with new born kids or pregnant ones, young and middle-agedwomen including housewives, single mothers, working women, belonging to the weaker section ofthe community in the neighbourhood of the institution by conducting a benchmark survey with thehelp of maternity care centers/hospitals in the proximity, while keeping in view practical issues ofaccess, mobility and perception to change and betterment, and evolve and deliver appropriate childand mother care, health and hygiene inputs with the help of NGOs and voluntary support fromMedical professionals and offer counseling and employment opportunities including critical medicare,help and inputs from Pharma companies and popularize the mission through media based informationsharing, confidence building, counselling and support from facilitators and stakeholders.

Process & Phases:

(This is a part of the Millennium Development Goals adopted by the United Nations foruniversal compliance by 2020.)


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MMiissssiioonn,, SSuubb-MMiissssiioonnss && SSttuuddeenntt TTeeaammss [[MMHH 11-1100]]

MH1 Critical beneficiary identification - focusing on women in labour & post pregnancy period - with benchmark survey

MH2 Facilitate & Deliver need based Training programs for child/ mother health hygiene & preventive care

MH3 Link up & Leverage Agencies seeking critical beneficiary participation in mother care & disorders & liaise with Celebrities/ brand ambassadors/ etc. to seek their support for this cause

MH4 Link up & Leverage Agencies for including NGOs for offering cash/ kind support to the critical beneficiaries especially to honour outstanding and meritorious beneficiaries / felicitate/ display societal reverence for their achievements

MH5 Set up Help Desk, Counselling & Information sharing hub

MH6 Help set up SDWT* as early response mechanism for critical maternal health support

MH7 Help set up direct action group for abandoned & discarded mothers

MH8 Set up pilots for each micro area of assistance to deliver customized solutions

MH9 Develop web support System for data storage, management & online relief

MH10 Develop idea exchange forum for promoting creativity and out of box thinking & action for providing relief

Impact :

This mission is almost parallel to the Mission Group 4 which focuses on the highly delicate and

sensitive issue concerning the child and mother care which is an integral part of every household.

Therefore the student teams of both Group 4 and Group 5 will have to work together sharing their

network of hospitals and medicare fraternity willing to offer voluntary input for the mission programs.

Mixed student groups especially girls will have to be trained for overcoming the initial resistance from

the weaker sections of the community to identify the focus group. In this process the local networking

with voluntary groups especially the maternity care hospitals and specialists is critical for identifying

beneficiary group and deliver programmes. Their involvement right from conducting benchmark

surveys to the delivery of programmes will significantly improve response and coverage of the mission.

By forming Self Directed Work Teams (SDWT) with participation of Medicos, NGOs and students, it

would be feasible to achieve mobilization of 100 beneficiary families every year thus easily achieving

he target of 1000 beneficiary families in a decade, depending upon the ground situation. Since the

activities of Mission Group 4 and 5 are closely linked, joint mission groups may be formed for smooth

operation.


As this group is linked with Mission Group 4 we have to jointly review the mission operation. Here

again success will depend upon induction of trained students working side by side with medical

professionals and voluntary agencies right from focus group identification to the delivery of mission

programmes is vital. Only through multi-level participation of mother care agencies and support of

medical fraternity, success can be achieved. Therefore review will focus on ensuring wider voluntary

agency participation with mother care agencies for mission accomplishment. The faculty concerned

with the mission review and support will have to keep this fact in view while conducting the pre and

post program audit. This will help shaping the outcome of the program as well as help assess the

student's performance to facilitate academic evaluation.


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Mission: To Combat HIV. AIDS/ Malaria and Others


To identify critical group of beneficiaries belonging to the weaker section of the community in the

neighbourhood of the institution especially those residing in slums and shanty towns/ unhygienic

conditions, by conducting a benchmark survey with the help of health care centers/hospitals in the

proximity, while keeping in view practical issues of access, mobility and perception to change and

betterment, and evolve and deliver appropriate child, mother and adult care, health and hygiene

inputs with the help of NGOs and voluntary support from Medical professionals and offer counseling

and expert advice where necessary, including critical medicare, help and inputs from Pharma

companies and popularize the mission through media based information sharing, confidence building,

counselling and support from facilitators and stakeholders.

Process & Phases :




17|| ||

MMiissssiioonn,, SSuubb-MMiissssiioonnss && SSttuuddeenntt TTeeaammss [[AADD 11-1100]]

AD1 Critical beneficiary identification - with benchmark survey

AD2 Facilitate & Deliver appropriate Training programs for creating disease awareness, preventive care, early detection & curative inputs

AD3 Link up & Leverage Agencies for conducting mass awareness & treatment camps & liaise with Celebrities/ brand ambassadors/ etc. to seek their support for this cause

AD4 Link up & Leverage Agencies offering financial assistance, relief through use of latest technology support

AD5 SSet up Help Desk, Counselling & Information sharing hub

AD6 Launch of STWD* / beneficiary forum for seeking relief from work discrimination/ societal taboo

AD7 Identify & develop linkages with rehabilitation and societal care centers for community acceptance & support

AD8 Set up pilots for each micro area of assistance to deliver customized solutions

AD9 Develop web support System for data storage, management & online relief

AD10 Develop idea exchange forum for promoting creativity and out of box thinking & action

Impact :

This mission pertains to the preventive and curative regime critical for developing a healthy

society. Therefore in conjunction with Mission Group 4 and 5 this group will have to work jointly

sharing their network of hospitals and medicare fraternity willing to offer voluntary input for the

mission programs. Mixed student groups will have to be trained for overcoming the initial resistance

from the weaker sections of the community to identify the focus group. In this process the local

networking with voluntary groups especially health care centers/ hospitals and specialists is critical for

identifying beneficiary group and deliver programmes. Their involvement right from conducting

benchmark surveys to the delivery of programmes will significantly improve response and coverage of

the mission. By forming Self Directed Work Teams (SDWT) with participation of Medicos, NGOs and

students, and organizing mass awareness and treatment camps, it would be feasible to achieve

mobilization of 100 beneficiary families every year thus easily achieving the target of 1000 beneficiary

families in a decade, depending upon the ground situation. Since the activities of Mission Groups 4, 5

and 6 are closely linked, joint mission groups may be formed for smooth operation and the impact

may be significant by close networking of these mission groups.


This group performance is linked with Mission Groups 4, 5 since health and hygiene are closely

linked with the overall family health situation. Hence we have to jointly review these missions. Though

the mission success will depend upon induction of trained students working side by side with medical

professionals and voluntary agencies right from inception, arranging common health care and

awareness camps will be critical for success of these missions. Thus while reviewing the performance

of these groups, a holistic view of common efforts made to enhance the over all public health, hygiene

awareness profile will be necessary. Through multi-level participation of health care agencies,

voluntary agencies and support of medical fraternity, success can be achieved. Therefore review will

focus on ensuring wider voluntary agency participation with other health care agencies for mission

accomplishment. The faculty concerned with the mission review and support will have to keep this

fact in view while conducting the pre and post program audit. This will help shape the outcome of the

program as well as help assess the student's performance to facilitate academic evaluation.


18|| ||

Mission: To Ensure Environmental Sustainability


To identify and focus critical intervention areas for control of local environmental degradation,

polluting sources and agencies through environmental impact assessment studies, with the help of

voluntary groups and regulatory agencies, thereby evolve and organize environmental damage control

awareness programs and identify and facilitate execution of micro damage control and improvement

measures so as to generate a wider movement to facilitate mass societal participation, drawing help

and inspiration from voluntary agencies including environmental watch groups and statutory agencies.

Process & Phases :





19|| ||

MMiissssiioonn,, SSuubb-MMiissssiioonnss && SSttuuddeenntt TTeeaammss [[EESS 11-1100]]

ES1 Identify & focus on critical present & potential sources of Environmental damage to the neighborhood - with reference to the local situation through a benchmark survey

ES2 Facilitate & Deliver mass awareness & Training programs for creating community commitment to environment

ES3 Link up & Leverage Agencies involved in environmental damage control & sustainability for focused ground work in project area

ES4 Link up & Leverage Agencies offering financial assistance & technology support services especially to honour outstanding and meritorious beneficiaries / felicitate/ display societal reverence for their achievements

ES5 Set up Help Desk, Counselling & Information sharing hub

ES6 Set up SDWT* for environmental watch & monitoring

ES7 Set up SDWT* for offering direct relief to persons affected by environmental damage

ES8 Set up pilots for each micro area of assistance to deliver customized solutions for environmental sustainability

ES9 Develop web support System for data storage, management & online training

ES10 Develop idea exchange forum for promoting creativity and out of box thinking & action to ensure environmental sustainability

20|| ||

Impact :

This mission is directed to focus on improvement of environs and check polluting and eco-system

damaging sources in the neighborhood. Student groups will have to be trained for overcoming the

initial resistance from the weaker sections of the community living in sub human conditions so as to

convince them to eliminate the sources of pollution and eco-system damage. Thus through a close

interaction with the local residents and mass awareness drives involving voluntary agencies, eco-watch

groups and other environmental control, public and private agencies, the mission group will be able

to identify and strategize interventions. Their involvement right from conducting initial surveys to the

delivery of programmes will significantly improve response and coverage of the mission. By forming

Self Directed Work Teams (SDWT) with participation of environment watch groups, NGOs and

students, and organizing mass awareness programmes, it would be feasible to achieve mobilization of

100 beneficiary families every year thus easily achieving the target of 1000 beneficiary families in a

decade, depending upon the ground reality.


Assessment of this mission group performance is a complex affair since the environmental damage

and polluting sources are a result of long years of neglect and mass abuse by the weaker section of

society. Identifying focus areas for intervention and controlling eco-system damage touches delicate

social issues and therefore only through mass awareness program highlighting the damage caused by

pollution and eco-system degradation it may be possible to design and implement suitable

interventions. Here again the progress on ground may be slow, therefore patience and dogged follow-

up from the students may bring positive results in due course. The mission success will depend upon

induction of committed students working side by side with environmental watch professionals and

public and private pollution control agencies along with support from media whose help will be critical

for success of these missions. Thus while reviewing the performance of these groups, a holistic view

of common efforts made to enhance awareness towards environmental damage and pollution control

along with its adverse impact on public health and hygiene will have to be taken into account. Only

through wider participation of agencies linked with environmental protection success can be

achieved.. The faculty concerned with the mission review and support will have to keep this fact in

view while conducting the pre and post program audit. This will help shape the outcome of the

program as well as help assess the student's performance to facilitate academic evaluation of this

sensitive area.



Mission: Popularization of Fitness and wellness includingSports and Yoga [Missions 71 - 80]

Objective :

To identify and create awareness about criticality of physical fitness in the society especially among

youth and middle aged strata of the society and identify a focus group of youth, working professionals

including working women and housewives so as to present a pilot demonstration for spreading the

message of positivity towards physical and mental well-being by using yoga and modern methods for

fitness training as well as organizing media sponsored events and competitions to attract people

participation and build a healthy society, while keeping in view practical issues of access, mobility and

perception to change and betterment.

Process & Phases :

(Designed by MET for the Social Outreach Program)

21|| ||

MMiissssiioonn,, SSuubb-MMiissssiioonnss && SSttuuddeenntt TTeeaammss [[FFSS 11-1100]]

FS1 Critical beneficiary identification - with benchmark survey

FS2 Set up SDWT to facilitate & Deliver need based Training programs for popularization of the mission

FS3 Link up & Leverage NGOs & other agencies working in this field & seeksupport in this task

FS4 Link up & Leverage Agencies which could provide financial assistance &HR input especially to honour outstanding and meritorious beneficiaries/felicitate/ display societal reverence for their achievements

FS5 Set up Help Desk, Counseling & Information sharing hub

FS6 Networking with Ex-Servicemen/ public servants/ citizen groups/ etc. setup SDWT seeking partnership with Corporate Sponsors/NGOs etc. in the mission for synergistic action

FS7 Identify & focus on seasonal/ exceptional events/occasions/ opportunities for mass support like Marathon/Walkathalon/Olympic Torch, marches, etc.

FS8 Set up pilots for each micro area of activity to offer customized solutions to achieve mass participation and dynamic and galvanize dynamic community action

FS9 Develop web support System for data storage, management & online support for the mission

FS10 Develop idea exchange forum for promoting creativity and out of box thinking &dynamic action

Impact :

In the present turbulent times the hard ships of sustenance and daily routine take a heavy toll of

individuals health and one tends to take good health for granted. However with the rise in

environmental pollution and harsh work schedules, unless proactive efforts are taken by following any

system of physical fitness including yoga and other forms of exercise, it will be very difficult to maintain

sound health. Therefore the mission group will focus on identifying a core group from the

neighborhood including school children, youth, working professionals as well as women who will be

exposed to the benefits of fitness programme. The mission group will have to undertake mass contact

programmes including help of physical fitness professionals and voluntary agencies to demonstrate

positive impact of these measures. Only through multi level efforts involving the entire strata of

society, it would be possible to generate mission impact over a period of 2-3 years. By forming Self

Directed Work Teams (SDWT) with the dynamic participation of fitness enthusiasts and trainers

including NGOs and students, and by organizing mass awareness programmes, it would be feasible to

achieve mobilization of 100 beneficiary families every year thus easily achieving the target of 1000

beneficiary families in a decade, depending upon the ground reality.


The mission success of this group will depend on induction of physically and mentally fit and alert

committed students working side by side with health and physical fitness professionals besides support

from media whose help will be critical for popularizing the missions. Therefore intervention by trained

students with expertise in yoga as well as modern fitness regimen will bring positive results. Hence

while reviewing the performance of these groups, a holistic view of efforts made to enhance

awareness towards fitness as well as building up of small groups to act as change agents will have to

be taken. Participation of diverse fitness groups will create healthy competition and therefore such

multiplicity should be encouraged for programme success. But all this may take some time to build up.

Hence a minimum sustained input of 2-3 years is necessary before a meaningful mission review could

be undertaken. The faculty concerned with the mission review and support will have to keep this fact

in view while conducting the pre and post programme audit to facilitate academic evaluation of this

sensitive area.


22|| ||


Mission: Reaching out to Physically/ Mentally handicapped

persons [Differently Abled] [Missions 81 - 90]Objective :

To identify differently abled and handicapped persons from the neighborhood especially those

who are left out from the rehabilitation mission programmes, belonging to the weaker section of the

community and reach out to them to deliver assistance package with counselling, networking and

hand holding where necessary and integrating them with the mainstream society by organizing special

events like sports, marathon, competitions, etc. as well as recognizing their achievements despite the

handicap so as to broaden mission participation, while keeping in view practical issues of access,

mobility and perception to change and betterment.

Process & Phases:


23|| ||

MMiissssiioonn,, SSuubb-MMiissssiioonnss && SSttuuddeenntt TTeeaammss [[DDAA 11-1100]]

DA1 Critical beneficiary identification - with benchmark survey

DA2 Set up SDWT to facilitate & Deliver need based Training programs for popularization of the mission

DA3 Link up & Leverage NGOs & other agencies working in this field including public utilities so as to ensure special protection & relief to senior citizens & seek support in this task

DA4 Link up & Leverage Agencies which could provide financial assistance, equipment support & HR input especially to honour outstanding and meritorious beneficiaries / felicitate/ display societal reverence for their achievements

DA5 Set up Help Desk, Counselling & Information sharing hub

DA6 Networking with Ex-Servicemen/ public servants/ citizen groups/ etc. setup SDWT seeking partnership with Corporate Sponsors/NGOs etc. in the mission for synergistic action

DA7 Identify & focus on seasonal/ exceptional events/festivals/ opportunities for mass support

DA8 Organize mass display and exhibitions of tools, literature, equipment, therapeutic care and relief for beneficiaries to offer customized solutions & achieve mass participation and galvanize dynamic community action

DA9 Develop web support System for data storage, management & online support for the mission

DA10 Develop idea exchange forum for promoting creativity and out of box thinking & dynamic action

Impact :

The mission group will focus on identifying a core group from the neighborhood among the school

children, youth, working professionals as well as women who suffer from handicap of any type. The

mission group will have to undertake mass contact programmes including help of physical fitness

professionals and voluntary agencies to demonstrate positive impact of these measures. Only through

multi level efforts involving voluntary agencies and NGOs as well as institutions like Spastic Society, it

would be possible to generate mission impact over a period of 2-3 years. By forming Self Directed

Work Teams (SDWT) with the dynamic participation of voluntary agencies and trainers including

NGOs and students, and by organizing mass awareness programmes, it would be feasible to achieve

mobilization of beneficiary families. Since this task of bringing the differently abled person in the

mainstream of society is a qualitative effort, any quantification would be misleading and therefore not

attempted.


The mission success of this group will depend upon reaching out to the differently abled members

of our society especially those who have not had the opportunity of receiving inputs from state or

private agencies. Help and participation of specialized agencies dedicated to help the handicap people

and support of professionals as well as media will be critical for popularizing the missions. Hence while

reviewing the performance of these groups, a holistic view efforts made to enhance awareness in

combating the physical and mental handicaps through building up of small groups to act as change

agents will have to be taken into account. Participation of diverse agencies will create healthy

competition and therefore such multiplicity should be encouraged for programme success. But all this

may take some time to build up. Hence a minimum sustained input of 2-3 years is necessary before a

meaningful mission review could be undertaken. The faculty concerned with the mission review and

support will have to keep this fact in view while conducting the pre and post programme audit to

facilitate academic evaluation of this sensitive area.


24|| ||


Mission: To nurture and foster dignity and respect to Elders

through study & practice of Geriatric Care - Senior Citizens


To identify senior citizens especially handicapped and disabled persons from the neighborhood

including those who are isolated due lack of family support, primarily belonging to the weaker section

of the community and reach out to them to deliver assistance package with counselling, networking,

sharing and caring as well as health checks and hand-holding, and integrating them with the

mainstream society by organizing special events like community celebrations, sports, competitions,

etc. as well as recognizing their achievements with help and participation of NGOS and senior citizen

care groups, so as to broaden mission participation, while keeping in view practical issues of access

and perception to change and betterment.

Process & Phases :

** Designed by MET for the Social Outreach Program

25|| ||

MMiissssiioonn,, SSuubb-MMiissssiioonnss && SSttuuddeenntt TTeeaammss [[GGCC 11-1100]]

GC1 Critical beneficiary identification - with benchmark survey

GC2 Set up SDWT to facilitate & deliver need based Training programs for popularization of the mission

GC3 Link up & Leverage NGOs & other agencies working in this field & seeksupport in this task

GC4 Link up & Leverage Agencies which could provide financial assistance &HR input especially to honour outstanding and meritorious beneficiaries/felicitate/ display societal reverence for their achievements

GC5 Set up Help Desk, Counselling & Information sharing hub

GC6 Networking with Ex-Servicemen/ public servants/ citizen groups/ etc. setup SDWT seeking partnership with Corporate Sponsors/NGOs etc. in the mission for synergistic action

GC7 Identify & focus on seasonal/ exceptional events/occasions/ opportunities for mass support

GC8 Set up pilots for each micro area of activity to offer customized solutions to achieve mass participation and dynamic events

GC9 Develop web support System for data storage, management & online support for the mission

GC10 Develop idea exchange forum for promoting creativity and out of box thinking &dynamic action

Impact :

The mission group will focus on identifying a core group from the neighborhood consisting of

senior citizens, especially those who are handicapped or disabled or living in seclusion for different

reasons, belonging to the weaker sections of the community. Here again, it may be difficult to access

such citizens as there is reluctance but with the help of multiple channels including neighbourhood

school children, NGOs and volunteers the core group will be identified. The mission group will have

to thus work keeping the sensitivities of elders in mind. Their intervention will succeed depending on

the training imparted to them as well as initial success of small groups identified for support. This may

take some time but once such groups have been identified and brought into the main stream of the

society, enticed by community programs and felicitations, then the program will generate momentum

in a period of 2-3 years. Therefore patience and perseverance are critical to the success of this

mission.


The mission success of this group will depend upon reaching out to such normally withdrawn and

often despondent senior citizens who are weighed down by adversities including lack of sustenance

and neglect. Therefore success of the mission will depend upon how skillfully and respectfully the

mission group is able to approach and address the issues of senior citizens. This is a time consuming

process and initially the progress may be slow. Therefore, while assessing the performance of the

group, the focus would be on securing participation of multiple agencies to reach out to the core

group and bring them into the mainstream of the society. Thus the accent is on quality and not on

quantity as one helpless family duly supported would send positive message to the rest of the society.

Since all this may take some time to build up, a minimum sustained input of 2-3 years is necessary

before meaningful mission review could be undertaken. The faculty concerned with the mission

review and support will have to keep this fact in view while conducting the pre and post programme

audit to facilitate academic evaluation of this sensitive area.


26|| ||


Mission: Providing Relief, Counseling and Hand holding to

School dropouts/ street urchins and other underprivileged

children - The Economically needy category [Missions 101 - 110]

Objective :

To identify core group of school drop outs, street urchins and other underprivileged children,

including handicapped and disabled ones from the neighborhood along with those who are isolated

due lack of family support, primarily belonging to the weaker section of the community and reach out

to them to deliver assistance package with counselling, networking, sharing and caring as well as health

checks and hand-holding, and integrating them with the mainstream society by organizing training

programs, involving them in events like community celebrations, sports, competitions, etc. as well as

recognizing their achievements with help and participation of NGOS and voluntary care groups, so as

to broaden mission participation, while keeping in view practical issues of access and perception to

change and betterment.

Process & Phases:


27|| ||

MMiissssiioonn,, SSuubb-MMiissssiioonnss && SSttuuddeenntt TTeeaammss [[RRCC 11-1100]]

RC1 Critical beneficiary identification - with benchmark survey

RC2 Set up SDWT to facilitate & Deliver need based Training programs for popularization of the mission

RC3 Link up & Leverage NGOs & other agencies working in this field & seeksupport in this task

RC4 Link up & Leverage Agencies which could provide financial assistance &HR input

RC5 Set up Help Desk, Counselling & Information sharing hub

RC6 Networking with Ex-Servicemen/ public servants/ citizen groups/ etc. setup SDWT seeking partnership with Corporate Sponsors/NGOs etc. in the mission for synergistic action

RC7 Identify & focus on seasonal/ exceptional events/occasions/ opportunities for mass support

RC8 Set up pilots for each micro area of activity to offer customized solutions to achieve mass participation and dynamic events

RC9 Develop web support System for data storage, management & online support for the mission

RC10 Develop idea exchange forum for promoting creativity and out of box thinking &dynamic action

Impact :

The street urchins, school dropouts and other underprivileged children form a large percentage

of children and youth wandering aimlessly in the society. Therefore through this mission a core group

of beneficiaries consisting of mix of the above category would be identified for providing relief and

help through counseling besides offering functional training and skill development inputs so as to

provide them opportunity to claw their way back into the society. Unless the entire community

assisted by NGOs and voluntary agencies working in the mission area jointly work to involve them in

the mission assistance programs, any mission accomplishment would be difficult. Therefore, using

multiple agencies to persuade these misdirected children is necessary to generate positive impact on

the neighbourhood. Through small successes in rehabilitating these children, over a period of time

positive mission impact is possible. Undoubtedly this will involve sustained efforts on the part of the

mission group and would take 2-3 years before significant impact is noticed.


The mission success of this group will depend upon reaching out to the underprivileged children

and successfully rehabilitating them into the main stream of the society. These young children are

extremely fickle minded and often misguided. Therefore a concerted effort will have to be made

utilizing multi-level agencies and their support in accessing and delivering training, counseling and even

hand-holding assistance for successful demonstrations. These successes will create a positive impact

on the rest of the group and hopefully this will snowball into a larger movement. But here again,

review and monitoring effort will have to take a long term view of the matter since noticeable impact

may not be there in the initial phases. The accent is on quality and not on quantity as one helpless

street urchin duly supported would send positive message to the rest of the society. The faculty

concerned with the mission review and support will have to keep this fact in view while conducting

the pre and post programme audit to facilitate academic evaluation of this sensitive area.


28|| ||


Mission: Reaching out to high risk, high work pressure/ stress

groups like Defence/ Police/ Fire fighters/ local train/bus drivers

to provide emotional relief / counseling/ etc. to this High Stress

Category. [Missions 111 - 120]

Objective :

To identify core group of mission beneficiaries by conducting a benchmark survey of the

neighbourhood to identify high risk, high work pressure /stress groups who are continuously subject

to high work stress, and reach out to them so that they can seek relief from the stress to play their

part as members of the civil society, involving NGOs and voluntary agencies so that they receive due

acclaim and appreciation for their sacrifice

Process & Phases :


29|| ||

MMiissssiioonn,, SSuubb-MMiissssiioonnss && SSttuuddeenntt TTeeaammss [[WWPP 11-1100]]

WP1 Critical beneficiary identification - with benchmark survey

WP2 Set up SDWT to facilitate & Deliver need based Training programs for popularization of the mission

WP3 Link up & Leverage NGOs & other agencies working in this field & seek support inthis task

WP4 Link up & Leverage Agencies which could provide financial assistance & HR input

WP5 Set up Help Desk, Counselling & Information sharing hub

WP6 Networking with Ex-Servicemen/ public servants/ citizen groups/ etc. set up SDWT seeking partnership with Corporate Sponsors/NGOs etc. in the mission for synergistic action

WP7 Identify & focus on seasonal/ exceptional events/occasions/ opportunities for mass support

WP8 Set up pilots for each micro area of activity to offer customized solutions to achievemass participation and dynamic events

WP9 Develop web support System for data storage, management & online support for the mission

WP10 Develop idea exchange forum for promoting creativity and out of box thinking & dynamic action

Impact :

The high stress category people are usually withdrawn and function in seclusion and this itself

leads to building of stress in their lives. Therefore the process of bringing them back into the main

stream of society can be best handled by networking with retired professionals from the same

category as they would have better appreciation of the stress experienced by their colleague. The

mission group would have to therefore have to necessarily be networked with former defense, police,

fire-fighters and such personnel who can act as links to mission groups. This networking may take

some time to establish, but once they realize the spirit behind the outreach they would respond

positively. Through small successes in rehabilitating these professional, over a period of time positive

mission impact is possible. Undoubtedly this will involve sustained efforts on the part of the mission

group and would take 2-3 years before significant impact is noticed.


The mission success of this group will depend upon reaching out to this high stressed category

preferably through their senior professionals and ex-colleagues who would be able to better

appreciate their limitations. However, identifying these resource persons and seeking their

participation in the mission program may take some time and effort. Therefore, while reviewing the

mission it would be appropriate to assess the networking established and resource persons identified

as primary achievements. Subsequently, through this network the mission group would be able to

reach out and share the high stress burden of this category thereby launch a process of their re-entry

in the main stream of the society. The accent is on quality and not on quantity as one high stressed

professional joining the main stream of the society would send positive message to the rest. The

faculty concerned with the mission review and support will have to keep this fact in view while

conducting the pre and post programme audit to facilitate academic evaluation of this sensitive area.


30|| ||


Mission: To promote universal cross cultural understanding

through culture tourism and exchange showcasing the city as

Global Tourism & Brotherhood hub -

[Missions 121 to 130]

Objective :

To identify and conceptualise unique cultural strengths and contributions especially those rich

treasures which have captured the imagination of local populace including festivities like Ganesh, Holi,

as well as local yatras and melas involving mass participation as well as rituals upholding rich traditions

of the past and develop them as culture tourism packages for offer both as components of local

programs like the Bandra and Kala Ghoda Festivals as well as showcase them to the international

audiences as part of our rich cultural heritages, with help and access to the WWW and networking

with NGOs and cultural groups.

Process & Phases :


31|| ||

MMiissssiioonn,, SSuubb-MMiissssiioonnss && SSttuuddeenntt TTeeaammss [[YYBB 11-1100]]

YB1 Critical beneficiary identification

YB2 Set up SDWT to facilitate & Deliver need based Training programs for popularization of the mission

YB3 Link up & Leverage NGOs & other agencies working in this field & seeksupport in this task

YB4 Link up & Leverage Agencies which could provide financial assistance &HR input

YB5 Set up Help Desk, Counselling & Information sharing hub

YB6 Networking with Ex-Servicemen/ public servants/ citizen groups/ etc. setup SDWT seeking partnership with Corporate Sponsors/NGOs etc. in the mission for synergistic action

YB7 Identify & focus on seasonal/ exceptional events/occasions/ opportunities for mass support

YB8 Set up pilots for each micro area of activity to offer customized solutions to achieve mass participation and dynamic events

YB9 Develop web support System for data storage, management & online support for the mission

YB10 Develop idea exchange forum for promoting creativity and out of box thinking &dynamic action

Impact :

With a millions of tourists globetrotting without respite, we offer an excellent destination with

hospitable climate round the year and yet only a few million enter our country for a holiday. Moreover,

the tourism pattern is gradually shifting from structured and regimented outings to more exotic and

in essence cultured tourism outings. Therefore this group will assess significant cultural strengths of

the locality as well as the metropolis and identify niche packages, which can be organized to fit in

global culture tourism exchange program. This would involve careful study of the prevailing culture

scene and by networking with established culture groups and NGOs, with support of cultural festivals

like Bandra/Kala Ghoda, as well as Malhar/Mood Indigo, the neighbourhood could evolve a package

for attracting global tourism and cultural exchange. This is undoubtedly a painstaking process involving

minimum 2-3 years of groundwork but once the tempo picks up then gradually cultural exchange

would take off. Help of tour and travel agencies and corporate promotions would significantly improve

the mission impact. After all, the Spanish bullfight owes its popularity to the pen of Earnest

Hemingway. And we can certainly develop a richer fare than the West. Here again, patience is the key

as it would take 2-3 years or more to make significant impact.


Since cultural heritage defines our quality of life, it is not possible to quantify the impact. Moreover

as we approach the domain of fine art, we are entering in the arena of the sublime, which defies

quantification. The task of identification of culture troves and heritage is quite painstaking and would

require hard work by mission group in participation with other NGOs and cultural organizations. Thus

while assessing the performance of the group emphasis has to be laid on development of culture

exchange packages and networking. It would take atleast 3-4 years of effort before significant impact

is generated. In the meanwhile, it would suffice to say that so long as we develop the right approach

for identifying culture exchange opportunities and presenting them globally we can be certain of

positive mission achievement. After all, we are one of the few societies in the world who dare to

immerse the gods and resurrect them or throw colour at each other for pleasure and merriment.


32|| ||


Mission: To Generate dynamic societal participation indevelopment of Emergency response systems and networking

vital for Disaster Management - [Missions 131 - 140]

Objective :

To identify institutions, agencies, voluntary groups, professional, ex-servicemen, etc. in the

neighborhood who have either the potential to help the neighbourhood or have responded to meet

the challenges of common disasters and forge them into a vibrant response team which would offer

support and relief to the populace in participation with other parallel public-private and NGO-based

efforts in case of an emergency.

Process & Phases :



33|| ||

MMiissssiioonn,, SSuubb-MMiissssiioonnss && SSttuuddeenntt TTeeaammss [[DDMM 11-1100]]

DM1 Critical core group identification through response survey

DM2 Set up SDWT to facilitate & Deliver need based Training programs for popularization of the mission

DM3 Link up & Leverage NGOs & other agencies working in this field & seek support in this task

DM4 Link up & Leverage Agencies which could provide financial assistance & HR input

DM5 Set up Help Desk, Counselling & Information sharing hub

DM6 Networking with Ex-Servicemen/ public servants/ citizen groups/ etc. setup SDWT seeking partnership with Corporate Sponsors/NGOs etc. in the mission for synergistic action

DM7 Identify & focus on seasonal/ exceptional events/occasions/ opportunities for mass support

DM8 Set up pilots for each micro area of activity to offer customized solutionsto achieve mass participation and dynamic events

DM9 Develop web support System for data storage, management & online support for the mission

DM10 Develop idea exchange forum for promoting creativity and out of box thinking & dynamic action

Impact :

The rise of global warming as a threat to the universal civil society, has brought us to the brink of

natural disasters of dimensions hitherto the unknown since the last Ice-age. It is therefore predicted

that during the coming decades, tornadoes and cyclones will become more fierce and the tectonic

movement might add to the chaos. Therefore it is necessary to shore-up our resources and join the

emergency response systems being developed through pubic-private partnership. Therefore response

survey could identify few key players in the neighbourhood and they could be networked to offer a

common front for disaster mitigation. The key to the success of the mission however is delivery of

awareness and training program to the entire neighbourhood with education institutions and

corporates as the prime targets. Eventually, the entire neighbourhood will have to be covered and

information-sharing network has to be put in place. All this would require some time to generate

positive mission impact.


Since networking, training and awareness are the key components of this mission, establishment

of SDWTs to carry the message in the neighbourhood should be the most critical step in mission

implementation. This would be followed by gradual coverage of the neighbourhood and establishment

of common networks for information sharing. Since only a sudden disaster or emergency could prove

the efficacy of the system, one can only hope to aim at achieving total awareness and coverage in the

neighhbourhood in five years, followed by training program completion within the decade. In the

meanwhile, it would suffice to say that so long as we develop the right approach for identifying the

linkages and generate total awareness about disaster management, we can be certain of positive

mission achievement.


34|| ||


Mission: To Develop Global Partnership for Development

[Missions 141 - 150]

Objective :

To identify institutions, agencies, voluntary groups, etc. in the neighborhood who have either the

potential for sharing programmes and missions on an international basis or those who possess global

networking capabilities, including individual and global family linkages so as to bring them together to

build a platform for sharing ideas, missions and experiences of societal outreach and development

programmes including the VIDYA SETU missions so as to share our experiences and seek knowledge/

help/ financial inputs/ etc. from these agencies networking with local agencies like Rotary/ Lions/

Giants/ YMCA/ PIO/ etc. and form Self Directed Work Teams to link up with international agencies

like UN ECOSOC/ UNICEF/ WHO/ UNIDO/ etc. to seek international help and support for our

missions.

Process & Phases :



35|| ||

MMiissssiioonn,, SSuubb-MMiissssiioonnss && SSttuuddeenntt TTeeaammss [[GGPP 11-1100]]

GP1 Critical partnership mission identification to achieve global networking & support - with benchmark survey

GP2 Develop linkages through global forum like Rotary/Lions/Giants/YMCA/PIO etc. to form SDWT

GP3 Set up SDWT to seek Global partnership/support for local work programmes seeking strategic & HR INPUTS

GP4 Link up & Leverage Global Agencies for financial assistance &

propagation abroa

GP5 Set up Help Desk & Information sharing hub so as to Globally reflect the total spread of MUSESQ

GP6 Set up SDWT to liaise with International agencies like UNECOSOC/UNICEF/WHO for relief & support

GP7 Set up SDWT to popularize the MUSESQ mission programmes Globally

GP8 Set up SDWT to act as watch dogs/monitors for each micro area of

assistance to document & share success/failures of MUSEQ with SARC/third world countries

GP9 Develop web support System for data storage, management & online exchange

GP10 Develop idea exchange forum for promoting creativity and out of box

thinking & action for mass popular relief


36|| ||

Impact :

This mission is aimed at building a platform for sharing international experiences in building and

implementing societal outreach programs for developing an enlightened civil society. Thus this mission

group will absorb and share the learnings from implementation of VIDYA SETU missions as well as

collate and collect parallel international experiences and share them with our mission participants so

as to enrich our programme. Help and participation of voluntary agencies and groups like Rotary/

Lions/ YMCA/ PIO/ etc. as well as international agencies like UNECOSOC/ UNICEF/ WHO/ etc. will

have to be integrated to enrich our missions. Here again the movement and integration on

international level is a time consuming process and therefore requires great deal of patience and

persistence on the part of the mission players. Individual and person-to-person contacts may add a

new dimension to this effort and positive impact in the domestic and international spheres can be

generated. Local mission programme implementation learnings may take some time to build up and

therefore it will take minimum 2-3 years before any significant impact is generated. But over a decade

it will certainly make a mark in the international arena.


Assessment of this mission group performance will be a matter of "Wait and See' on the part of

the mission participants as well as review and monitoring group. But so long as the mission group is

able to integrate local, national as well as international agencies in design delivery and extension of the

mission programmes, significant impact will be generated in 3-5 years. Therefore measures like

individual networking successes may have to be promoted and appreciated so as to build programmed

momentum. This will help in keeping high morale of mission group and also spread the learnings world

wide. The absorption and sharing of international experiences will undoubtedly enrich our missions

and therefore special weightage and consideration should be given for such inputs. This mission group

performance however will have to be entirely judged by qualitative considerations as the quantitative

dimension may not be relevant. The mission success will depend on global acceptability of the

programme and absorption of global wisdom delivered and accessed by us. The faculty concerned

with the mission review and support will have to keep this reality in view while conducting the pre

and post program audit. This will help shaping the outcome of the program as well as help assess the

student's performance to facilitate academic evaluation of this sensitive area.


37|| ||

C

ONCLUSION

Vidya Setu, the knowledge bridge for societal bonding, is an attempt to bring together the

academia and the society, which it hopes to serve and seeks fusion for mutual benefit. While it is an

undeniable fact that the problems of poverty, sustenance, literacy, health, women empowerment, etc.

are mammoth in proportion to the resources the academicians have at their disposal, what is

attempted here is focused intervention through the weakest links to seek mutual relief and harmony.

In the dark ages, the earth was believed to be mostly inhospitable, while today 6 billion plus earthlings

inhabit the space with abandon. The only difference between then and now is the power of

knowledge, which has changed the equation of man with the primordial elements.

We should be not be therefore demoralized by the dimension of the problem but deploy critical

knowledge to seek micro solutions which will eventually turn a crisis into an opportunity. The very

process of understanding the problems of sustenance in the neighbourhood will throw up new

innovative solutions as the youth interact and struggle with societal problems. Neither the size nor the

negativity of adversity should cast its dismal shadow on the bridge of knowledge attempted by us.

After all, the mythical bridge mentioned in our scriptures once led to the destruction of the evil and

established Golden Millennium in the past. We have no doubt that through the Vidya Setu, as hundreds

and thousands of students reach out to their brethren, synergistic forces of development will galvanise

the people to build the Knowledge society, which we aspire for.

As a mystic aptly put it to an accompanying pantheistic friend,

"Let us cultivate the Garden of Good as the men of religion, the Garden of

Truth as the men of Science, hoping perhaps believing that one day

through our joint operation, the waste places we are cultivating will break

forth into beauty and the desert will blossom like the Garden of the Lord."

The mission program VIDYA-SETU is conceptualized and authored by MET League

of Colleges, primarily its Institute of Management, with contributions from Board of

Trustees, colleagues, Faculty and students with design inputs from the team of

Knowledge Explorer Division of MET. The concept has been acknowledged as a

significant contribution to the UNECOSOC Mission by the High Level Segment meet

held at Geneva in July 2006, received and acknowledged by the U.N. Secretary -

General.

Established in 1989, with the mission to redefine the system of education, the MET

League of Colleges is a professionally managed, multi-disciplinary and multi-faceted

institution with state - of - the - art educational complexes located at Bandra and Bhujbal

Knowledge City - Nasik. It offers unique learning opportunities with University

accredited as well as autonomous programmes in Pharmacy, Management, Information

Technology, Mass Media, Engineering etc. besides running a unique children school

based on Meditational inputs.

MET gratefully acknowledges the opportunity and encouragement offered by the

Vice-Chancellor and his esteemed colleagues in the design and acceptance of this

programme as an integral part of the Sesquicentennial Celebrations of University of

Mumbai.

AACCKKNNOOWWLLEEDDGGMMEENNTTSS
