Certificate Programmes in People Centred Advocacy
Certificate Programmes on various themes in People Centred Advocacy are offered by NCAS in association with academic institutions and centres of excellence. The course content includes sessions on basics of advocacy, understanding Indian Society, stakeholders in advocacy, tools and strategies of advocacy, legislative and media advocacy, and advocacy campaign planning. Evaluation is done on the basis of assignments and participation in sessions. —-
Month-long course on Advocacy
NCAS conducts month long courses on advocacy for young post graduate students from disciplines of social work, law, rural development, sociology, political science, media etc. As part of our endeavor to promote ‘People Centred Advocacy’ through capacity building of youth, the course aims to develop a holistic and nuanced understanding of issues that plague our country. The objective of the course is to build pro-people perspective and impart knowledge and skills necessary for an effective advocacy. The methodology is participatory consisting of case study analysis, discussions on films and interactive sessions with experts and advocacy practitioners, alongwith a packed schedule of rigorous classroom sessions.
To apply, please write to us at learning@ncasindia.org
Advocacy Internship Programme (AIP) is a unique venture of the National Centre for Advocacy Studies. Since its inception in 1999, AIP aims at developing dedicated and active youth committed to social change and justice. The programme endeavours to instill rights-based perspective in the young interns and updates them with the larger political scenario, knowledge base, and skills required for effective people-centred advocacy. It is designed to prepare young people to work in the field of development and social change through a rigorous process of learning. Academic inputs, capacity building, field experiences and perspective building are important components of this extensive learning programme.
The multidisciplinary course is designed to emphasize a rights-based perspective to social change, focusing on the concepts and practices of people-centred advocacy and human rights activism. The topics covered include the character of Indian society, polity and economy; globalization and imperialism; human rights law and social justice; approaches to social change and social movements; public policy analysis; campaign planning; networking; and research methodologies.
The Advocacy Internship Programme has produced around 80 young advocates who are working in various positions in organizations of repute.
For queries, please write to us at learning@ncasindia.org
Having been a journalist for over a decade, the internship at NCAS helped me to gain a very different perspective on the implementation and challenges that are faced with respect to several schemes by government and government bodies at the grassroot level. The team at NCAS included me in the fabulous job of empowering the ultimate beneficiaries / socially marginalised section of the society by equipping them with all the knowledge resources and helping them reap the benefits of the schemes by governments. What was also the most heartening was the debates and discussions that ‘ lunch breaks’ would extend to with some of the most talented and promising young, very young social scientists/sociologists, whose commitment to social welfare is awe inspiring. I can most certainly say that in my profession this new understanding has opened me up to a new line of questioning on the social sector and its working India.
I joined NCAS with very little idea of what I’d be doing but the organization considered where my interests lay and came up at a conjecture that made sure that I get to work on what I wanted to and that it fits the framework of the organization. The internship at NCAS benefitted me in a holistic way. NCAS became my looking glass towards the social sector of India. I attained knowledge of the working of government and data extraction from various sources. It brought me into a circle of NGOs and CSOs working across the country in different ways and acquaint with people who have been working in the field. It also made me experience field work and actual realities. But most important thing that NCAS helped me was by bridging the gap between what I had learned and implementing it in practice. I was very excited when I saw how the theories that I had learned earlier in college, were being implemented, the different modifications, deeper details and a lot many things. I think that’s the most crucial part of a student’s life and I am glad that NCAS played that part in my life. What makes NCAS an ideal place to learn, is this place thriving with interns from prestigious institutes of the nation throughout the year which makes it a hub of diverse thoughts and perspectives
The entire experience of interning at NCAS has been most enlightening; the knowledge and exposure I’ve gained along the way only added to by the much-appreciated guidance of those affiliated with NCAS. Especially in the middle of the Coronavirus pandemic, as we all remain vulnerable to the uncertainty of the future, NCAS has proved to be a pillar of immense support, showing me the way forward. In the process of completing the tasks assigned to me, I was able to find inspiration and hope, even in these trying times, when I was reminded of the work being done by NCAS whether it was helping migrant workers or fellow NGOs. With an enriched view of the world that it has provided me, I feel confident in saying that this internship has helped me turn a new page in the course of acquiring a truly holistic education. It is my sincerest hope that the opportunity shall soon present itself where this newfound learning will allow me to make a difference to people’s lives.
I wanted to intern at a place that would give me a first-hand experience of the groundwork that goes into understanding any kind of social intervention. Here, I got the opportunity to go into the field and conduct interviews and interact with the communities directly. This experience was extremely helpful for me to understand policy implementation not just theoretically but practically and how ground realities are much more complicated than what we read in a document. NCAS gave me this opportunity and responsibility as a student which one gets to experience much later and I am very thankful for this guidance. The support and learning I received here in two months have played a very important role in my understanding and future endeavours with the system.
