Inspiring youth to gain new perspectives on India’s human and societal agenda.
India Philanthropy Alliance announces the 4th annual essay competition for middle and high school students.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, February 7, 2022
Contact: Alex Counts
Director, India Philanthropy Alliance
mobile: 202-257-8739
email: alex@indiaphilanthropyalliance.org
Press Release
Washington, DC, USA —The India Philanthropy Alliance (IPA), a U.S.-based coalition of 16 of the leading India-focused nonprofits in the United States, has announced its fourth annual essay competition to engage youth in the conversation on India’s development challenges. The essay competition is one way in which youth are encouraged to show their support for India Giving Day; by preparing and submitting their essays for this year's competition.
The competition seeks to “catalyze and recognize creative thinking and action among middle school and high school youth and inspire an ongoing commitment to philanthropy benefitting India, particularly among second and third generation Indian Americans”. The competition is one of several IPA initiatives to encourage the culture of thoughtful action and giving among today's youth.
About the Youth Essay Competition
The essay competition, launched in 2020, encourages youth to give back to the community by sharing their time, talents, and other resources. Through participation in this India-focused competition, the IPA hopes to nurture in the younger generation an awareness and understanding of the crucial issues affecting the well-being of millions of Indians living in poverty and those impacted by the erosion of the natural environment.
Now in its fourth year, the contest is open to students across the United States, asking them to answer the prompt: Which developmental issue in India do you feel is most pressing and why? How can American individuals and groups be a part of the solution?
Past contest winners have addressed various topics, including education, clean air, violence against women, the criminal justice system, drinking water, and care for the elderly.
Yashi Bhowmick, a runner-up for the middle school category in 2022, wrote on women’s safety and lack of protection for women. She quoted Mahatma Gandhi: “I would like to ‘be the change that you (I) wish to see in the world.’” She later shared how meaningful the recognition was to her, saying, “IPA offered us a big international platform, and I chose to enter the youth essay competition since this was a huge opportunity for people to hear my voice. Honestly, it means a lot to be the runner-up, and it made me realize that I have a voice that can inspire other people towards a better path.”
Rithvi Sathish, a finalist in the high school category in 2022, wrote about discrimination against menstruating women in India. Rithvi’s essay focused on access to hygiene products while exploring the cultural and gender barriers restricting women’s freedom while menstruating. Rithvi mentioned that being selected as a finalist meant a lot to her because she “got the opportunity to build a bridge for women to cross the barrier. I get to be a part of a solution for an issue that has been prevalent for years.”
Ashish Shah, CEO of Give in North America, had this to say about the 2022 award winners, “Witnessing middle and high school youth as they presented their research, thoughts, and ideas about the key issues facing India today, and particularly about what we can do to help, was a powerful experience. It reiterated the importance of engaging youth today to ensure a better tomorrow for us all.” Thus inspired, Give, formerly GiveIndia, is a first-time sponsor of the essay competition in 2023.
Competition winners to share their award-winning ideas at annual Philanthropy Summit
In 2022, winners presented their ideas at a major philanthropy convening held at the Indian Consulate in New York. Students and their families traveled from California, New Jersey, and Philadelphia to attend the in-person gathering.
Winners and runners up of the 2023 competition will be invited to share their ideas with philanthropists and business and nonprofit leaders on September 29, 2023, in the San Francisco area. In addition, winners and runners-up will be able to direct grants of $1000 and $500, respectively, to support the organizations of their choice.
A panel of philanthropy experts will determine the winners, runners-up, and finalists in two age cohorts. For middle school students, the essay length is 600 words or fewer; for high school students, the limit is 1,200 words. The deadline for submissions is July 1, 2023.
For more details on the 2023 essay competition please see here.
Please visit the India Philanthropy Alliance website to access 2020, 2021, and 2022 essays from winners, runners-up, and finalists.
The 2023 essay competition and related events would not be possible without the generosity of Give, the Iowa-based Sehgal Foundation, and founding sponsor Sarva Mangal Family Trust.
About the India Philanthropy Alliance (IPA)
The IPA (http://www.indiaphilanthropyalliance.org) is a coalition of nonprofit, philanthropic and charitable organizations that mobilize people and funding in the United States (and elsewhere) for development and poverty-reduction programs in India.
The sixteen organizations of the IPA include Agastya USA, Akanksha Education Fund, Akshaya Patra Foundation USA, American India Foundation (AIF), Antara International, Arogya World, Children’s Hope India, CRY America, Foundation for Excellence (FFE), Indiaspora, Pratham USA, Project ECHO, Sehgal Foundation, Teach for India U.S., VisionSpring and WISH Foundation.
For any questions, please reach out to Peg Fourré, India Philanthropy Alliance at peg@indiaphilanthropyalliance.org.
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