Learning to manage social issues

Updated on: Wednesday, November 23, 2011

The social service group (SSG) of IIM Kozhikode has been making an impact on the social service arena of the state by effectively handling several government and NGO projects.

Operational since 1999, the group has been conducting on-campus and off-campus activities by channelising the best brains in management to social service.

“We are trying to use our management skills for the betterment of society through different programmes. One of our major activities is devising a work-plan for NGOs and government agencies,” says Sasikiran C.S., a student coordinator of SSG.

Some of the major activities undertaken by the group on and off campus are Expressions ( a day dedicated to the support staff in the IIM), medical and blood donation camps, inviting other students from IIMs to devise plans to tackle the challenges faced by the Kerala Social Security Mission (KSSM) and NGOs and other awareness programmes.

“We are giving management students an opportunity to understand and learn the social issues in our country through SSG. A group of 12 students form the core of the SSG while most students from the IIM take part in the programmes voluntarily,” Sasikiran says.

“Our main focus is to come up with a system that attracts other people to social work and provides a sustainable platform for them. We are just using our managerial skills to make this concept work,” he says.

“Solving the problems faced by KSSM in their activities was something that was entrusted to us and we prepared a working plan for them. Similarly, we are also helping to find sustainable ways for NGOs to work in the villages,” says Sasikiran.

Another interesting event organised by SSG was to bridge the generation gap between the old and the younger. “At first, we conducted a survey and discovered that most children in the city have no idea about the problems of the elderly. So, we started to take the students to old age homes in order that they understand some of these troubles,” he says.
Several philanthropists and organisations in and around the city help to fund the programmes of the group. “We are also getting limited funding from the college. As our projects have spread to several areas we have to get outside support as well,” he says.

Learning to manage social issues

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