Beyond lessons: Gen Y not tied down to studies anymore

Updated on: Friday, July 29, 2011

Helping potters sell their wares, educating farmers on the right feed for their cattle and teaching grape growers to make jam and jelly out of their extra produce... Gen Y is not tied down to studies anymore.

There's a lot more on campuses now - the thought of giving back to society. If gestures like visiting old-age homes and spending time at orphanages continue to be part of the activities, more innovative concepts are also making an entry. TOI finds out some of them.

At St Joseph's College of Commerce, students, through an initiative called Students in Free Enterprise, help potters in Fraser Town to market their products better.

"We have found that these potters have high-quality and well-designed products, but haven't been able to maintain a consumer base because of their lack of business acumen. The first phase of the initiative has focused on marketing the products and later formalizing costing structures and financing expansion plans for ceramic products and terracotta jewellery. Establishing rapport with the potters and gauging their needs has been as much of a learning experience as marketing and selling their products," said the St Joseph's team.

Students from Seshadripuram First Grade College, Yelahanka, are helping dairy farmers. They have gone to GKVK campus, collected seeds of water weeds considered to be excellent fodder for cattle, grown them and given them to farmers.

The next project in line is to help small grape growers to sell their produce for a better price. They'd teach them how to make by-products like jam, juice and aerated drinks.

Students at National Institute of Fashion Technology invite struggling artisans to the campus and ask them to conduct workshops for students thereby giving them greater exposure. The artists thus get money and fame which boosts their careers.

At the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), aspiring legal eagles use their lessons to help the needy after college hours. The legal service cell open to the public after class hours gives free mediation and litigation facilities. They also conduct legal literacy programmes in schools and colleges on basic issues like arrest, rights of accused, dowry and RTE.

As for students of veterinary college, they go to villages and offer their technical service to farmers. "It can be on fishery, poultry farming, development of fodder or production of milk. Though services are voluntary, many of them participate as it's part of their vocation," said S Yatindra, dean.

Times of India

Beyond lessons: Gen Y not tied down to studies anymore

More Education news