The Pollinate Energy Fellowship provides candidates with hands-on work experience in the social business and clean energy industries while being immersed in Indian culture.
Designed to foster future leaders in social enterprise and sustainability, the fellowship brings together people from all walks of life with a passion for improving the lives of the poor through social business models and sustainable technology. During a life-changing four-week program at our office in India, fellows will build invaluable skills and experience whilst creating a meaningful and long lasting impact.
Why do it?
- Are you curious about other career opportunities that exist outside of the norm?
- Do you have a passion for sustainable – both environmental and financial – solutions to end poverty?
- Are you burning for a chance to get hands on with your skills in a new environment?
- Are you hoping to build a network of friends and supporters to help you develop your career journey?
- Do you want to leave a lasting legacy, in building a clean energy business for one of our local Pollinators, whilst having the international experience of a life-time?
- Do you have ideas, be they big or small, be they for a new organisation or an existing organisation, and you want to learn how to make those ideas a reality?
What does the program involve?
The program is for 3-4 weeks in one of Pollinate Energy’s operating cities in India. You will be staying with your fellow fellows in a shared house/office throughout this period.
- Supporting a new Pollinator as they start up their micro-business with us in a new region You will be partnered up with another international fellow, a local Indian fellow who knows the language, and your Pollinator – a pre-screened local motivated to help us bring sustainable, life-changing products to the urban poor through a micro-business venture. You will help this Pollinator learn our processes, work with smart phone technology, develop strong sales techniques and an appreciation for customer service – but most importantly, you will create a lasting bond and provide moral support help them through their first month on the job.
- Conducting working bee projects to accelerate and improve Pollinate Energy’s impact In small teams, you will be tasked with a project brief which allows you to get ‘behind the scenes’ at Pollinate Energy and bring your other skills into play. Projects range from product assessment, to expansion strategies to communications and high-level strategy. This is your chance to see how a social enterprise servicing the urban poor operates, and to test your skills in a new environment.
What will I be doing daily?
Working Bees
During the mornings, you will work on your major projects, which will be presented to you during your pre-departure training.
Community Time
In the afternoons, you’ll head out with your local Pollinator and fellowship teams to find new communities, conduct baseline surveys, introduce yourself to customers and understand their needs. You will be helping the Pollinator learn new processes and at the end, leave them with a functioning micro-business that they are capable and confident in running!
Free Time (yes there is some!)
While you will be living in a shared environment with the rest of the program participants there is time to explore and to socialize. Our fellows do day tours to learn about local crafts, temples and other local sights. They also organise a day hiking trips, go shopping and for drinks at funky micro-breweries in the heart of the city. We guarantee you’ll make friends for life!
What kind of training and support will I get?
Once you are accepted into one of our programs, you will be supported closely by a Pollinate Energy representative and alumni in the lead up to your departure to help you coordinate your trip and raise your funds to meet the fundraising target.
This includes:
- An online meet and greet with the rest of your fellowship team
- A face to face meet up (where possible) with one of our esteemed alumni to hear all about their personal experience in fundraising and in India
- A pre-departure training session, with more detail about our organisation, your role, and your projects
Upon arrival in India, you will have an additional training induction where you will learn about the products, our operations, what to do in emergencies, etc.
What do we look for in an applicant?
Pollinate Energy Fellowship Programs are open to candidates from all academic disciplines who are in their penultimate year of university or higher. Pollinate Energy Fellows have a drive to explore the world and find where they are set to make the biggest impact. We tend to look for the following attributes in a fellowship candidate:
- Positive attitude
- Self-motivated
- Ability to take initiative
- Dedication to self-improvement
- Consideration for those around them
- Personal integrity
- Proven passion for altruism and professionalism
In your application, it’s important to focus on something you feel you have gone out of your way to achieve, whether that be personally, academically or professionally.
Who runs it?
The program is run by the enthusiastic and energetic Pollinate Energy co-founders with other co-ordinators.
Fundraising
As a young social enterprise, we are still reliant on donations to support our work and to facilitate our Professional Development Programs. As such, there is a fundraising requirement for all participants of $2400AUD. We now have a network of alumni and case studies of successful fundraising activities that we will share with you, to help you to help us as we grow and increase our impact across India.
These funds will cover your costs while you are staying with us during the program, however fellows will need to cover their own costs for flights, visas, travel insurance and medical.
For further details and application please visit the Pollinate Energy Fellowship page.
