The Digital Swaraj Fellowship concluded its first Cohort 2023-2024 with a reflective three-day workshop from July 1-3, 2024, marking a significant milestone in the journey towards building a generation of youth for a robust digital ecosystem in India. This initiative, designed to bridge the ever-widening digital divide, brought together a group of young minds who underwent rigorous learning and transformation over a year, to create a lasting change and impact on digital society.
Day one of the workshop began with an emotional exploration of the fellows’ year-long journey. Through icebreakers and the creation of a safe space, fellows shared letters they had written to themselves at the program’s inception, offering deep insights into their personal and professional growth. This introspective exercise set the tone for open, honest dialogue throughout the event.
A fellow poignantly highlighted the stark urban-rural digital divide: “Those who know how to use digital know which cryptocurrency to buy. And those who do not know about digital are unable to even get access to government entitlements.” This observation underscored the critical nature of the fellows’ work in addressing digital inequalities persisting in today’s India. The stark reality of the digital gender gap was brought to the forefront by another fellow, who noted, “Many women are still left behind in accessing digital technology.” This observation reinforced the fellowship’s crucial role in narrowing gender disparities in digital access and literacy.
A Wisdom Circle led by Osama Manzar, Founder-Director of DEF, provided invaluable guidance on navigating life’s challenges and charting future career paths. This session offered fellows the opportunity to gain insights from Mr. Osama Manzar’s vast experience of working in the digital domain and the development sector for more than twenty years. “Charting your development and growth, is a work-in-progress journey. There can be questions without any immediate answers and there is nothing wrong with that. But never rest yourself and keep evolving with each moment and striding to go forward.”
The workshop also focused on collective visioning for the fellowship’s future. Fellows engaged in brainstorming sessions to enhance upcoming programs, covering aspects from workshop design to content creation. Emphasis was placed on the continued importance of rural immersion, policy advocacy, and entrepreneurship, combined with capacity initiatives, including conducting workshops and learning sessions on basic and advanced topics on digital culture, society and e-governance.
Looking ahead, the program aims to incorporate more creative and enabling elements such as journaling, documentation and dissemination, and creating avenues and networks for mentorship to guide fellows with their professional aspirations.
On Day two, the fellows’ presentations showcased their impactful work in addressing digital inequalities and empowering communities across India. There were several creative group activities spread out throughout the course of the three-day workshop; designed in a way to lighten the intensity of discussions and to deep dive into the fun side of enjoying the journey.
Day three of the workshop ended with an Appreciation Circle. The fellows echoed that the Digital Swaraj Fellowship is more than just a program about enhancing knowledge about the digital landscape. It is a platform for nurturing a new generation of digital change leaders committed to creating a more inclusive digital world.
As the first cohort embarks on their post-fellowship journey, they carry with them not just enhanced skills and knowledge, but also a renewed sense of purpose and the power to effect real change in India’s digital landscape.
Congratulations to the fellows of the Cohort 2023 – 2024 for embarking on this journey, and successfully completing it!
More updates on the first cohort’s Convocation to follow soon.