Youth for Governance Fellowship – Mysuru
The Youth for Governance Fellowship Mysuru (Y4G Mysuru) is a dynamic initiative led by GRAAM in collaboration with the Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF). Anchored in the belief that youth are powerful agents of change, the fellowship seeks to empower young individuals to engage meaningfully with governance processes. By equipping them with knowledge, skills, and hands-on experience, the program fosters a generation of informed, responsible, and proactive citizens. Through this initiative, every year 25-30 carefully selected youth from Mysuru participate in an immersive fellowship journey designed to build their capacity in participatory governance and democratic engagement.
Objectives
The overarching objective of the Y4G Mysuru Fellowship is to institutionalize youth engagement in governance through a structured fellowship model that builds civic capacity and fosters democratic competencies. The specific objectives of the fellowship are to:
- Equip youth fellows with a strong understanding of governance structures, democratic institutions, rights, and responsibilities through structured learning modules.
- Strengthen the ability of youth to actively engage with local governance processes and institutions through experiential learning, mentorship, and project-based work.
- Facilitate the design and implementation of fellow-led initiatives addressing community-level governance or development challenges.
- Create platforms for dialogue and collaboration between young people, civil society actors, and local government institutions to strengthen participatory governance.
- Develop and document a scalable framework for youth participation in Governance.
Expected Program Outputs
- Recruitment of 25 fellows
- Development of Learning Modules on Governance & public policy, Communication, and Democratic leadership.
- Online Learning Management System (LMS) for delivery of learning modules
- Delivery of Practical Training Sessions for youth on the learning modules developed
- Participatory research projects undertaken by youth of Mysuru
- Conducting Institutional Governance Talk Series
- My City Governance Conclave Programs
- Exposure visits to institutions like Gram Panchayat, Vidhana Soudha, MCC
- Conducting Public Event on International Youth Day
Project Sanction Date
02 Feb 2022
Project Period
Feb 2022 - Dec 2026
Project Location
Mysuru, Karnataka
Project Supported By
Principal Investigator
Project Team
[show_pi_label]
[show_pi_label]
Project Details
Project Title
Youth for Governance Fellowship – Mysuru
Project Sanction Date
02 Feb 2022
Project Period
Feb 2022 - Dec 2026
Project Location
Mysuru, Karnataka
Project supported by
Project Team
[show_pi_label]
[show_pi_label]
Key Accomplishments
2025
- Collaboration & MOU with leading educational Institutions in Mysuru for active particip
- Established collaborations and signed MoUs with leading educational institutions in Mysuru to encourage active youth participation in the Youth for Governance (Y4G) Fellowship Programme.
- Constituted a diverse panel of mentors comprising academicians, entrepreneurs, social workers, and development professionals to guide fellows in academics, career planning, research, and fellowship activities.
- Successfully selected and onboarded 26 Youth for Governance Fellows from a large pool of applicants through a competitive recruitment process.
- Delivered 13 structured learning modules and multiple interactive training sessions in both online and offline formats, covering themes such as Governance, Self-Awareness, Leadership, Design Thinking, Sustainability, and Civic Engagement.
- Organized a grand International Youth Day Celebration in partnership with the Department of Social Work, University of Mysore, at Vijnana Bhavana. The event brought together a large number of youth through engaging activities such as street theatre, poster-making, and quiz competitions, inspiring them to become active changemakers. The programme featured eminent speakers and guests from government, academia, media, corporate, and civil society sectors.
- Conducted a four-day Governance Expedition to New Delhi, providing fellows with first-hand exposure to key national institutions, including the Parliament of India, Rashtrapati Bhavan, NITI Aayog, and the Capacity Building Commission.
- Facilitated a unique opportunity for fellows to witness the live proceedings of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council at Vidhana Soudha, Bengaluru, enhancing their understanding of democratic governance and legislative processes.
- Launched the Mentorship Initiative, connecting fellows with academicians, subject experts, entrepreneurs, and development sector professionals to support their research projects and career development.
- Enabled fellows to undertake group-based research studies on governance and public policy issues, encouraging evidence-based problem-solving and policy thinking.
- Successfully concluded the fellowship with a Final Research Presentation and Valedictory Programme at JSS Medical College, where fellows presented their research findings and innovative solutions before a panel of experts who provided valuable feedback and guidance.
- Strengthened youth leadership, civic responsibility, and governance literacy by creating a platform for experiential learning, stakeholder engagement, and policy dialogue throughout the fellowship journey.
2024
- Collaboration & MOU with leading educational Institutions in Mysuru for active participation of youth for youth for Governance (Y4G) fellowship program.
- MOU with Mysuru City corporation for active engagement of youth with MCC through the fellowship.
- Institutional Heads sensitization meeting for youth enrolment for Y4G.
- Engaging his Majesty Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar with his appealing video to the youth of Mysuru to join the fellowship and their learning and to be the change makers.
- Recruitment of 25 Youth for Governance fellows among the wide range of applicants.
- Nine training modules with several Interactive training sessions targeted to ‘Understanding Mental Self’, ‘Understanding Physical Self’ and ‘Diversity of Self’ in both offline and online mode.
- An International Youth Day, a youth extravaganza to engage youth in large numbers towards inspiring them to change makers was conducted in partnership with the Social work department of University of Mysore, at Vijnana Bhavana of the UoM campus. Several attractive events were hosted including Street theatre, poster-making, and quiz competitions to commemorate the day. Distinguished political leaders such as Ms. Aiyshwarya Mahadev (Youth Indian National Congress leader and AICC Spokesperson), Mr. Kaveesh Gowda (Educationist and Young Politician, Mysuru), Mr. Darshan Puttannaiah (MLA, Melukote Assembly Constituency) interacted with our fellows
- One of the distinguished accomplishments of our Cohort is impacting the life of our fellow Hemanth Kumara (pursuing MSW) who, after attending our session on gender sensitivity, persuaded his father to let his sister complete her education
- Our fellow Dhanalakshmi S Gowda took India to the World Stage by participating in UNESCO International Youth Exchange Bootcamp in Policy- Italy, where she’s unlocking the secrets to building inclusive and sustainable cities
- As a part of our exposure visits, the fellows got an opportunity to visit and have an exclusive first-hand exposure of governance right from the State Legislature of Karnataka-VidhanaSoudha, and interact with esteemed senior bureaucrats on governance issues
- The Y4G last year concluded with the solutions presented by fellows based on the group research they have conducted as part of the fellowship. The final presentation ceremony was held at JSS medical college, and several experts listened to the presentation and given their feedback.
2023
- Empowered 25 fellows with skills and knowledge to become agents of civic change.
- Delivered comprehensive training, mentorship, and exposure visits focused on local governance.
- Fellows presented research-based solutions at the My City Governance Conclave.
- Sparked youth leadership and community engagement through International Youth Day events.
- Inspired attendees via interactions with youth leaders like Ms. Aiyshwarya Mahadev and Mr. Kaveesh Gowda.
- Enabled global exposure through fellow Dhanalakshmi S Gowda’s participation in UNESCO Bootcamp, Italy.
- Translated global insights into local action through collaborative projects.
- Increased academic engagement through a series of governance talks in educational institutions.
- Provided a platform for youth to voice their ideas and concerns to local policymakers.
- Strengthened civic engagement across Mysuru’s youth ecosystem.
- Fostered long-term partnerships between civil society, academia, and local government.
2022
- Collaboration & MOU with leading educational Institutions in Mysuru for active participation of youth for youth for Governance (Y4G) fellowship program.
- MOU with Mysuru City corporation for active engagement of youth with MCC through the fellowship.
- Engaging his Majesty Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar with his appeal video to the youth of Mysuru to join the fellowship and their learning and to be the change makers.
- Recruitment of 25 Youth for Governance fellows among 100+ inspired applicants.
- Nine training modules with several Interactive training sessions targeted to ‘Understanding Mental Self’, ‘Understanding Physical Self’ and ‘Diversity of Self’ ,’Understanding Governance and Society’ were conducted both offline and online.
- International Youth Day, a youth extravaganza to engage youth in large numbers towards inspiring them to become changemakers was conducted in partnership with the Social work department of University of Mysore, at Vjinana Bhavana, UoM campus. Several attractive events were hosted including Street theatre, poster-making, and quiz competitions to commemorate the day.
