With a vision to redefine public leadership, Indian School of Democracy (ISD) is on a mission to nurture principled leaders with moral courage and imagination, to work on strengthening four pillars of Indian democracy- legislative, executive, judiciary and media. The end goal is to make democracy work for all citizens. ISD will organize year long residential programs to do this for young leaders aged 25-40, starting 2021.

1. INDIAN SCHOOL OF DEMOCRACY
A movement to nurture principled leaders who will shape Indian democracy and make
India a global inspiration for inclusive democracy

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Problem: The health of our democracy is deteriorating
36%
MPs and MLAs have
criminal charges
against them; entry
barriers are really high
for outsiders
20 Cr
Indians sleep hungry
and ~900
children die of
malnutrition everyday
Crucial areas &
situations go
unreported in the
Media; Very sparse
representation of Dalit
and rural journalists
3.3 Cr
Court cases pending
Rs 0.75
per capita spending on
legal aid per annum
Sources: ADR report, India Food banking, Business Today, CHRI report, Word Press Freedom Report

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These problems also fracture the aspirations of future leaders,
who have the potential to transform the nation
Unengaged youth
Lack of role models
Increasing inequality
System doesn't allow
talented people to
enter public service
roles
Lack of exposure to
political spaces
Isolated efforts for
reform

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Most organizations work in silos and/or don’t prepare young leaders for
nation building
Colleges
Fellowships
Political
Parties
Relevant
Hard Skills
+
Academics
Public
service
Network
Immersive
Experiences
+
Exposure
Inner
Transfor-
mation
NGOs

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What we need is a national cadre + network of
enterprising and moral public servants

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Indian School of Democracy
Vision
Redefining public leadership

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Mission
Nurture principled leaders
with moral courage and
imagination, to work on
strengthening four pillars of
Indian democracy-
legislative, executive,
judiciary and media
Executive
Legislative
Judiciary
Media
Image Source: Shutterstock Images ( modified to add text)

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Three levers at
ISD for creating
leaders who are
moral and
prepared
Relevant skills like policy
analysis, negotiations,
constitutional law,
communication, mobilization,
public finance etc.
Network of peers and
mentors, leading to
sustained and collective
impact in public space
Inner Transformation through immersions and
practice; development of personal leadership

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Nurture young and diverse leaders who have a strong set of hard
skills and a unflinching moral compass.
Strong mentorship and network across four pillars
A coordinated ecosystem of change makers in the political
and governance space, with a shared language and value
system
Improved and inclusive public delivery and political systems
Theory of
Change
An India where every citizen is treated equally and with dignity

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Our Commitment
We believe in the upholding the spirit of the Indian constitutional values of
equality, fraternity, liberty and justice.
ISD is and will remain a non-partisan institution, with a vision that its alumni
will influence cultures of organizations across the political spectrum and
public spaces in India.
They will change for better the way democracy is experienced by each
citizen.

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Year long program at ISD will be a combination of academic and
immersive experiences for nurturing leaders
Foundation
Trimester
Rural
Immersion
Specialization
Trimester 1
Immersion in
specialization
Specialization
Trimester 2
3 months
The entire cohort
undergoes
foundation course
to get an
interdisciplinary
and rigorous
understanding of
all four pillars.
1 month
Entire cohort
spends a month
together in a
remote rural area
immersing in
various issues like
water, education,
health, gender,
poverty, caste et
al.
3 months
Young leaders
start specialising
and take courses
in 2 trimesters for
their chosen field;
engage in live
projects and build
connections with
relevant
organizations
1 month
Students choose
mentors,
organizations,
projects they
want to work with
for the immersion-
eg: campaigns,
legal aid clinics,
agrarian crisis,
investigative
journalism etc.
3 months
Students return
for final trimester
to finish their
specialization, live
projects and other
courses; focus also
on next steps
1 month
Final immersion
in their chosen
field or a new
area
(geographic,
interest) they wish
to explore; all
immersions will be
frugal and deeply
experiential
Immersion
201
3
The program will start and end with
orientation and articulation of vision for
self & society
Note: These are illustrative courses and examples- the curriculum will be developed by practitioners

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Goals and Milestones
2019
2020
2021
2025
2030
2040
● 5 Short term
programs
● 5 Short Term
Programs;
● curriculum for
academics and
immersions
ready
● Long term
program launched
● 75-100
participants, 30
faculty
● 90% alumni stay
in their fields
● new programs for
grassroot
movements,
business, civil soc
● 4000 alumni
● Residential,
virtual, short
term programs
● Equality of
opportunity in India
● Minimal corruption
● Awakened polity that
holds its leaders
accountable
● 10000+ alumni
● 300 elected representatives; 200
in political parties
● 100+ influential journalists
● 100+ legal activists and policy
makers
● 50+ political entrepreneurs
● ISD campus ready
● Executive
programs start

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RESEARCH PHASE
2018-2020

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Focus areas for research
Understand the target group -- Age: ~25-40
Deepen understanding of the problem
Understand what pedagogy leads to transformation; design
curriculum for both academic and immersion components
List/ Curate post-ISD opportunities for students;
international partnerships for global perspectives
Study best practices from 100 national and intl
institutions; set up academic advisory board
Design a robust selection process and program
Figure out a sustainable financial model

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Deliverables planned at end of the research phase:
Group of faculty members
and mentors on board
● Academic advisory committee functional; practitioners on board to teach
modules at ISD
Program(s) model finalized
● Selection process, program structure, profile of students etc.
● Duration, residential/non residential etc.
Academic committee in
place and curriculum
ready
● Subjects to be taught, trimester/module structure
● Pedagogy, mode of teaching and learning, supporting systems
National and International
partnerships
● Partnerships for program delivery, immersions, local and global exposure, post
ISD work opportunities
● Campus, outreach, academics, operations etc
Repertoire of pathways and
opportunities for students
● Understanding the needs of each sector, with a list of post ISD opportunities that
students can apply for; buy-in from influencers in each pillar
Financial Model in place
● Fees, cross funding model for students in place, with financial budgets and
projections
● Multi donor structure and governance systems formulated
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Thank you
Hemakshi Meghani
hemakshi@indianschoolofdemocracy.org
Prakhar Bhartiya
prakhar@indianschoolofdemocracy.org