SOCIAL INNOVATIONS

A Social Innovations Lab that brings community, university, corporate and government on a single platform, to brainstorm and experiment solutions for long pending social problems. SILs are being implemented both at Grassroots and University levels.

• • University / Institute Level: Called SEPICA LABS (addressing Social and Environmental Problems of Industries and Communities through Academics), it creates a platform for Industry to share its social and environmental problems, and University to find and implement solutions for them. It gives the students an opportunity to use their knowledge and skills practically on ground, gives the faculty Live Case studies to teach, helps the University groom students better for the Industry and thus command better packages, and promotes Social Entrepreneurship.   Know more ......

  • Implemented by McMaster University (Canada), under consideration by Indian Universities.    

  • Grassroot Level: Called SERA LABS (Social Entrepreneurship for Rural Advancement), it creates a platform for rural youth and seniors to come together, devise sustainable solutions for their problems and implement them in groups. A problem-solution-skill-resource mapping approach of their own area helps them design their own solutions. Village seniors help in knowing age-old forgotten practices, and understanding their relevance as solutions for today’s problems. The solutions are presented as business plans for youth groups, to Village Administration (Panchayat), for funding support under various Government schemes. Know more ......

  • Implemented in 3 villages in West Bengal, and 2 in Madhya Pradesh. 

• • A Consumption and Expense based Social Security system, that gives complete social security to masses without any taxes, expenditure cuts, or savings. It creates secondary livelihoods in groups, and knits them into a Business model for the entire village. Through collective negotiation, a component of every family’s existing expenditure is derived for its social security through insurances. The model eventually removes all social and economic disparity too. It is the first expenditure based model in the world.

  • It has been implemented in 2 states of India - Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. It is now planned in 3 more states: Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Tamilnadu. The model has been acclaimed nationally and internationally.      Know more ......      

  • The model received the Changemakers Innovation Award in 2006.

• • A high quality Urban Education model for economically and academically deprived children in urban slums, without any extra infrastructure or investment. It collaborates with Museums using them as Schools, maps their exhibits to curricula using them as Teaching Aids, and collaborates with B.Ed Colleges using their students as Teachers (for their practice teaching). It gives conceptual learning to every child (with or without literacy). The Museum School has been in action in Bhopal since 2005, working with 200 children every year. The model has been replicated in Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi, and is being replicated in Mysore soon.     Know more .......   

  • Implemented in Bhopal (MP), Bangalore (Karnataka), Mumbai (Maharashtra) and N Delhi (Delhi). 

  • The model received UNESCO's Wenhui Award for Educational Innovation in Asia and the Pacific 2016  (UNESCO Bangkok NEWS)

  • The model has been recognised among 100 Global inspiring Innovations that are changing the face of K-12 Education by HundrED Finland

  • The model received the Kubera-Edelweiss Social Innovation Award in 2009.

• • A comprehensive Health Insurance System for the Disabled. A fight for Insurance rights for the Disabled that was initiated by OASiS in 2005, culminated in the formation of a National Core Committee for designing an Insurance Framework for the Disabled in the country. OASiS was invited in the National Core Committee, to design and develop a Model with Chief Commissioner Disability (GoI), The National Trust (GoI), and Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority.   Know more ....... 

  • Implemented by ‘The National Trust’ (a Govt. of India Body) as NIRAMAYA, for all economically weaker Mentally challenged in India, since 2008.

  • The model received the Times Social Impact Award in 2013.

• • A Volunteer Association that adopts a unique approach to develop youth, shape their personalities, and groom them into responsible citizens, through social volunteering. It helps students, unemployed and employed youth, acquire soft skills for Team work, Team building, Leadership, Resource mobilisation and optimisation, and Management, through social work. It is an on-field Finishing School, that teaches them compassion, respect for the weaker section, ethics and responsible management. Know more .........

• • Implemented in the whole country with a substantial 1100 plus volunteer base. 

• • A unique Social Credit system giving Advantage for Learning and Employment to mobilize Youth, Educational Institutions, and Corporate towards Social Volunteering. Using a 360o appraisal method for assessing social contribution, the system awards social credits to volunteers. Corporates employing the volunteers can use their credits, to enhance their social image. Institutes offering higher education opportunities to such volunteers, can use their social credits, to attract more Corporates and enhance their placements. It encourages youth’s participation in welfare programmes and awards responsible action by citizens. Know more .........

• • Implemented through SWANS in the country. Adopted by Govt. of Maharashtra in Youth Policy.

• • A Rural Education model teaching Rural Development to rural children, and help them get local employment. It creates a backbone of rural development professionals in rural areas, to implement rural welfare programmes of the Government and other bodies. Using 70% practical and 30% theoretical approach, it covers all areas of rural development required for that region. After completion, students can join Govt welfare Projects, NGOs or their SERA LABS. Was Piloted successfully in 2 villages of West Bengal.  Know more .........

• • The model received the HP Education Innovation Fund for India Award in 2013.

Learning 21st century life skills in an experiential manner from everyday learning spaces. 

• • Does today's education system, help a child grow into a self sufficient and responsible human being, make her/him a sensitive and aware 'citizen', who thinks critically and participates actively, or helps her/him develop a compassionate and empathetic personality? ..NO..        See it happening here:  Know more........ 

• • When a Classroom becomes a 3D Theatre, and a Class is a 3D Movie, children enter a different world, sitting in their own classrooms. With every child getting a personal Teacher, and Teaching Aids popping out of the screen right in front, learning becomes so exciting and fun. Just like children remember every scene, dialogue and song of a movie; they remember every scene, and dialogue of the Class as well, understanding the topics, concepts, history and applications and remembering every important point. ViMS makes a School so attractive, that children run away from home and work, to attend it.          Know more........

• • With India becoming the country with youngest population, about one fifth in the world, equal number of job opportunities are required to engage the youth positively and constructively. But with the fast growing impact of Climate Change, Rural youth are losing their primary livelihood (farming). Industrial skills taught by NSDC are also not able to get employment as Industries are racing towards Automation. Rural youth are being left stranded with no primary or alternate livelihoods. To overcome this situation, we have come up with a unique approach that helps rural youth redesign sustainable livelihoods for themselves locally, that ensures socio-economic growth of their community and environment too. 

  • The model was successfully piloted in 2 Maoist affected forest villages in West Bengal, arresting migration 100% there. Offered in a Gift Economy mode, the model is being replicated fast across the country.        To Know more........

• • India for the past many decades has maintained the 'Developing Country' status, but has not yet been able to become a 'Developed Country'. What is lacking in India? Is it the required skills and resources for true development, or the dependency on Government to make it happen?

  • Till sometime back, Indian work environment had only Blue collar and White collar professionals. But globalisation has added professions and collars of all colours (Gold, Green, Red, Purple, Pink, Black, Grey, Silver, Open, New, and now Steel) to it. But unfortunately all these new skills and professionals are limited to urban areas.

  • Rural youth also need many of these new skills to manage their work and life better. But no bridge exists that would enable these skills to reach them. Also, although all urban professionals yearn to breathe life, in an open nature filled environment, and do something for society and environment that satisfies their heart, but not all of them have all the resources or find a strong drive/purpose, to do so.

  • Matching the needs on both sides (rural and urban), an innovative solution was designed, and is being piloted in few areas. Called GOOD TO GO, it creates a bridge with a purpose, that drives skill sharing and experiencing nature, between urban professionals and rural youth, with the objective of creating an equal society with no deprivation and discrimination. WEBSITE under development, will be available soon.

• • In today's world, where rapes, crimes, murders, accidents dominate the news industry heavily, there is very little scope of showcasing the good that is happening around the world. While for everyone, 'No News is Good News', in today's media, 'Good News is No News'. The youth today is being mislead by all the negativity around them, and is losing confidence on themselves, the system and the society. A unique Newspaper, that captures all positive news from around the world, and presents them to the people every fortnight. It hopes to bury all the negative and sensational news in the country, that is creating hopelessness and fear in society. It believes that if negative news can stimulate negative actions, Positive News will stimulate Positive Actions too.     Know more .........

  • Being implemented by ‘The Optimist Citizen’ - India’s First Positive News Newspaper. 

  • The model received the MANTHAN E-Journalism Award in 2015, Ashoka Youth Venture Fellowship in 2015, and got listed in FORBES 30 UNDER 30 (ASIA) in 2019.

If you wish to do something innovative and long standing as part of your CSR with a chosen community, but do not have a clear plan, let us know. We will help you design and implement a long time sustainable solution for it.

If you have any long standing Issue / Problem / Need OR any New age Problem / Issue / Need in the community you work with, Share it with us. We will help you develop an Innovative, Simple, Practical and Replicable Solution for it.