The Young Researchers for Social Impact program is an opportunity for students to work on a live project with a renowned social impact organization under close supervision and personalized mentorship from YLAC. Students pick up several important skills, such as critical thinking, structuring and breaking down problems, asking the right research questions, looking for innovative solutions and putting forward answers in a way that can build support among decision-making authorities.

Through the program, students also interact with and share ideas with a carefully selected group of motivated peers. This helps them build a strong network of like-minded individuals who are passionate about similar issues and themes. The exposure also helps students strengthen their profile, build a stronger resume and open up avenues and opportunities for higher education.

If you are studying in grades 10^th to 12^th and are no more than 18 years of age, you are eligible to apply. Students who are moving into class 10^th or those who have just completed their class 12^th exams are also eligible.

We look for talented students who wish to create an impact through research and advocacy on social issues. There are no prerequisites as such. Students are selected on the basis of their responses to the questions in a short application form.

The overall duration of the program is five weeks. Sessions are run on both Saturday and Sunday on the first and the last weekend, but only on Sundays in the intervening weeks. This structure is designed to allow students time to undertake individual work on their projects while accommodating constraints at school.

We also organize mid-week office hours for students to check in with their mentors and ask any questions they may have with regard to their projects. Outside these sessions, students are expected to spend 10-12 hours on individual research and writing work.

Yes! The entire program is run online through video conferencing. A student needs access to a desktop computer/ laptop as well as a stable and reliable broadband connection to participate effectively.

Students work on projects in the fields of social science and humanities. Project topics look at contemporary issues and cover different developmental and social challenges in healthcare, education, governance, gender, youth empowerment, environment etc.

'Live' implies that the output of the project feeds into/ supports the ongoing campaigns and initiatives of our partner organizations. Projects are result-oriented and tightly managed by the YLAC team to ensure the most enriching experience for our students.

A team of 4-6 students works on one project. In terms of the assignment of projects, we seek preferences from students and try our best to match students with a project of their choice, but a specific allocation cannot be guaranteed.

We establish partnerships with prominent NGOs and social enterprises that work on different subjects and issues such as education, health, women and child rights, environmental and wildlife protection, livelihoods generation and urban governance.

On average, a student is expected to commit about 20 hours per week during the program. This includes 6-7 hours of online sessions per week and 10-12 hours of individual remote work for the project.

The sessions are taught and facilitated by the YLAC team. Their profiles can be found on the website. During the course of the program, external speakers and staff from partner organizations are also invited to interact with students and engage with them on a range of issues and subjects.

In any edition of the program,  1-2 cohorts may be inducted in parallel. A cohort is typically 40-50 students and students are divided into groups of 5-7 people on the first weekend to work on projects for partner organizations.

To allow students to meet their peers, some sessions may also be conducted jointly to bring the cohorts together.

Yes, attendance at the sessions is mandatory. Graduation from the program requires that a student not miss more than one day during the entire duration of the program. Special circumstances can be considered on a case by case basis, but approval must be sought from YLAC facilitators in advance.

Yes! At the end of the program, students are given a graded certificate by YLAC highlighting the project they worked on. Graduation from the program requires regular attendance, class contribution as well as completing the assigned project work to the satisfaction of the mentors and the client.

In case any unforeseen circumstances prevent you from joining the program, you can request our office to initiate the refund process. YLAC will refund 100% of your payment if the request is received 30 days before the beginning of the program. For requests received 15 days before the program, the refund amount shall be 50% of the payment received. YLAC shall not be able to issue any refunds in case the intimation reaches us at a shorter notice.