The India Philanthropy Alliance (IPA) Youth Essay Competition is celebrating its fifth year this spring, providing middle and high school students with a platform to examine and provide feedback on important issues affecting India in the modern era. Actually, July 1st, the deadline for this year’s submissions, is drawing near. Being a high school finalist in the previous year’s competition, I can attest to the life-changing nature of this experience for both myself and my fellow contestants.
Since my paternal grandfather’s health had started to deteriorate significantly last spring, I found myself thinking a lot about and becoming interested in healthcare. My grandparents live in Kerala, so whenever I had the chance, I looked up hospitals and emergency services there. My schoolteacher, who was aware of my Keralan birthplace and my interest in rural development and health, pushed me to gather my knowledge and submit it as an essay for this national competition.
Using this outlet to share my viewpoint and research was incredibly fulfilling for me during a scary and uncertain time. It was empowering and reassuring for me to be able to analyse issues and offer recommendations for policies as well as different solutions. My writing process prepared the ground for the kind of deeper and wider conversations I hoped to have with my parents and my Indian family.
Actually, by the time I turned in my essay, I had forgotten it would be judged alongside entries from a lot of other young contestants. I was just pleased with myself for having finished something that reflected a lot of my own reading and introspection from the preceding months.
I was notified that I was a finalist by Deputy Director of IPA Peg Fourré in late summer. She invited me to be interviewed about my essay and then to take part in a panel discussion with other successful participants. I was pleasantly surprised and gladly accepted her invitation. She asked me to participate in a panel discussion with other accomplished participants after I was interviewed regarding my essay. To my pleasant surprise, I accepted her invitation without hesitation. I had a great time sharing my insights and experiences with India’s healthcare system in both of our talks, as well as sharing my understanding of rural communities. Particularly influential was the panel discussion. Observing and conversing with fellow students who have personal ties to India, I paid great attention to their viewpoints and became aware of topics that are not frequently discussed in the media.
After having such a great time in this competition, I contacted Peg to discuss how I could get more involved with IPA and interact with this amazing group of students. I was excited to learn that IPA would be forming a Youth Leadership Council in honour of India Giving Day, and that students who had been volunteering with IPA member organisations and essay finalists would be invited to join the council. It was a great pleasure and fulfilment to assist Peg in planning and running the council.
Ultimately, 14 students—many of whom had written essays—made up the Council. In order to increase youth involvement and have an unprecedented India Giving Day in 2024, we came up with and put into practice several ideas. We talked about our progress, gave feedback to IPA and each other, and planned ways to work together effectively during our monthly meetings. We worked on behalf of participating organisations, creating content and managing their social media accounts in addition to organising events and raising money. It pleased me to see that during the campaign, people’s ideas and the member organisations they indicated a desire to support frequently echoed the themes they had emphasised in their essays, and frequently added new ones!
IPA’s goal is to engage youth, and the Youth Essay Competition is a crucial first step in encouraging young people to think and act philanthropically. I have discovered via this competition that our opinions count and that we can have a significant impact on issues that are significant to us. The winners are flown to a national gathering of philanthropists, business executives, and nonprofit executives to discuss their essays, and they even get access to a national platform because of IPA’s partnership with Indiaspora.
I implore all aspiring young writers to think about entering the IPA Youth Essay Competition this year. There is still time! Your ideas and solutions can advance knowledge of India’s problems and encourage constructive change. More than just a writing platform, the competition serves as a doorway to join a community of people committed to changing the world.
