Global Center for the Development of the Whole Child (Spring 2021)

Project Background:

In the southern Indian state of Telangana, the Telangana Social/ Tribal Welfare Residential Education Institution Societies (the “Society”), a government office dedicated to improving educational outcomes for historically marginalized students through residential education, works to advance the social and educational equity of children by offering them more effective, high-quality and holistic learning and life skills opportunities. Developing a holistic education system that meets the complex needs of these learners requires careful assessment of how both existing and potential activities align within a whole-child development approach (an approach that addresses all aspects of a child’s well-being: physical, cognitive, social and emotional). Notre Dame’s Global Center for the Development of the Whole Child (GC-DWC), as the leading organization for this project, will match the society’s vision with the tools and supports it needs to achieve its goals, refine its processes, and sustain them into the future.

In this newly-started project (December 2020 - September 2024), the GC-DWC will support and advise key educators and members of the society, including teachers and principals, on how to develop and integrate a whole-child development framework into program activities. The GC-DWC also will strengthen the society’s capacity to adopt a whole-child development lens in programming by offering best-practice workshops as well as training on how to measure the efficacy and impact of their programs. The inclusive design of the research process strives to ensure the sustainability of project activities long after the project period.

Opportunity:

 Within the context of Project Sampoorna, there is opportunity to explore, in detail, ways in which gender impacts student retention in India and more specifically in Society Residential schools in Telangana. Early marriage often results in girls having to leave school early, and boys often drop out early to support income needs for their families. As the GC-DWC begins its work with the Society, a detailed look at how gender impacts education programming and how to improve retention rates within Residential schools throughout Project Sampoorna is essential. 

 

Definition of Success:

• Display of a collaborative relationship with the Society & the GC-DWC

• A deep understanding of gender issues in education in India, with a specific grasp of Society programming and the Project Sampoorna approach. 

• A clear & useful proposal for programming solutions to this need

Meet the Team:

Final Deliverables:

Final Presentation

Handout

Exploring the Notre Dame Opportunities for Collaboration in India - Notre Dame International (Spring 2018)

Client Profile

The University of Notre Dame enjoys extraordinary worldwide presence, a good portion of which is mediated through its unique network of Global Gateways: centers and other institutional arrangements around the globe.  The current five Global Gateways—located in Beijing, Dublin, Jerusalem, London, and Rome—provide academic and intellectual hubs where scholars, students, and leaders from universities, government, business, and community gather to discuss, discover, and debate issues of topical and enduring relevance. Each Global Gateway has dedicated staff who collaborate with their counterparts at Notre Dame’s campus to support Notre Dame programs and outreach. Notre Dame International coordinates the management of the Global Gateways and supports faculty in developing and sustaining programs at them.

Definition of Problem:

 The University is considering establishing expanding its presence in India, where it currently has a “Global Center.” Established in January 2016, the Mumbai (India) Global Center is part of the University of Notre Dame’s Asia Initiatives. The Center is building the University’s visibility and engagement with India’s top educational institutions, and works with different campus units and organizations to implement activities and projects across India.

Initial First Steps:

We will begin by conducting a number of interviews with key stakeholders who will be important to interview to better understand the landscape and possibilities.  These interviews include faculty of Notre Dame both on campus, in India, and in South Asia.  

Definition of Success

Through this class project, we propose to map the range of faculty, staff, student and alumni engagements and relationships in India, and then explore possibilities for a more robust set of partnerships and engagements with India.  ND’s presence in India has a unique opportunity to look beyond ND's traditional Gateway functions and to explore how we might be more intentional with our collaborations with local government agencies, industry partners, development organizations, and educational institutions.  As we explore the opportunities related to India, we will make a special effort to explore possibilities for opportunities related to international development and to design thinking.

Development Team

Hello, World!

Hello, World!

Sustainable Tourism in Kerala - Indian Institutes of Management (Fall 2014)

Client Profile

Kerala, a state located in southwest India, is one of the lowest-income places in the world, but it has remarkably high levels of social development.  Nobel Prize winning economist Amartya Sen classified Kerala as one of the three models of places in the world with high quality of life indicators with low per capita income.  However, while Kerala has indicators that are considered exceptional, the Wayanad District in northeast Kerala is a pocket of incredible difficulty and deprivation, mainly due to challenges faced by the tribal population living in largely inaccessible forests and hill areas.

The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) are the most prestigious business schools in the country and IIM Kozhikode is located about 40 kilometers from Wayanad. In collaboration with Notre Dame, the Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode, seeks to revitalize key children’s programs to be more effective, especially regarding issues related to children’s health and nutrition.

See all Development Advisory Team Projects with Indian Institutes of Management

Definition of Problem

Tourism continues to be a major growth driver in the economy of Kerala, and Wayanad is singled out for its incredibly beauty. Trends over the last ten years show significant increases in both domestic and international tourist arrivals, despite the global recessionary trends in recent years. The figures for 2010 show an impressive increase of over 18 percent in foreign tourist arrivals and an increase of over 33% in foreign exchange earnings. The tourism infrastructure has not been growing in pace with the increase in arrivals and revenue generation. Demand is outstripping supply, both in terms of hotel rooms and home stay facilities. However, the most critical constraint is the one in terms of people who have the right training and orientation to provide services of an international standard to the tourists who visit the State of Kerala. Tourism requires a range of specialized skills from culinary to front office staff, guides, conservation staff, drivers and managers. The supply of adequately trained staff falls far short of the demand. A second aspect of concern is the impact of tourism on the local environment and the people of the State. Tourist projects are located in or very near ecologically fragile environments that are prone to irretrievable damage if right practices are not observed. It is also necessary that the people who reside in the areas where tourism develops, particularly in the hill and tribal areas feel involved in the development and realize tangible benefits from this development.

Initial Steps and Options

A team of IIM students in India will work with a team of Notre Dame’s DAT students to identify international examples of sustainable tourism that promote both human development as well as protect the natural environment, with leadership from and active involvement of local, indigenous communities. In particular, students should examine public-private partnership models for development, including training programs that ultimately provide tribal youth of the State high quality training in hospitality related trades, that will enable them to benefit from employment in tourism. However, since the tribal youth are significantly behind others in educational background, the cases should look for examples that includes a component of “make up” schooling that will help the tribal students to catch up with others in terms of basic academic and social skills.

Definition of Success

Careful analysis of case studies of successful sustainable tourism, and in particular the processes for dialogue and engagement that contributed to that success. The success will be in being instrumental in changes in policies and practices both with the government and the tourism industry so that the environment and human development concerns are addressed.

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Development Advisory Team Biographies

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Child Nutrition and Development - Indian Institutes of Management (Fall 2013)

Client Profile

Kerala, a state located in southwest India, is one of the lowest-income places in the world, but it has remarkably high levels of social development.  Nobel Prize winning economist Amartya Sen classified Kerala as one of the three models of places in the world with high quality of life indicators with low per capita income.  However, while Kerala has indicators that are considered exceptional, the Wayanad District in northeast Kerala is a pocket of incredible difficulty and deprivation, mainly due to challenges faced by the tribal population living in largely inaccessible forests and hill areas.

The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) are the most prestigious business schools in the country and IIM Kozhikode is located about 40 kilometers from Wayanad. In collaboration with Notre Dame, the Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode, seeks to revitalize key children’s programs to be more effective, especially regarding issues related to children’s health and nutrition.

See all Development Advisory Team Projects with Indian Institutes of Management

Definition of Problem

There are currently 177 government run Integrated Children Development Services (ICDS) in the state of Wayanad, which is the largest interface with government and the community in the state. These ICDS provide health, nutrition and non-formal education opportunities for children up to the age of 6 plus interventions for adolescent girls and pregnant and lactating women. While extensive services exist, the community is not taking full advantage of the services. The Last Mile Project is working with the ICDS to help improve the status of people, particularly children, in the Wayanad district. In collaboration with Notre Dame, the Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode, seeks to raise the profile of key children’s programs among community members, especially regarding issues related to children’s health and nutrition.

Initial Steps and Options

A team of IIM students will work with a team of Notre Dame’s DAT students to identify and highlight local and international examples where effective marketing and promotion have led to greater usage of available health, education and nutritional services targeting children.  A focus on successful interventions that have worked with marginalized indigenous populations (North American Indians, aboriginal populations in Australia and New Zealand for instance) will be of particular interest. The IIM, alongside Notre Dame, also seeks to link this promotion work to corporate social responsibility, and explore longer-term roles for academic institutions (particularly the IIM and Notre Dame) to contribute to this work.