The Good Politician
The Good Politician is a unique 9-month experiential program that invites 50 emerging grassroots leaders to embark on a political journey together. This experience will build political skills, a community of future politicians, and the moral courage and imagination to lead political change across India.
Application can be filled in Hindi or English
Final application deadline was February 14, 2021
Leadership development at ISD
The Good Politician is designed to nurture principled politicians who will become servant leaders. This learning journey identifies three key stages of leadership development -
Seeing the change
Understand the system, identify problems and probe into the deeper realities of politics
Being the change
Experience the lives and realities of the people we serve
Leading the change
Prepare for their future political paths, moving forward with their learning and their projects
The program is designed for active practitioners with -
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Three in-person residentials for 7 weeks in total
3 weeks - August 2021
2 weeks - January 2022
2 weeks - May 2022
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Rest of the time is field time spent in their own field /constituency
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Online classes every week
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Residential immersion in the different parts of India
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Alumni support for 5-10 years
Application can be filled in Hindi or English
Final application deadline was February 14, 2021
Why apply to The Good Politician?
Practical on-ground live learning
Focus on bringing change at the local level
A rigorous interdisciplinary curriculum
Regional mentorship by political leaders across parties
POLITICAL READINESS
Interdisciplinary curriculum
to build political readiness
We believe political leaders need 6 different types of capitals for success in politics. Through the program, our participants will build and leverage these capital to create meaningful change on the ground, and accelerate their political aspirations.
INTERDISCIPLINARY CURRICULUM
Knowing self and people
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Building public narrative -
Forming grassroots team -
Social Mediation -
Mobilising masses -
Decision making and managing conflict -
Ethics and values -
Adaptive leadership
Designing political interventions
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Designing surveys & research tools -
Interpreting constituent data -
Managing a political budget -
Planning community projects -
Fundraising for campaigns -
Evaluating progress
Creating change on the ground
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Building low-cost election campaigns -
Social media and image management -
Speech and debating skills -
Building partnerships and networks -
Being a political worker on the ground
Immersing in current reality
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India’s cultural history -
Understanding state and national parties -
Exploring political history of india -
Caste, religion and gender in politics -
How to deal with corruption -
Big political challenges today
Seeing the whole system
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Constitution -
State and national parties -
Panchayat system -
Municipal corporation/council system -
Working with local bureaucracy -
Important policies and laws for governance
Curriculum that will prepare you to understand and practice principled politics
Our Faculty
Amitabh Behar
CEO, Oxfam India
Ashutosh Varshney
Professor,
Brown University
Charu Pragya
National Media Panelist, Bhartiya Janta Party
Dr. Jaya Prakash Narayan
Founder,
LokSatta Movement
Kamla Bhasin
Feminist Activist
Praveen Chakravarty
Chairperson - Data Analytics, Indian Nation Congress
Rajeev Gowda
Former Member of Parliament, Indian National Congress
Rajni Bakshi
Journalist
Sachin Rao
Member CWC, Indian National Congress
Dr. Sanjay Paswan
Former Member of Parliament, Bhartiya Janta Party
Shantanu Gupta
Author and Political Analyst
Dr S.Y Qureshi
Former Election Commissioner of India
Tara Krishnaswamy
Co Founder, Shakti - Political Power to Women
T.R. Raghunandan
Former IAS Officer
Yamini Aiyar
President, Centre for Policy Research
... and many more political practitioners
Who are we looking for?
We are looking to find the seeds of political leadership from across the country in young leaders who -
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Are planning to contest elections at a village or city level in near future
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Are already serving in their field (party workers, student politicians, ex/current elected leaders, political action groups etc.)
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Have a strong commitment to serve all
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Have deep local political knowledge
Other Criteria
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Minimum 12th standard pass
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Ages 25 - 40 years (exceptional candidates outside the bracket can be considered)
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Fluency in Hindi or English
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Stable source of financial sustenance
Fees & Contribution
Our sincere intention is to make this valuable program accessible to everyone, irrespective of socio-economic status. We invite participants to look at it as an investment in your own self and your political future.
The actual base cost per participant for The Good Politician is 2 lakhs INR. To include and support varying paying capacities we provide generous need and merit based scholarships up to 100%.
Our selection process is completely merit based. We will collectively find a way for all deserving candidates to be a part of the cohort even if they cannot pay for it.
Don’t hesitate - Apply now. We look forward to having you with us :)
Application can be filled in Hindi or English
Final application deadline was February 14, 2021