Kanthari

The residential programme kicks off with its inaugural phase, known as the "First Act." This phase primarily focuses on equipping participants with the essential methodologies and techniques required to initiate social or environmental initiatives. Through a series of hands-on activities, participants embark on their project journeys within a virtual realm, receiving guidance on a range of key areas, including:
• Navigating intercultural dialogue and managing conflicts or crises
• Mastering the art of pitching, delivering speeches, and making impactful presentations
• Developing problem-solving skills and conducting stakeholder mapping
• Transforming concepts into actionable solutions
• Crafting a compelling vision and mission while exploring uncharted territory
• Fostering effective teamwork dynamics
• Scrutinizing their venture ideas, deconstructing them, seeking enhancements, and cultivating the most distinctive version possible

In the initial three weeks of Act 2, participants will dedicate their efforts to crafting a comprehensive venture profile. This profile comprises:
• A well-defined problem statement, coupled with an analysis of their prospective target audience.
• An outline of their solution, encompassing objectives, strategies, budgetary considerations, action plans, and other pertinent details.
• A personal profile that delves into their individual motivations, life narrative, pivotal turning points, and the aspirations they aim to realize.
The latter part of Act 2 ushers in a transformative experience as catalysts and participants embark on an enlightening exposure tour to grassroots-level initiatives located in the southern regions of India. Notably, many of these organizations are spearheaded by alumni of kanthari. This phase equips participants with invaluable hands-on experiences and knowledge, serving as a cornerstone for the successful launch of their social initiatives in the future.

Kanthari extends its educational offerings to include a Diploma course in Entrepreneurship Skills Development, which holds affiliation with Bharath Sewak Samaj, a National development agency supported by the Government of India.
Building upon the foundation laid in Act 1 and Act 2, participants are now poised to undertake an intensive business training program. This training equips them with the knowledge and skills required to launch a social entrepreneurship venture capable of fostering positive societal changes while also serving as a source of supplementary income.
Act Three is firmly rooted in the comprehensive training received in earlier phases, encompassing areas such as:
• Concept transformation (from Act 1)
• Financial literacy and management (spanning Act 0 and Act 1)
• Product development (covered in Act 1)
• Prototyping and testing (addressed in Act 1 and Act 2)

The social venture, having undergone a maturation process spanning Act 1, Act 2, and Act 3, is now poised for its finalization and imminent launch. Act 4 serves as the concluding chapter on the campus and is thoughtfully divided into three distinct parts:
Part 1: Initiating Your Organization Part 2: Crafting Effective Communication Part 3: Going Public
One of the hallmark features of Act 4 is the "kanthari talks," where participants have the opportunity to present their personal stories and innovative concepts to a global audience.
Throughout the duration of Act 4, the focus encompasses the following critical areas:
• Fundraising through the creation and submission of initial proposals.
• Planning the inaugural actions to execute during the startup phase.
• Gaining knowledge on acquiring land and constructing sustainable, eco-friendly buildings.
• Producing high-quality media content for websites and various social media platforms.
• Hone professional public speaking skills.

Having been well-prepared and highly motivated, the participants return to their home countries, fully equipped to confront the primary challenges and eager to embark on their social ventures. Their newfound confidence enables them to transform their dreams into tangible realities.
For those who opt to initiate their social or environmental ventures immediately, kanthari extends mentorship support. Each participant gains access to a kanthari mentor who dedicates a minimum of one hour per week to offer advice and review prepared written materials. These mentors are kanthari alumni who have personally navigated the demanding early stages of their own projects.

Kanthari employs a unique approach to gauging progress, diverging from the conventional grading system. Kanthari believes that comparing participants from diverse backgrounds engaged in a wide array of projects is inherently unjust. To address this, it has devised its own method of measuring progress known as the "SHU system."
In this context, "SHU" originally denoting Scoville Heat Units, a metric for assessing spiciness, takes on a new purpose at kanthari. Here, SHU serves as a means to evaluate participants' capabilities in the following aspects:
• Meeting deadlines efficiently
• Delivering high-quality written and verbal assignments
• Taking proactive initiative in initiating projects
Assignments are limited to materials, media components, or performances that hold the potential for promoting and sustaining their organizations in the future. Each satisfactory assignment earns participants a SHU, with a predetermined SHU value ranging from one to five (SHU Value Point: SVP).