Kolkata runs a program called Youth for Philanthropy which is designed to educate and empower youth to become our country’s next generation of philanthropists – those who give time, talent and treasure for the common good. This experiential leadership program attracts members of the community who are professionals or business leaders between the ages of 22 and 35 years, to become youth mentors. Each youth mentor supervises a group of seven or eight students from local colleges, who wish to do community service as interns for three months. These interns are assigned to NGOs and work in diverse areas like data management, social media and fundraising, and the youth mentor spends a few hours every month guiding the interns.

So far the program has been very successful with 21 interns and 5 youth mentors working across 6 NGOs in the first cohort of YFP and 48 interns and 6 youth mentors working across 9 NGOs in the second cohort.