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Young Scholars Programme 2024: A Summer to Remember

Naincy, Project Lead, Young Scholars Programme (YSP), shares how the initiative is shaping the future of young minds through its innovative curriculum.

This summer, the Ashoka campus was buzzing with the energy of 1,440 high schoolers across 5 programmes and 2 sessions attending the Young Scholars Programme 2024. Across 4 weeks, from May 20- June 12, we welcomed the largest cohort of our young scholars yet, across five distinct streams, reflecting a remarkable near-doubling in enrollment and for the first time, international students. The excited, energetic and eager-to-learn YSP students, from 70+ cities and 300+ schools, were to live at the Ashoka campus, go to class in college style and be inspired, motivated and prepared to make informed decisions about subject choices, colleges, careers, and life beyond!

As the YSP team and honestly, the whole university geared to host the students participating in the programme over four weeks, we were all struck with the same excitement and nervousness as the YSP students. The thoughtfully curated programme was a mix of academic sessions with Ashoka faculty, 21st-century skill workshops with practitioners from various fields, critical thinking workshops with scholars and thinkers from a wide range of disciplines, lab sessions with Professors and advanced-level Ashoka students, and Inspiring Speaker sessions with leaders and legends from academia, business, research and entrepreneurship. The evenings at YSP featured the famous Sonipat sunsets, and an abundance of fun, frolic and food with group sports activities, Chaat & Chat night which turned into a dance night and the famous YSP Talent Night. All the elements of the programme together were aimed at helping students in their journey as they move from school to university, make subject and college choices and live an independent life.

In 2024, we offered 5 programmes for the first time- YSP Foundation, YSP Frontiers of Science (FoS), YSP Tech, Data and Computer Science (TDCS) and the newly launched YSP Economics, Policy and Society (EPS) and YSP Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Impact (ELI). While diverse in disciplines, ideas and concepts that were covered, all 5 offerings were designed to introduce high school students to the lens of interdisciplinarity, encouraging them to make connections between what they study and the world around them.

YSP Foundation, an introduction to the best of Ashoka, was designed as the perfect bridge between theoretical learning at the school level and experiential learning at a leading university and a recommended must-do for students irrespective of the disciplines they plan to pursue and the career choices they may make. The Frontiers of Science programme followed a multidisciplinary approach to cutting-edge research and future-forward topics across the Sciences with hands-on learning and experimentation modules. YSP TDCS offered a hands-on approach to developing solution-driven tech, data & CS solutions from idea to Intellectual Property. An experiential journey crafted for those excited to locate creative solutions in the ever-growing field of TDCS. The Sciences and the Computer Science programme also included 2-hour lab and MakerSpace sessions where students worked on creating a local mesh network, built a spectrometer and so on. The newly launched YSP EPS included an interdisciplinary exposure designed to give deep insights and rich perspectives of our world in dialogic sessions with policy & action workshops while the ELI programme was a practitioner-led journey through the various stages of building a successful profit and non-profit business along with leadership skill-building workshops.

A typical day in the life of a young scholar featured 2 faculty sessions, a workshop/ lab session with collaborative activities and projects, a dialogic session with an inspiring speaker and evening fun. Our evening activities encouraged students to play sports and have fun together and feel a sense of belonging and community with their peers from across the country. This sense of community came real as students sang Taylor Swift songs together during the Chaat & Chat night, cheered each other on Talent Night and wrote heartfelt Kabootar Ja postcards to each other. Students also had a choice to attend YSP Advanced (YSP Foundation + any other stream), over a 10-day certified programme on campus for comprehensive and rigorous experiential learning. The YSP 2024 cohort consisted of high-achieving students, selected through a rigorous process involving essay evaluation, consistency of high school grades and co-curriculars.

The academic sessions span a wide range, from exploring Sustainability through the applications of AI, sensors, and data to delving into the significance of diplomacy, transitioning seamlessly from concrete to abstract concepts. Students immersed in experiential learning, engaging with leadership insights from figures like Sanjeev Bikhchandani, Pramath Raj Sinha and Anil Swarup while participating in hands-on activities such as maker space sessions and policy-building workshops facilitated by the Centre for Civil Society. The young scholars met and interacted with inspiring speakers and leaders in various fields, including discussions on the criticality of research by Prof. Somak Raychaudhury, the pursuit of excellence by Aditya Ghosh, and the nuanced approach to Risk Taking presented by Deepit Purkayastha, among others. The programme also included workshops and sessions on design thinking, writing for impact, learning how to learn and navigate FOMO and so on.

The programme also highlighted the remarkable synergy and dedication of the entire Ashoka community. Throughout the planning and execution phases of YSP 2024, our team collaborated not just with the Ashoka faculty but also with various university departments, including IT, Dining, Maintenance, Housekeeping, Security, and Residence Life. We engaged with key offices such as the Office of Learning Support, Media & Communication, and the Office of Student Affairs, Office of Learning Support and with centres like the Ashoka Centre for Wellbeing. After hosting the largest YSP cohort yet, we definitely know that it takes a village to deliver YSP and our village, the Ashoka community went above and beyond and supported us in delivering an exceptional programme & highly rated experience.

Our on-the-ground support came from a dynamic group of Ashoka students, the YSP counsellors, who served as our vigilant coordinators, keen observers, and active facilitators throughout the programme. These individuals did more than support us; they were integral co-creators of the YSP, ensuring that every student enjoyed a rich, engaging, and enjoyable learning experience at Ashoka.

As we forge ahead with plans for future iterations of the Young Scholars Programme, we cherish the memories of this year’s successes, holding even tighter to the invaluable lessons we’ve gathered along the way. Our aim has always been to inspire, motivate, and equip young students for the pivotal decisions ahead and their future journeys. Yet, we acknowledge that this process has also profoundly impacted us, leaving the YSP team equally inspired and motivated. Moving forward, we remain committed to continue crafting, designing, and delivering transformative learning experiences that will enrich the lives of high schoolers for many years to come.

Study at Ashoka

Study at Ashoka