| Is the InSPIRE experience only meant for individuals of Indian origin? |
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| No. Any individual of South Asian descent is welcome to apply. In the South Asian corner of the world, many similarities exist across cultures and nations. In that spirit of a common culture, we invite individuals of South Asian descent that are interested in gaining a deeper understanding of both themselves and of India through our summer exposure program to apply. |
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| Can a person outside of the U.S. apply to InSPIRE? |
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| Yes. Any individual of South Asian decent who is living outside of South Asia is welcome to apply. |
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| What are the qualifications for being an InSPIRE participant? |
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| InSPIRE seeks open-minded individuals that are genuinely interested in exploring themselves and their identity, earnestly willing to understand development in the context of India, and sincerely committed to the value of service work. Participants should be willing to push themselves to think, act and grow throughout the five-week exposure. Applicants are required to be of South Asian origin, fall in the age range of 18 to 24 and be in good health. (We do consider exceptions; email with inquiries.) |
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| Can I get college credits for this? |
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| As of this year, InSPIRE is not affiliated with any colleges or universities. However, you may still be able to write a proposal to your specific college requesting credits for this program. In the future, InSPIRE may look to partner with universities to offer credits for the program. |
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| What are my chances of getting in? |
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InSPIRE is looking for individuals with a deep interest in experiential learning and a strong desire to connect with India. We will do our best to find a place for all applicants who express these interests, if not within InSPIRE, with other organizations throughout India. For this reason, InSPIRE will be running two batches this summer to better accommodate varying summer schedules. This year's program will run from June 27 to August 3.
We will accept 15-25 participants in each batch. Since we only have a limited number of seats and do not know how many applications we will be receiving, we cannot accurately estimate one’s chance of getting in. |
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| What do I need to bring with me if I am accepted? |
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| Soon after final selection into the InSPIRE program, by April 8, 2007, participants will be sent an information packet detailing things like items to bring, health and safety precautions to take, things to expect, etc. Detailed rules of the InSPIRE program (i.e. no drinking, sensitivity to local/cultural norms, etc.) will also be sent out at this time. |
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| Is there a language requirement? |
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| No. As we will be traveling through Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Uttaranchal Pradesh, Hindi (or Gujarati, for the Ahmedabad portion) would be useful to know; however it is not a requirement of the program. Through the InSPIRE experience, participants with no Indian language skills may learn the value of non-verbal communication. However, we do encourage applicants to study Hindi before they arrive in India. A great resource for learning basic Hindi can be found here. You should also expect to learn some basic Hindi during the program. |
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| What is covered and not covered in the costs to participate? |
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| Lodging, board, transportation within India and activity-related fees are covered under InSPIRE costs. Participants will be required to book their own travel to and from India, as well as any other incidental costs. Refer to the finances section of this website for more information. |
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| Is financial aid available? |
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| As InSPIRE is launching its first set of summer programs this year, we do not have the infrastructure to give out scholarships. However, we encourage you to connect with friends, family, and your local community to help cover your costs. Many ideas for fundraising are available online, and we will be happy to help you with materials that others have used. Let us know. |
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| What kind of shots, vaccines, and inoculations will I need? |
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| Check the Center for Disease Control website and your local physician for up-to-date recommendations on what is suggested for traveling to India. Please ensure that you make an appointment with your physician at least 3 weeks before departure. In reference to health requirements for InSPIRE, it is mandatory that all participants take malaria pills throughout the duration of the 5-week program. More information on this will be available upon acceptance. |
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| What will happen if I get sick? |
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| InSPIRE will work with local doctors to ensure that participants have access to appropriate medical treatment as the need arises. To prevent the contraction of malaria, all participants are required to take malaria pills throughout the duration of our 5-week program. InSPIRE also strongly urges participants to consult a family doctor before arrival in India for recommended immunizations. Please note, however, that all participants are liable for their own health and healthcare while on this 5-week exposure trip. (More information on health precautions, and other health and safety guidelines, will be available upon acceptance into the program.) |
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| Is travel health insurance required? |
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| Travel health insurance is not required by InSPIRE, however is recommended for the duration of your stay in India. For a five-week period, some travel insurance companies offer coverage for less than $100 USD. More information on this will be available upon acceptance into the program. |
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| Are buses and trains safe in India? |
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| InSPIRE will do its best to ensure the safety of the participants, while still being able to experience the ‘real’ India. Although there can be no guarantee of safety when traveling anywhere, including in the U.S., risks can be managed and minimized. 1) We will not travel in any politically dangerous areas. 2) All the coordinators have spent significant time traveling in India, and we will only take trains, buses, and roads that are known to be safe and reliable. |
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| Who will be with the participants? |
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| We will have 4-5 coordinators that will be with the participants at all times. This means that there will be a maximum participant to coordinator ratio of 2:1. Two of the coordinators are Indian-Americans who have spent a significant time traveling, exploring, reflecting, working, and serving in India. The other coordinators are Indians who were raised in India, live in Delhi and are involved in various social work endeavors. |
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| How connected will I be to friends and family outside of India during this program? |
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All of the coordinators will have mobile phones, and the participants will be allowed to carry mobile phones as well. (However, it is not necessary.) Family and friends may call these phone, although there will be specified times when all phones will be shut off (for example, if we are in a session).
We will have internet access approximately 3 times during the entire 5-week program. |
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| What if I want to spend time in India before or after the InSPIRE program? How can I do that? |
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| One of the main driving aims behind InSPIRE is for participants to build a fluid network connecting them as passionate individuals to each other and to organizations. So one option is to use the InSPIRE exposure program to make contacts with different organizations in India, and have conversations regarding work that you would be interested in doing with them after having gone through the program. InSPIRE is a huge proponent of providing this type of forum for participants to make connections with individuals and organizations in India for future development work post-program. For example, individuals that will need to return to college in the fall following their InSPIRE summer experience can use the contacts they made while in India to set up an internship for the following summer. For more specific enquiries, or for work that you may be interested in doing pre-program, email us at info@summerinindia.org with details regarding your field(s) of interest in India. |
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| Which issues will we be taking a look at? How were they selected? |
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| Mainly, we will be exploring issues that also have relevance to the participants, as Indian-Americans. Therefore, we have chosen to explore issues of globalization, privatization, development in general, responsibility of consumption and production, education, changing aspirations, and poverty. Issues that may be slightly removed from our lives (such as casteism), while we may touch upon, will not be a focus. |
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| Why are the majority of InSPIRE excursions set in the northern half of India? |
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InSPIRE is run by a handful of passionate individuals who have gone through the process of internal growth through external exploration in India, and see the value in making that experience more accessible to other non-resident South Asians. Keeping in the vein of its values, InSPIRE places a large emphasis on the power of personal relationships. In that spirit, all of the excursion trips planned as a part of the 5-week program have been organized with organizations and individuals that members of the InSPIRE core team know well on a personal level. The core team has spent more time in North India than South India, and therefore, the geographical bias of the program.
This aspect of the program is subject to change for the summer of 2008 if there is a high enough demand for it. |
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| How is InSPIRE different from all of the other study abroad programs out there? |
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| InSPIRE is not just a “touching-the-surface” India exposure program. InSPIRE really aims to give participants relevant exposure to individuals, organizations, and realities that they may otherwise be unaware of when it comes to their country of origin. InSPIRE aims to make participants think harder about themselves, their aspirations and their role in the world through sincerely thought-through excursions, discussions, speakers, and hands-on development work. Again, it’s important to point out that InSPIRE is run by a handful of passionate and inspired individuals who have gone through the process of internal growth through external exploration in India, and see the value in making that experience more accessible to other non-resident South Asians. This humble structure and foundation makes InSPIRE substantially unique from all other travel/exposure programs. |
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