Beyond High School - November Edition

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For High

Schoolers

A monthly magazine for educators, parents, and high schoolers.

Designed to inspire & prepare high schoolers for life beyond.

ISSUE 5 | NOVEMBER 2023

Build skills for

social impact

Ashoka University’s social impact

student club shares insights on the

skills needed for social impact.

Impact-driven

research

How can research contribute

to social impact?

Nurture your bond

with nature

Learn how to create a mini-garden at

home to improve your well-being

and make a positive impact on the

environment.

Dear readers,

We are so delighted to take you through a new journey in this issue of our magazine. This

November, Beyond High School is excited to introduce you to the world of Social Impact.

We stand at a unique point in time, and learning about the social impact sector is crucial to

raise empowered and empathic individuals, who become effective leaders and problem

solvers.

You might wonder how social impact holds relevance in your life, or how YOU can create

impact. Well, this issue aims to inspire you to start slow and start somewhere. We

discuss a range of ways through which individuals have contributed to the social good, in

their own unique ways. From planting a sapling to using multiple academic skills to make

the world a better place, there are no rules to creating impact.

Our spotlight is on individuals who have become real life heroes striving to drive positive

change. We believe their passion is contagious, and has the potential to inspire your own

social impact journey.

From developing skills to thrive in the social impact sector, accessing portals that can

harness one’s career in this field, to aligning social good with better mental health

practices, take your pick in the wide world of social good. We invite you to explore this

issue not just as readers, but as the harbingers of a movement that can transform our

future for greatness.

So, turn the pages and let fresh ideas brew…

Warmly,

Smridhi Chadha

Office of High School Programmes

EDITOR’S NOTE

Beyond High School | Page 1

ART INSTALLATION AT ASHOKA UNIVERSITY

Beyond High School | Page 2

Imagine doing research that transcends disciplines and library shelves. Claudia

Goldin, the recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economics 2023, spent years solving the

mysterious question around gender wage-gap. She wondered, if men and women do

the same job, why do their paychecks look different?

The conclusions of her discoveries are exceptionally important, and so is her research

methodology. This is where students can draw inspiration from Goldin, as she looks at

various disciplines to arrive at results which help us understand the hidden parts between

what we easily see as black or white.

Using multidisciplinary insights, she discovered how most women who are not paid fairly

often wish to pursue both professional and family goals; this is what she calls the mommy-

track. Their dual ambition compels them to juggle priorities between work and family, due

to unequal distribution of labour between the husband and the wife back home.

Picture Goldin as a detective who used cues from different worlds of history, sociology,

psychology to solve what riddled her - why did women earn less than men? She opened

her toolkit and picked up a variety of tools to join the missing pieces. She wore the

robes of a historian as she went through public records from two centuries. She got on the

field and operated as a sociologist, learning why certain tasks are assigned to specific

genders. She became a student of psychology and uncovered the hidden biases that

compel women to walk on the mommy-track, sometimes deprioritising their careers.

RESEARCH IN FOCUS

THE TOOLS THAT MAKE THE TOOLBOX

Beyond High School | Page 3

Claudia Goldin,

Henry Lee Professor

of Economics,

Harvard University

Beyond High School | Page 4

She questioned straightforward thinking, and came up with creative ideas to play with

economics. She brought in more colours within economics than what had ever been seen

before, marrying it with statistics, humanities, social sciences and beyond. Goldin went

through social experiments as an observer, assessed impacts of policy and education,

employed quantitative and qualitative data alike to build profound research. As an

economist, and a thinker of wider disciplines, she painted a broader and impactful

narrative to solve the riddle.

And that’s why her research is not just numbers and statistics, it is meant to have

real-world impact. It is our guide to make inclusive spaces, and make the world a better

place for people of all genders. It is research we all can go back to learn how we can make

better policies, and make workspaces healthier environments. Lastly, it is a gentle reminder

to use all the tools from the toolbox of multidisciplinarity!

Find out more about her inspiring research here.

Do you use the many tools available at your disposal? How do you think using

ideas from diverse disciplines has helped you to grow? Share your responses

with us here!

SKILLS IN FOCUS

In this section, Team Anitya, the social impact student club of Ashoka, shares some

key skills useful for creating social impact.

Anitya aims to foster community dialogue around social impact and how we, as students

and leaders, can generate value in our communities and organizations. The club serves as

a platform to connect students, organizations, & professionals in the social impact space

and create educational, experiential, and networking opportunities for community

members. Through initiatives and events, students are exposed to various social problems

and develop skills to solve them.

Beyond High School | Page 5

Many of us have ambitious motivations of making a tangible impact on the world, but what

are the skills that are required to work towards this prosocial goal? In building Anitya, one

of our primary goals was to expose students to the development sector and the skills

requisite for solving various social problems. In our journey with the club over the years,

we realized that through our own work on social impact initiatives, we have been instilled

with the values and skills to thrive in this space. We outline the three most crucial ones

below:

Beyond High School | Page 6

BUILDING SKILLS FOR SOCIAL IMPACT:

STRONG ORGANIZATIONAL AND STAKEHOLDER

MANAGEMENT SKILLS:

As is also often the case in the development sector, we are consistently

trying to maximize our club’s impact with minimal resources. In this

setting, it is critical that one’s organizational capabilities are at their most

efficient. Over time, we’ve developed our communication abilities as

club leaders, learning to tailor our message to resonate with different

audiences, from members to potential partners and beneficiaries.

Project management skills, from conceptualization to execution, have

been learnt with slow but steady determination, as we juggled our

academic commitments and club responsibilities. While this process has

been a steep learning curve, it is bearing rewards in terms of the

consistently engaging events we are able to deliver to the student body.

BEING RECEPTIVE TO FEEDBACK:

We are grateful for the opportunity to have formal and informal

conversations

with

many

mentors,

alumni

and

social

sector

professionals who give us valuable insights from their own journeys in

the development sector. It is important that one remains open to such

conversations; taking constructive feedback with a positive attitude and

valuing the experience of those who have trodden similar paths before.

PERSISTENCE AND NOT LOSING SIGHT OF THE BIGGER

PICTURE:

Our journey with the club has been one of persistence: not every project

yielded the expected outcomes, and not every effort met with

immediate success. But it is important that through these moments of

adversity, we remain strong in our resolve. Not every action you take

might directly lead to impact, but it is pivotal that you realise that it all

adds up to your end goal of fostering meaningful change. Such

moments will become touchstones for growth, as it did for us at Anitya,

and will continue to resonate deeply in your future endeavours.

The Centre for Social Impact and Philanthropy developed the social sector talent

management and compensation database as a repository of knowledge on various

aspects of working in the sector. The portal hosts static and dynamic dashboards that

illustrate compensation data across roles (in terms of hierarchical level, function and

scope) and types of organizations (in terms of region, funding size, thematic area and

headcount size). The portal also has reports that describe perceptions of employees about

various aspects of their work. One of the reports also details the various push and pull

factors that motivate people to join and stay in certain types of organizations. One can also

learn about various reasons for voluntary attrition in one of the reports. Together, these

shall empower social sector aspirants to have a more robust understanding of the sector in

terms of sector working conditions and conditions of work to make desirable career

choices. This means that before seriously considering the social sector as a career choice,

the data portal offers a one-stop destination to be informed about what to expect in terms

of compensation and other motivation/ demotivation factors while working in a certain

kind of role/ function in a specific category of organization.

Dr. Neha Nimble

Senior Manager- Research

Centre for Social Impact & Philanthropy, Ashoka University

TECH & DATA OF INTEREST

THE

SOCIAL

SECTOR

TALENT

MANAGEMENT

AND

COMPENSATION DATABASE: A ONE-STOP DESTINATION

FOR SOCIAL SECTOR ASPIRANTS

Beyond High School | Page 7

As more and more young people seek purpose-driven work,

the social sector seems to offer a perfect opportunity to serve

the society and make a living. At the same time, for those

already in the sector, work in the sector is also synonymous

with challenging and arduous work with little rewards and

benefits. Considering the low compensation as compared to

the for-profit sector, what are the different factors that

high schoolers should know before taking a call on

joining the sector? Where is it that they can seek the

information they need to enter the sector reasonably

informed so that they do not become disenchanted as soon

as they get motivated?

CHILLIN’ IS FULFILLIN’

Beyond High School | Page 8

Anyone can become a #PlantParent today. Amongst Gen-z, a latest trend has been to

develop nurturing and personalized relationships with plants. As a generation that has

recently come out of a pandemic, nurturing plants has allowed them to have a sense of

control over the future and develop a positive impact on their mental health and the world

around them.

Young minds are seeking deeper relationships with their jade plants, terrariums, or even a

cactus. Treating their plant like their child or a pet, the trend to become a first-time-plant-

parent is on the rise, and we cannot complain!

It's only fair that in today's fast-paced and often chaotic digital world, cultivating a

meaningful connection with nature has a special value. If you want to join the clan, consider

home gardening. This might be an enjoyable way for you to develop a niche space for

yourself and create social and environmental good.

MAKING FRIENDS WITH THE GREENS!

Beyond High School | Page 9

STEP 1: CHOOSE YOUR PLANTS

Start small with low-maintenance houseplants. As you gain confidence, you can

explore herbs and flowering plants. Tailor your selection to your living space and

light conditions.

STEP 2: GATHER YOUR SUPPLIES

Bring out any pots, soil, seeds or plants, and gardening tools. Be creative with the

containers you choose! Upcycled jars or vintage teacups can add personality to

your garden. Consider adding fairy lights for a cozy, intimate atmosphere.

STEP 3: NURTURE YOUR PLANTS

Learn about your chosen plants' specific needs – water, sunlight, and care

routines. Paying regular attention to your plants will help you build a strong bond

with them. Consider naming them to foster deeper connections with them.

STEP 4: ESTABLISH A GARDENING ROUTINE

Allocate time in your schedule to care for your plants every day. Try looking at

trending hashtags like #plantparenthood on Instagram, which has about

1.9M posts, and learn what the plant-world has on offer.

Here's a guide to help you start gardening at home:

STEP 4: JOIN LIKE-MINDED COMMUNITIES

Why not share the joy of home gardening with others? Share your progress and

challenges on social media platforms, like Instagram and Pinterest, and join

communities to stay inspired. Many home gardeners are also passionate about

sustainability. You might pick up other practices from them such as growing

vegetables and composting.

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