GiveGoa initiative is to promote social responsibility among the students of GIM through service to the less privileged communities and thereby contribute to goal of a more inclusive society. It is operationalized as a compulsory 4-credit course in the first year of the PGDM program. The course has two components: a three-credit experiential project with partner organizations (such as banks and NGOs) and one-credit classroom learning experience.

GiveGoa Coordination Team work on developing and offering students about 43-50 projects at the beginning of the year. Student-groups initially indicate their top three preferences from the projects on offer. Projects are then allotted to the students on the basis of their preferences. Each group is assigned a faculty guide from GIM and a mentor from the client organization. Six-member groups then work over 20 days (spread over the academic year) on the project. The projects broadly addressed client concerns and offered an opportunity for students to work with disadvantaged sections. Projects are taken up broadly in the fields of Education, Social Welfare, Agriculture extension and Public Health. They are finalized, based on inputs from the CSR coordination team, the client organizations, and the students of GIM.

Continuous sharing of progress with the faculty guide and (to an extent) the mentors in the partner organizations ensures that students can provide valuable inputs to the community. Evaluation by multiple stakeholders (faculty guide, mentor, independent faculty members and the team-members) encourages students to put in the requisite effort. At the end of the project, we survey a representative sample of students for their perceptions about the experience of doing the project (from a project-management perspective) and learnings from the experience. We also explore partner-organizations’ perceptions of the project-outcomes. In future, we intend to systematically explore the perceptions of the faculty guides also. Reports of the findings are shared with the Board as well as with other stakeholders. They form the basis for subsequent improvements in the design and conduct of the projects.

Students of the first year of the Post Graduate Program are formed into groups of six to undertake a project at an organization in Goa. They visit one of twenty client organizations, every Thursday for 20 Thursdays. Each group is guided by a faculty member and by a project coordinator in the client organization. Groups are guided by faculty members from GIM and mentors from the partner organizations. Faculty members, the partnering organizations and team-mates play a role in monitoring and evaluating performance. Progress is regularly monitored through weekly discussions and progress reports. An essential requirement of the project is that student-groups reflect on and document their experiences and outcomes.

Centre for Social Sensitivity and Action, GIM, Goa Goa Institute of Management, Goa GiveGoa Coordination Team. Local NGOs, Industry Faculty members of GIM Students of GIM