Student Social Responsibility (SSR)

Student Social Responsibility (SSR)

A Chapter of HDF School of Management,Odisha

Background

Student Social Responsibility (SSR) is a voluntary association of students for a social cause promoted by the students of Human Development Foundation School of Management, Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

Students are facing new global challenges and uncertainty, but also opportunities as we strive to encourage the development of well being society. This can be achieved by identifying and releasing human potential, especially the ‘hidden wealth’ of our students, their interest in voluntary action and their capacity and resources to contribute to tackling social issues. Despite having an impressive population of over five lakh, the concept of active citizenship and volunteerism is missing among young students in the state of Odisha. The generation continues to be largely indifferent to the ailing underdevelopment around them. The young are cynical about the existing government policies as well as the NGOs and have little faith in their outcomes. In management education, the concept of volunteerism is missing and corporatization influences the students to work for the corporate sector in urban areas. Different clubs like communication club, dance clubs, cultural clubs are forming. Institutions are not showing interested to form “Student Social Responsibility (SSR) chapters where the students are actively engaging in voluntary activities. Community initiatives are missing in most of management and engineering academic institutions where every student is inspiring and have responsible towards well being society. Most of students are interested in community development work but not getting any platform and exposure to engage in community work in rural areas.

Although a good number of youths especially students are interested to give back to the society, they do not know how to go about it. NGOs also make little effort to engage volunteers. The chapter aims are to bring about attitudinal changes in individuals that make them active citizens while bridging the gaps between the various forums. The idea is to work on the model of ‘volunteer capitalism’ like capital attracts more capita, volunteers would attract more volunteers

The whole idea of the chapter is to inspire the young students to excellent, inspirational selfless work and to make them believe that change is achievable through volunteerism. There is an immediate need to create an ever growing group of conscious youths through networking who can come together, to contribute their time and effort and work for ‘non-profit’. The intervention is essential to bring in the element of positiveness among the new generation of youth of different cultural and religious backgrounds and make them believe that world can be a better place if they can put in their own small energies together to bring about a change in underdevelopment, poverty and injustice.

SSR Cycle: The SSR concept believes on 3 Cs

· Connecting Students

· Capacity Building

· Community Engagement