The We Care: Civic Engagement internship at the School of Business Management, NMIMS, initiated in 2010, offers a transformative experience to students for redefining leadership through service. MBA students are placed at the heart of India's social landscape. What makes We Care truly unique is its immersive structure. For 120-150 hours spread across three weeks in February, students work directly with NGOs, social enterprises, and government bodies across the country. For many, this is the first time they engage with vulnerable communities, which is beyond their comfort zones, and address real issues related to rural education, poverty, women's empowerment, unemployment, sustainability, public health, and so on. They work towards developing operational strategies, streamlining outreach, fundraising, or initiating awareness campaigns. The experiential learning is based on a rare blend of professional rigor and personal introspection. Students learn to adapt their skill sets to resource-constrained environments. This consequently sharpens their problem-solving, communication, and leadership skills. The animated discussions in the class and during We Care Poster Presentations facilitate a spirit of camaraderie and inclusion. Best practices based on student projects are documented in the form of the We Care Anthology. This knowledge repository serves as a platform to measure and showcase tangible community impact. In essence, the internship augurs students' optimism to create an inclusive and sustainable global economy. It proves that civic responsibility is not a soft skill but a core managerial competency. And that business education, when rooted in humanity, creates not just professionals, but changemakers.
Finalist
Community Engagement Initiative of the Year Award
We Care: Civic Engagement Internship
Finalist Community Engagement Initiative of the Year Award
School of Business Management, NMIMS - India
"Learning Beyond Books — Engaging for Change"
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Summary
Key People
Prof Ramesh Bhat
Vice Chancellor
Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies(NMIMS) ( Deemed to be University)
Prof Meena Galliara
Director,
Jasani Center for Social Entrepreneurship & Sustainability Management,
School of Business Management, NMIMS
Anjalika Gujar
Community Development Manager,
Jasani Center for Social Entrepreneurship & Sustainability Management,
School of Business Management, NMIMS
Aditya Parkar
Community Development Officer,
Jasani Center for Social Entrepreneurship & Sustainability Management,
School of Business Management, NMIMS
Pranoti Dharankar
Research Associate
Jasani Center for Social Entrepreneurship & Sustainability Management,
School of Business Management, NMIMS
Acknowledgements
Shri Amrish Patel, Chancellor, NMIMS, Office Bearers of SVKM Trust, Dr. Satish M.K., SBM Academic Office, SBM Faculty & Staff, Social Responsibility Forum, SBM, NMIMS
Images
Co-creating Solutions through Community Engagement
Livestock Dialogues for Rural Livelihoods
Understanding Realities from the Ground Up
Developing Tech Skills for Employment
Slumpreneur Pitch @ Angel Investor Event (Dolphin Tanki-localised version of Shark Tank)
Celebrating Slumprenuers: Winners of Dolphin Tanki
Small Hands Act to Save Planet- ( Lessons in Community Sanitation)
Breaking Taboos: Build her Confidence ( Menustral Hygiene Management)
Money Matters – Let Her Understand It Early( Financial Literacy Lessons in Underprivileged School)
Engaging Conversations on Driving Social Change ( We Care: Civic Engagement Poster Presentation)
IMPACT STORY
Impacting lifes
In the slums and the quiet corners of India, a silent revolution is underway—led not by CEOs or policymakers, but by adolescents from underserved communities who dare to dream of becoming entrepreneurs. The Community Incubator of Salaam Bombay Foundation (SBF) nurtures these young minds, helping them incubate and grow their business ideas.
Inspired by Shark Tank, SBF launched Dolphin Tanki in partnership with the School of Business Management, NMIMS, in 2022. This unique platform enables entrepreneurs to pitch their ventures to a panel of "dolphins"—philanthropic investors offering seed funding and mentorship. To prepare the contestants for this opportunity, MBA students step in as mentors through the We Care: Civic Engagement internship. They coach them on fundamental business concepts, conduct cost analysis, marketing strategies, and build compelling pitches.
Over the past four years, our students have mentored over 100 adolescent entrepreneurs and hosted Dolphin Tanki events on campus. The recent edition, Dolphin Tanki 4.0, showcased inspiring ideas—from mobile, electronics repair, and home bakeries to art, photography, and beauty businesses. Each pitch was powered by resilience, creativity, and purpose. Twenty participants received seed funding, with gold winners winning ₹50,000 (583 $) and silver winners ₹25,000 (291$). But the actual outcome was self-belief. Many past winners now run small ventures, support their families, and mentor others.
For our MBA students, Dolphin Tanki proved that true transformation happens—not in the confines of classrooms, but in the dreams of children who dare to swim against the current.
LEARNINGS
Lessons learned
As an administrator of the We Care: Civic Engagement Internship at NMIMS, I have gained deep insights into how leadership in education extends beyond institutional management. It is about shaping minds and values. One of my core learnings has been that real leadership development happens when students are immersed in unfamiliar, socially complex environments. Through direct engagement with underserved communities, students confront realities that demand empathy, adaptability, and critical thinking skills that no textbook can teach.
I have experienced the power of partnership. Collaborating with NGOs, government bodies, and social enterprises has shown me that leadership in education requires humility and openness to co-create learning experiences. Witnessing students apply business skills to societal issues has reinforced my belief that civic engagement is not an add-on. It is essential for building responsible and responsive leaders.
To replicate this model at other higher educational institutions, I would strongly advise advocating for experiential learning, even when it challenges traditional academic structures. Build networks with the social sector and treat them as equal stakeholders in education. There is a need to prioritize reflective learning. We need to create space for students to process, question, and grow from their fieldwork.
Finally, lead with conviction and compassion. As educators, we have the power to influence culture and curriculum to bridge the gap between management and humanity. When education is grounded in service, it does not just shape students—it transforms the society.
FUTURE PLANS
What's coming?
As We Care: Civic Engagement Internship evolves, our vision is to transform it into a national benchmark for civic-driven management education. Building on over a decade of meaningful impact, the next phase will focus on deepening systemic influence not just for students and partner organizations, but also for policy and practice in the development sector.
One key initiative is the introduction of a 'Social Impact Incubation Lab', where select student projects from the internship can be nurtured into scalable, long-term solutions with mentorship from sector experts. This will allow students to continue working on real-world problems beyond the three-week duration, bridging classroom learning with entrepreneurial action.
Further, we aim to create a 'Civic Engagement Research and Insights Cell' that documents trends, innovations, and impact stories from the field. This knowledge hub will inform academic research, public policy, and strengthen our pedagogical approach.
Lastly, we aspire to 'globalize the model' by establishing international collaborations for students to engage in cross-border civic initiatives, learning from global grassroots efforts, and exchanging best practices.
The future of We Care: Civic Engagement is not just about scaling, but about pioneering a new paradigm where management education actively contributes to building resilient, inclusive, and sustainable societies.
