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Social worker and communications specialist with 3 years of experience in NGO, public relations and digital marketing agencies. Seeking challenging opportunities where I can use my communication skills and creative ideas to address social issues. |
 Contact Saurabh Kumar
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Area of Expertise: |
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Communications, Media, Knowledge Management, Editor
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Environment, Climate, Energy, Water, Sanitation
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Human Rights, Law, Migration, Conflicts, Justice
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Private Sector, Social Enterprise, Corporate Social Responsibility
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Social, Education, Gender, Youth, Child
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Professional Experience: |
As we realise that every problem is a consequence of multiple factors it is of utmost importance to make use of interdisciplinary, cross-cultural and cross-sectoral intervention approaches to social issues. With an understanding of the above I have employed interdisciplinary approaches wherever required within the scope of the issues being addressed.
Aligned with the SDGs, Kanshiram Welfare Foundation works towards the empowerment of women and aims to provide access to quality education to girl children from marginalized communities. My main responsibilities were development of public awareness and engagement campaigns, service user engagement, digital communications, and content development. I developed an awareness campaign, Community Dialogue Sessions (CDS), as an attempt to overcome redtapism in government institutions by providing a platform for people-to-government dialogue. Local political leader and Delhi Commission for Women representative were part of CDS where women shared their experiences of domestic abuse and its consequence on the education of their children and the wellbeing of family members. They emphasised on the importance of girls’ education for social, financial, and individual independence. We used organisation networks, existing SHGs, digital platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp, and street theatre to spread information about the CDS in the community. Street theatre and music were crucial to convey the message in a medium that was entertaining and efficient in communication. A first-of-its-kind dialogue session in the community, the idea was to create a model that could be replicated by other organisations to conduct community inclusive activities. We also successfully collaborated with a private coaching firm in 2018 to provide free coaching to civil service aspirants from the community.
My responsibility as intern at Shakti Shalini, an NGO that works for the survivors of gender and sexual violence, was to sensitise slum children about gender issues. We used sports activities to engage and develop a relationship with the children. I also screened the animated television series 'Meena', created by UNICEF to overcome gender barriers in South Asia. It is still relevant because of the range of topics it discusses with a girl child, Meena, as the central character.
As Content Developer at Social Tantra I was responsible for the development of customised content plans for Food & Beverage clients in New Delhi and Gurgaon for social media. I also managed the PR and digital strategy to successfully launch ‘Airlens’, a nasal filter developed by Per Sapien in partnership with All India Institute of Medical Sciences (Delhi), Indian Institute of Technology (Delhi) and Stanford University (US).
I also have freelance work experience as Spanish language translator with the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, at international trade fairs for the promotion of Indian textiles and handicrafts. I did telemarketing, translation, and international press management for the trade fairs. I have conducted market research in areas like life sciences, food & beverage industry, packaging and bottling industries, and translated textbooks, industry and official documents.
Being an art enthusiast I have made mural paintings for a Himalayan resort at Ramgarh, a playschool in Delhi, and a private space.
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Education: |
I have an Advanced Masters Degree and a Masters Degree in Social Work, a Postgraduate Diploma in Advertising & Public Relations, and a graduation in Spanish language.
I did my graduation in Spanish Language from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) where I was also actively engaged in co-curricular activities and was organising member of cultural activities. I was Convenor of the Fine Arts Club which I restarted after eight years of its closure. Then I joined a Post Graduate Degree in Advertising & Public Relations at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), New Delhi. We were taught theories and concepts of advertising, public relations, government communications, marketing, basics of journalism, printing, radio and filmmaking, media planning, and New Media. It was an intensive study programme that included working on multiple projects at any given time, including a radio show on IIMC’s community radio station. The idea was to give us an experience of the industry work culture and the know-how of various communication tools. Over the course of time I realised I could do more for the society with the knowledge I had gained at IIMC.
With my passion to work for the society I enrolled in a distance learning Master’s degree in Social Work at Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi. As part of the study programme I did 90 days practice placement where I got the opportunity to work on the issues of girl child education, women empowerment, secondary research and relevant policies, domestic abuse survivors, and gender sensitization of children. The practice placements were a learning experience and instilled in me the determination to work for marginalised people, groups, and, communities. It introduced me the theories and basic concepts of social work practice in India and in global context, Gandhian social work, casework and counselling, group work, introduction to the legislations and legal systems, and social work research.
I was selected for the Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Degree in Advanced Development in Social Work, and awarded full scholarship by the European Commission. It is a study programme for mid-career professionals jointly managed by five partner universities from the UK, Denmark, Portugal, Poland and France. The major themes covered in the programme were transformational leadership, critical perspectives, power relations, project planning and management, research design and methodologies. It included practice placement and research study to give a glimpse of the international work environment. Thus, I was placed at P3, Lincoln (UK), working on homelessness where I shadowed a support worker to understand the functioning of the organisation, participate in outreach activities, and give ideas and suggestions about their projects in a presentation. In Demark, I was part of a group research project on power relations at Specialgruppen, Aalborg Kommune. The objective was to develop a research topic, conduct interviews with social workers, transcription and coding of data, and write a research paper. The programme has immensely added to my skills in critical perspectives, project planning and management, and research methodology with the Problem Based Learning (PBL) approach.
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Affiliations and Achievements: |
Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Scholarship - 2019-2021
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Available for: |
- Job opportunities
- Being headhunted – make me an offer
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Years of Experience:
2-5 years |
Highest Qualification:
Masters |
Languages:
English, Spanish, Hindi, Portuguese |
Nationality:
India
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LinkedIn Profile:
www.linkedin.com/in/saurabhkumar12/
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