Leveraging technology to create social impact in India

Restless Development has been working with young people in India since 1985, integrating a rights and gender-based approach across their programmes and exploring how technology can both empower and support communities.

Restless Development (India) is an international non-government organisation that has a global vision of “young people taking a leadership role in addressing the most urgent issues facing their countries and the world”.

Focus of PACE activities

Activities support the achievement of the organisation's operational strategy of promoting youth participation and decision making in the areas of civic participation, livelihoods and employment, and sexual and reproductive health.

Media

Students developed online promotional material, fundraising campaigns, marketing collateral and web-based portals to engage and communicate with young people in their language.

Social research

Students conducted a needs assessment and developed a framework for delivering sexual and reproductive health education to parents and their children.

Finance

Students supported the finance team to prepare field offices for an internal Restless Development audit, conducted internal audit activities and implemented recommendations.

Professional experience with Macquarie Uni's PACE program: Pravah, India

At Macquarie, we take a pioneering approach to building the resilience of communities around the world. Students from diverse disciplines like statistics, computing and international comms work with PACE partner Restless Development in India as well as right here on campus, delivering projects that have a direct impact on communities in New Delhi and Chennai. Macquarie’s Professional and Community Engagement (PACE) units take students out of the lecture theatre and place them in the heart of community organisations around the world.

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Student experiences

Tara Duncan

Restless Development alumnus Tara Duncan posing in front of the Taj Mahal in India

Q: What do you study and where did you go on your PACE International activity?

A: I study a Bachelor of Business Administration with a Bachelor of Arts – International Communication. I was fortunate enough to go to Restless Development in New Delhi, India.

Q: What was your role or project at your host organisation?

A: I was a Communications Intern, which enabled me to dabble with various other departments both within India, and globally with their head office in the UK. My main role was to disseminate on-brand material, which involved various platforms. Not only did I create content digitally through toolkits and blogs, but I also delivered a workshop to college students surrounding the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. There was a real mix of opportunities.

Q: What attracted you to the PACE International program?

A: As I was approaching the conclusion of my degree, I wanted to continue to explore what opportunities were available that incorporated both travel and workplace experience. PACE International was the perfect fit for this, and the study element tied in seamlessly with the key learnings from both of my degrees. The global element was highly attractive, as being adaptable to new cultural environments is becoming one of the more demanded skills of graduates. PACE made this a reality.

Q: What advice would you give a student who is thinking of applying for a PACE International activity?

A: Apply! The program makes it incredibly easy to gain real-life, global work experience. From the financial aid to the support that you receive prior, during and post the activity, PACE International will add an element of appeal to your transcript and your life.

Q: What was the best part of your PACE International experience?

A: It’s hard to pick just one! A few key highlights for me would have been extending my networks to new locations globally, visiting the Australian High Commission in New Delhi and knowing how beneficial my experience is to not only the university but to our government, and of course the travel! The weekends are yours to go exploring with the other people on your program, and you get really great insider tips from the other employees at your workplace that makes you feel less like a tourist and more like a traveller.

Sophie Nyssen

"The time I spent in India working with Restless Development through the PACE international program was an unforgettable, enriching experience that allowed me to learn lessons I could never learn inside a classroom. The project I undertook, the people I met and the wonderfully vibrant culture of India equated into one of the best times of my life so far!"

Alisha Saini

“The PACE program is a must in a lifetime. It not only gave me the confidence to interact with other people professionally but also to be independent... one comes back transformed. Words don’t do this project justice, it's the experience which will truly leave an impact. ”