Talented Sikhs around the world have gained success and achieved new levels of resources. It is time to deploy those resources for Sarbat Dha Bhalla (betterment of all). We are organizing a method to share ideas, foster innovation, and push growth to the next generation in a gurmat-based way to solve problems facing Sikhs. With the Anandpur Institute (AI), we enable the future thinkers and leaders of our Panth to think bigger, and instill fundamentals of collaboration to bring our leaders together to innovatively solve Panthic problems.

Candidates for the AI Fellowship are aspiring Sikh leaders that have a passion project they want to achieve in order to create a positive impact. Ideal candidates are seeking support to make these project come to life and would benefit from our multi-faceted fellowship. Starting with a competitive application and interview process, approximately 10 fellows are accepted into the program. In the first month, fellows attend a 4-day leadership bootcamp, which allows us to introduce the fundamentals of leadership (via inspirational speakers, interactive activities, and expert-led workshops) and allows fellows to connect with each another. The fellows are then engaged in a weekly virtual class that covers curriculum that will aid them in achieving their projects. Each class is held over Zoom and taught by an industry expert, or “Thought Leader” we have specifically recruited to cover the topic. These classes will be recorded and uploaded in our online University that Fellows can access for later reference. We aim to make a database of curriculum that holds tools for success for our Fellows and alumni. Examples of the curriculum include “How to Build a Pitch Deck and Pitch,” “Finances & Fundraising,” “Marketing & Design Tools,” “Mental Models,” “10x Mentality: Scaling Your Project,” and more! Throughout the program, Fellows are connected with our parent company’s Parchariks, who will provide a Sikhi lens and counseling to Fellows as they pursue their projects to keep their initiatives grounded in Sikh values. The program culminates in a 2-Day in-person Convention, designed to connect all members within our network, making up the Association of Sikh Executives (ASE). This is when our Fellows have the exclusive opportunity to pitch their project to our mentors and Thought Leaders in a Shark Tank style format. They will receive expert insights on their projects, which may even lead to funding and marketing opportunities. 

Anandpur Institute is the first Non-Profit and Business Incubator and Accelerator. It’s a resource bank for Sikh leaders of tomorrow. We need Dasvandh Network’s support to make it possible! We will need funding to help facilitate our professional in-person events (the Leadership Bootcamp and the Convention). Both of these events require annual funding to reserve venues, secure catering, and other administrative costs. Another essential component that requires annual funding is one, full-time operational staff member that facilitates all activities to sustain and grow the program. This includes mentor and fellow recruitment, logistical planning and execution of in person and virtual meetings, liaison between all committees (finance, social media & marketing, administration, wesbite development, etc.), and organization leadership (executive director, program advisors, etc.), email communication, hands on support to fellows as they navigate the program, alignment of mentors and thought leaders to fellows based on their project, communication and alignment with international teams as we expand in other countries, developing a professional and sustainable infrastructure for the program, and more as the program evolves.