Build your own life as well as that of others -- this is one of the missions set forth by Students In Free Enterprise, a global, non-profit organisation active in college and university campuses in 45 countries across the world.

As an active member of SIFE, I got the opportunity to participate in its Business Internship Initiative, a three-month student exchange programme.

Once I satisfied the selection criteria for BII, I found myself on a flight to Washington DC along with 20 students from across the country. 

This happened in August 2005 but it is an experience I shall never forgot. First, though, let me tell you how students across the world are making a difference through SIFE.

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What is SIFE?

SIFE, first established in 1975, is all about networking and increasing global understanding and co-operation. The concept is simple -- SIFE students work in teams to design educational outreach projects that help individuals in their community develop a better understanding of the principles of free enterprise. 

Ths idea is to enable them to use this information to empower themselves and achieve their dreams.

For instance, SIFE at St Xavier's College, Mumbai, kicked off its endeavour to make a difference with a project called Paathshaala, meaning school in Sanskrit. It was our endeavour to make a difference in the lives of 26 underprivileged children. 

During a 30-day workshop on the St Xavier's College campus, we armed these children with simple economic concepts like profit and loss that will help them survive in today's world. We also tutored them in basic English and Maths skills. 

In order to further the cause of free enterprise, the handicrafts made by the children were exported to sister SIFE schools in the USA.

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Business Internship Initiative

This internship exchange programme was organised by SIFE and sponsored by the US Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Fifty-two students from India, the US and Malaysia participated in an educational and cultural exchange.

To start with, American interns came to India and Malaysia for three months, after which the Malaysians went to the US, followed by the Indians. We were hosted by various SIFE-affiliated universities across the US. All expenses, including travel and living, were covered by the US Department of State.

The selection process for BII includes a resume screening, submitting two essays on leadership and my work with SIFE, and a personal interview.

These were conducted by the SIFE India representative, Syntel, an IT company based in Michigan.

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The American experience

My journey starts from Washington DC. We interns, who got to know each other on the long flight, were received by SIFE officials and taken to a fancy hotel. There, we enjoyed a week of sessions with the Malaysian and American interns. Their insights were pearls of wisdom for us; it is amazing how easily 52 individuals from varied cultures and backgrounds got along with each other.

I was even more fascinated because it wasn't just the foreigners we learnt more about. Each of the Indian interns represented a different slice of India. At the end of the week, we were packed off to various universities. I was being hosted by Owen's Community College, Ohio.

When I pictured an American university before coming here, I used to think in terms of a large college town, dorms, fraternities and sororities. But the community college turned out to be very different from what I expected. It had a small campus with a small student population who were mostly older than me.

Most were giving education a second shot or saving money for university in the future. A lot of my friends had children, though the mothers weren't that much older than me.

As I adjusted to my new life, I realised this was as American as it gets. I attended business classes, lived with an Indian professor and got a job with the local newspaper.

I also developed a new respect for the Indian education system. I saw the things that were taught to us in school were being taught as introduction courses to college students here. America, however, has the advantange in the higher education system; the resources available in terms of information and technology are mind-boggling. But school level education is far more advanced in India.

Another aspect that struck me was the independence American teens had and the hard work they put in to maintain it. All of them had part-time jobs and paid their own rents and bills.

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Making connections

I worked with The Sentinel Tribune, a local newspaper. I was lucky enough to land an awesome assignment -- interviewing international students studying at the state university.

I now have friends from Russia [Images], Ethiopia, Iran, Dominica and Greece. I was also paid for doing a job I thoroughly enjoyed.

SIFE World Cup

One of the biggest events at SIFE is the SIFE World Cup.

SIFE students need to forms teams in their respective university/college campuses. This team must develop an outreach project (like what we did with project Paathshaala) that teaches entrepreneurship, market economics, business ethics and finance within the community. 

At the SIFE World Cup, the top SIFE teams from across the world present the results of their outreach projects to determine which teams made the most impact on their communities. 

In 2005, Toronto (Canada [Images]) played host to students from 45 countries. Each team presented their projects to a panel of CEOs of global companies like KPMG, Wal-Mart and HSBC.

The students got to interact over a period of four days; we had panel discussions and at the end of the day went out together.

Through SIFE, I can today approach international students with the prospect of partnership projects. I also realised that many cultures bear resemblance; the media takes just a peep into the culture of a place highlighting the negatives.

It is quite easy to overcome slight differences. These connections are key to a successful future in today's global village.   

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The real exchange

In the beginning, I was asked what I expected the US to be like. I had a cushy images of cities like New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas [Images] stamped in my head. Well, the bubble burst, but what I found in its place was even better.

Now the picture I have in my head is real America, with real people, friends, not just what the media shows me.

As for India, many think it is a backward, third world country, with snakes and elephants on the streets. After encountering such views, I made presentations on India in colleges and high schools as often as I could. Many Americans were intrigued by my capacity to use the English language, choices of music or my ability to bowl for that matter. 

I think such programmes should be made mandatory for all students all over the world. Culture, and more specifically stereotypes, often form barriers between global understanding. These programmes wipe out most of these obstacles and create a more aware, more educated populace.

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Why join SIFE

SIFE conducts projects throughout the year and we students monitor the progress of these projects. Once a year, we meet for regional and national competitions.

The winner of the national-level competition goes to the world cup, which is held in a different country each year. SIFE pays for all this expenditure. 

In each college, any number of students can join SIFE. At the end of the project, the number of hours put in by the students are also looked into as part of the evaluation process of the project.

As a SIFE member, I have had a chance to directly deal with several corporates that act as our sponsors or are on our advisory board. Through SIFE, I have also met amazing people, my age and older, who I am sure will be useful contacts through the years. However, the feeling that you get when you help someone out is the best part of SIFE. I feel I am actually doing something about improving my community instead of just sitting back and commenting on it. It has definitely made me more confident and improved my awareness levels.

As the president of the SIFE chapter at St Xavier's College, Mumbai, I have to make sure that projects meet the required criteria and monitor their progress. Each project is given to a group leader, who sends reports to me.

The project leaders and the people who volunteer to work for those projects are responsible for its execution. I can choose to be project leader of a project I am interested in. Thus, this system makes sure everyone has a project they like and volunteer to do.

There is no official structure for the screening process as such to join your college SIFE team. This is left entirely up to college itself. Some colleges offer SIFE for credits, as part of the syllabus. Ideally, you should have leadership abilities as well as an interest in community development to become a SIFE member.

How to join SIFE

~ If your college is already a member of SIFE, register with the SIFE chapter of your college.

~ If your college is not a SIFE member, you can register it with the SIFE India authorities by writing to Divya Sirothia at divya_sirothia@syntelinc.com

~ The SIFE World Cup is scheduled in June this year. You must participate at the national level; the winning team will advance to the SIFE World Cup 2006, which will be held in Paris, France [Images]. The team will be sponsored by SIFE.

~ The criteria for entry to the contest is mentioned on the SIFE Web site.

~ The last date for registration in India is January 31, 2006. 

~ For more information about SIFE you can write to: heer.ganjwala@gmail.com

Web sites:

• www.sife.org
• www.syntelinc.com

Heer Ganjwala, 19, is a second year Bachelor of Mass Media student at St Xavier's College, Mumbai. She is the president of the SIFE chapter at her college.

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