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A: Title of the Practice:Joseph‟s Outreach Centre

Objectives of the Practice:What are the objectives/intended outcomes of this ―best
practice‖ and what are the underlying principles or concepts of this practice (in about
100 words)?
The Joseph‘s outreach activities have been a part of the College in the area of
extension services for several years. The setting up of the ‗Joseph‘s Outreach Centre‘
has formalized this activity and has contributed to its qualitative and quantitative
enhancement. The center has the following objectives
 To put the mission of the College of ‗forming men and women for others‘ into
practice and to make the vision of ‗Striving for a just, secular, democratic, and
economically sound society‘ a reality.
 To develop social skills, knowledge and attitudes necessary for building a just,
secular and equitable society.

The Context: What were the contextual features or challenging issues that
needed to be addressed in designing and implementing this practice (in about
150 words)?

College has been engaged in social action in a variety of ways over a long period of
time. However, it was felt that there is a need to consolidate and design the entire
activity in an organized manner so as to enable efficient and systematic delivery. It
was felt that there was a need for establishing a separate unit with dedicated, trained
staff. Once the unit was set up, it would be possible to plan and execute of social
action through dialogue between the staff of the unit and the teachers. It would enable
the College to incorporate the schedule of programs of the unit into the academic
calendar.

The Practice: Describe the practice and its uniqueness in the context of India higher
education. What were the constraints/limitations, if any, faced (in about 400 words)?

After the setting up of this center, students‘ active social intervention was further
systematized. The College has since then adopted Manvi, in Raichur a district in
Karnataka where the Lambanis, Devadasis and Dalit communities suffer
discrimination. The postgraduate students encounter these social and economic
realities face-to-face, as they go for their annual rural camp for five days during their
course of study. Apart from tree-planting activities on this camp, the students go into
villages and slums and interact with the local people thus becoming aware of various
forms of discrimination suffered by the marginalized groups. They are thus sensitized
to the harsh realities of a world. This is usually an eye opener for many students who
come from urban backgrounds.
The undergraduate students are involved in activities in the city of Bangalore wherein
they provide assistance to Government Schools, orphanages, old-age homes, homes
for the destitute. They are also involved in traffic education, eco-consciousness and
are sensitized to several others issues. While on the one hand such programs reach out
to society at large, they, on the other hand, deepen students‘ understanding of social
issues of great urgency and equip them for a life of contribution to society.

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