The APOGEE English Press had a chat with Mahin Patel, the Events Coordinator of the BITS Pilani Chapter of the National Service Scheme (NSS), to gain insight into the work done leading up to the fest.

Mahin told us that NSS would be conducting the second edition of ‘Conferencia de Youth,’ under which there are three events: ‘Samadhan,’ ‘Volunesia,’ and ‘ImpactX.’ He said that ‘Samadhan’ is a social entrepreneurship competition where early-age environment and social service start-ups pitch their start-ups to judges. For ‘Volunesia,’ Mahin mentioned that anyone who has done any social work in their lifetime came and presented their work in front of the panel of judges, and ‘ImpactX’ is a case-solving competition based on social issues. He explained that they collaborate with PIEDS, which provides incubation for the participants of Samadhaan.

Mahin mentioned that in order to increase participation, they had contacted some start-ups through platforms like LinkedIn. He added that there are different teams within the NSS that handle various tasks. The sponsorship team was responsible for bringing in sponsors for prize money and in-kind sponsorship. The logistics team was responsible for handling registrations and arranging the judges for the events. He reported that one of the judges for an event had met with an accident, so they had to look for a judge at the last minute.

Mahin lamented that he was disappointed to see a downfall in the number of people coming forward to take the initiative in social service over the years. He urged everyone to do their bit and contribute to the well-being of the people around them.

On a concluding note, Mahin hoped that APOGEE would serve as a great platform to spread awareness about the work done by the NSS. He urged the GBM to enjoy the fest and take part in the events they find exciting.