From Classroom Learning to Community Action: An 80-Hour Internship with Rise Foundation
Rise Foundation was pleased to host Vaibhav Hotchandani, B.Tech Computer Science Engineering student at Netaji Subhas University of Technology (NSUT), for an 80-hour community internship focused on environmental sustainability, waste management and community awareness.
During the internship, Vaibhav participated in a range of field-based activities across Dwarka and Gurgaon, gaining practical exposure to how community-level action can address environmental and social challenges.
His internship included waste audits and composting activities, Eco-Brick making, Miyawaki plantation, event support for POSH awareness, and community engagement. He also participated in waste segregation activities and learned about aerobic and anaerobic composting and the basics of Miyawaki urban afforestation.
One of the key experiences was supporting a Miyawaki plantation drive at MDU University, Gurgaon, where he helped mark planting grids, dig pits and plant a batch of 600 native saplings.
Another important learning came from the Eco-Brick initiative, where non-recyclable soft plastic wrappers were collected and densely packed into PET bottles to create usable Eco-Bricks. This demonstrated how everyday waste can be creatively repurposed instead of being sent to landfill.
The internship also provided exposure to the social dimension of community work through participation in a POSH awareness session, including preparation of presentation material, event logistics and documentation.
Learning Beyond the Classroom
The internship demonstrated how environmental sustainability is closely connected with community participation and everyday behaviour. From segregating household waste and composting to planting trees and reducing plastic waste, small actions can contribute to larger environmental outcomes.
We congratulate Vaibhav on successfully completing his 80-hour internship with RISE Foundation and appreciate his enthusiasm, field participation and willingness to learn.
We hope this experience encourages him to continue combining his technical education with social responsibility and environmental action.
🌿 Learning. Participating. Contributing. Growing.