Social Impact Bootcamp – Delhi Campus
A weekend to learn, build, and launch ideas that make a difference.
Dates: Friday 24 – Sunday 26 April 2026 (times TBC)
Where: University of Southampton Delhi Campus
Who: UoS Delhi students only (first cohort)
Turn your passion into action on our Delhi campus. Across one high-energy Friday to Sunday sprint, you’ll work in a team, learn practical tools used by social innovators, meet real practitioners, and pitch for prizes. You’ll leave with skills you can show employers, plus a clear next step to grow your own social enterprise or local impact project aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
You’ll be the first cohort. Our ambition is to take this bootcamp on tour, to the UK and beyond.
Why join?
- Build real skills (fast!). Understand problems, design smart solutions, test quickly, tell a great story.
- Meet people who matter. Founders, NGOs (non-profits), alumni and mentors from Delhi’s impact community.
- Create something that lasts. Kick-start a project you can continue after the weekend with Social Impact Lab support.
- Stand out to employers. Teamwork, problem-solving, communication and pitching, evidence you can use in interviews.
- Enjoy the experience. A Friday mixer and a celebratory competition with prizes.
What you’ll learn (and practise):
- Understand before you solve. Simple ways to uncover the real need (listening, short interviews, quick desk research).
- Design smart. Turn insights into practical, low-cost ideas that actually help people.
- Test quickly. Build a scrappy first version (MVP), get feedback, iterate.
- Tell the story. Shape a short pitch that’s clear, human and memorable.
No prior experience needed, just curiosity and energy.
Register your interest!Skills you’ll build that employers want to see (mapped to the Southampton ‘Successful Futures’ Skills Model)
Communication
- What you’ll do: turn research and tests into clear pitch; write crisp updates and slides.
Teamwork
- What you’ll do: frame a messy social problem, map root causes, choose and test a viable solution.
Research & Critical Thinking
- What you’ll do: run quick interviews/desk research, separate assumptions from facts, make evidence-based decisions.
Leadership
- What you’ll do: lead a workstream (e.g., research, prototyping, pitching), facilitate decisions under time pressure.
Commercial Awareness
- What you’ll do: outline how the idea sustains itself (who pays, costs, partners) while protecting impact.
Resilience & Adaptability
- What you’ll do: handle feedback that invalidates an assumption, pivot and improve before pitching for prizes.
How the weekend runs
Friday (late afternoon → evening): Find the problem, form your team
Welcome, quick icebreakers, then straight into ideation and problem-spotting. You’ll explore issues you care about, shortlist a challenge, and form balanced teams. Light networking and evening meal provided.
Saturday (full day): Build something people actually need
Learn and use a Social Lean Canvas to make your idea practical (who it helps, why it matters, what it takes to run). Get out of the building (metaphorically): do fast customer discovery, rapid prototyping and validation with simple tests. Mentor check-ins during the day. Evening meal provided.
Sunday (daytime): Tell the story, pitch, celebrate.
Turn results into a clear pitch. You’ll get pitch coaching, finish your deck, and present to a friendly panel for prizes. We’ll close with feedback and next-step pathways you can follow after the weekend.
We set official hours, but teams are encouraged to keep building beyond sessions if they wish.
Register your interest!
Special Guest
We’re welcoming Amy Brereton, CEO of Enactus UK & Ireland, to co-deliver. Enactus is a global network that helps students create real-world social enterprises, bringing practical methods, inspiring stories and a community you can tap into after the weekend.
What you’ll leave with
- A team project you can keep building.
- A pitch deck and feedback from judges/mentors.
- The skills to start your own project or social enterprise.
- Follow on support from the Social Impact Lab: 1-1 advice, workshops, and routes to funding.
Who it’s for
Any course, any year. If you care about people or the planet and want to learn by doing, this is for you. Come solo or with a friend; we’ll form balanced teams on the day.
Register your interest!
Practical bits
- When/Where: Friday 24 – Sunday 26 April 2026 (times TBC), UoS Delhi Campus.
- Food: Evening meals on Friday and Saturday provided.
- Prizes: Awarded at the finals to help you keep going.
- Accessibility: Clear schedules, quiet-space access, friendly support. Please let us know about any adjustments we can make on the form.
How to take part
- Register your interest: fill in this 1-minute form and we’ll keep you updated and send the MyCareer booking link as soon as sign-ups open, plus early access to useful resources from the UK Social Impact Lab and Student Enterprise teams.
- Book your place on MyCareer when applications go live.
- Turn up on Friday 24 April, meet your team, and get building!
Questions? Contact us via [email protected]