North American Association of Indian Students

The North American Association of Indian Students (NAAIS) is a nonprofit and non-partisan Indian-American organization that functions as an umbrella group to cater to Indian and Indian-American students studying in the United States and Canada.[1][2][3][4] The organization has 23,000 members and aims to connect the variety of Indian groups on college and university campuses. With over 200,000 Indian students and over 500,000 Indian-American students studying in US institutions, young Indians are one of the largest identity groups within the United States, behind China.[5][6][7] The organization works to create a better resource for Indian-Americans and Indian-origin students.[8]

North American Association of Indian Students (NAAIS)
Founded2020
FounderSudhanshu Kaushik
TypeNonprofit Organization
Legal status501(c)(3)
FocusStudents, youth, activism, mobilization
Location
Membership
23,000
Websitenaais.org

Programs and Initiatives

Student Aid

Since 2020, the North American Association of Indian Students has helped over 5000 Indian students with food, legal and rental assistance in the times of COVID-19 alongside the recent winter storm in Texas. The organization claims to have crowdsourced over $150,000 in aid.

Radio Mirchi x NAAIS Helpline

In early 2020, NAAIS partnered with Radio Mirchi to set up a phone helpline for Indian students impacted by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The helpline has supported students in answering questions about visa status, travel restrictions, and university closures.[9]

The Desi Vote

The organization is conducting an outreach and voter registration for the 2020 elections to get more Indians to vote.[10]

Mentorship Program

The NAAIS mentorship program is a student-led initiative that aims to connect Indian-origin/Indian-American/Indian undergraduate students with experienced Indian alumni mentors. The program encourages support of Indian individuals from underrepresented backgrounds including but not limited to non-Hindu, LGBTQIA+, low-income, non-professional through mentorship.[11]

Partnership with ZEE5

ZEE5 created a strategic partnership with NAAIS to engage more young Indians around college campuses in the Summer and Fall of 2021. The partnership was announced by Priyanka Chopra and Chief Business Officer, Archana Anand.[12][13][14][15] As of November 2021, the partnership program had visited over 50 college campuses in the United States, as claimed by both organizations.[16][17]

The India Workshop Series

NAAIS has created a workshop series to help form stronger, lasting bonds between Indian-origin students within India. The tour is slated to host workshops in over 30 cities and expected to reach upwards of 10,000 students slated to study in the United States in the Fall of 2022[18]

References
  1. "'Living in two realities': Indian diaspora reckons with crisis abroad". Washington Post. Retrieved 2021-11-26.
  2. "North American Association of Indian Students - GuideStar Profile".
  3. "NAAIS". NAAIS. Retrieved 2019-12-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. Callimachi, Rukmini (2021-06-03). "Colleges Say Students Must Get a Covid Vaccine. But No, Not That One". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-11-26.
  5. Chakravorty, Sanjoy; Kapur, Devesh; Singh, Nirvikar (2017-01-26). The Other One Percent. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190648749.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-064874-9.
  6. Sharma, Kritika (2019-11-26). "21% fewer Indian students went abroad last year as US figures saw biggest drop". ThePrint. Retrieved 2019-12-30.
  7. Sharma, Kritika (2018-11-13). "India holds on to its position as one of the top two countries that send students to US". ThePrint. Retrieved 2019-12-30.
  8. Roshni Majumdar (April 24, 2020). "No ticket home". India Today. Retrieved 2021-11-26.
  9. Mar 18, TNN |; 2020; Ist, 17:31. "Coronavirus: Indian embassy, consulates in US reach out to local Telugu associations | Hyderabad News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2020-04-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. "Indian-Americans seek to play increased role in US politics | Hyderabad News - Times of India". The Times of India.
  11. "Community". North American Association of Indian Students. Retrieved 2020-03-11.
  12. News, The PIE. "NAAIS holds workshops across US to support Indian students". thepienews.com. Retrieved 2021-11-20.
  13. Patel, Nirali (2021-09-30). "Sudhanshu Kaushik speaks to UMich Indian American Student Association". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved 2021-11-20.
  14. Staff Writer. "ZEE5 launches in the U.S., ushers in a new era of South Asian entertainment | News India Times". Retrieved 2021-11-20.
  15. "'This year is still not normal': International students wade through a confusing mishmash of vaccine, visa rules". The World from PRX. Retrieved 2021-11-26.
  16. "SASA Bollywood Night brings community together with trivia". The Diamondback. 2021-11-04. Retrieved 2021-11-26.
  17. News, The PIE. "Stakeholders call for clear comms on US uni vaccine rules for students". thepienews.com. Retrieved 2021-11-26.
  18. "North American Association of Indian Students". naais.org. Retrieved 2022-01-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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