About Bembala - St. Joseph’s Outreach

Bembala - St. Joseph’s Outreach was established in the year 2015 by Rev. Fr. Brian Pereira S J. The Outreach programme draws its inspiration from the college's vision of forming women and men for others. It will provide students with a platform to explore and develop the art of critical thinking, the skills of leadership and techniques of meaningful interventions aimed at building a just and equitable society. It further draws its roots from the Brazilian educator Paulo Freire's Philosophy of Action - Reflection - Praxis.

In view of the UGC and the NAAC recommendations on Extension, the objective of the outreach programme is to extend knowledge and other institutional resources to the community and vice-versa. It is a two-way process between the institution and the people, an intellectual intervention in the community's living problems which need to be overcome through an educational process. Extension is a perfect blend of theory with practice.

It will orient the students with the skills required in community development and would sensitize them towards various issues of these marginalized groups and instill enough confidence and satisfaction for taking up the cause of the development of those groups.

As the name of the programme BEMBALA itself suggests, it aims to reach out to the deprived groups and vulnerable sections of society and create opportunities for education, awareness and skill enhancement. It intends to create a learning process for faculty and students, through exposure to community needs, problems, and issues. It hopes to reach out to the community by designing need based interventions and generating research.

Eventually it will facilitate networking and linkages of the community with NGOs, institutions, and government agencies for the effective service delivery and advocacy support. It also hopes to link up with the corporate sector within the parameters of Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR).