This is an opportunity to work with an Ashoka Fellow

Ashoka Fellows are leading social entrepreneurs that have been taken through a rigorous selection process, testing the quality of their ideas and character, to become part of the Ashoka Fellowship and Network. Ashoka Fellows take on the challenges of building innovative system change ideas to make and spread social impact in a world wrought with challenges. They refuse to let the ‘impossible’ stand in their way to creating a better world.

This is an unpaid, volunteer opportunity

About The Affiliated Organization

The Opentree Foundation was founded to address a silent crisis in education: children were in school, but not meaningfully engaged in learning. Classrooms were focused on compliance and content, not curiosity and confidence. We set out to reintroduce play as a powerful, evidence-based approach to transform how children learn and grow. We work primarily with children from underserved and at-risk communities in India, especially those in low-income government and affordable private schools. We also work closely with teachers and school leaders, equipping them to become play practitioners who can shift classroom culture sustainably. We integrate structured, research-backed play-based learning into schools through teacher training, ongoing mentoring, and curriculum design. Our programs build curiosity, concentration, collaboration, and stronger teacher-student relationships. Over time, this improves learning outcomes, reduces dropout rates, and increases children’s sense of agency and joy in school. India’s education system is at a pivotal moment. Academic access has expanded, but engagement and deep learning remain fragile. Play is not a luxury; it is foundational to how children develop critical thinking, resilience, and social skills. By mainstreaming play-based learning, we are working to shift education from rote compliance to lifelong learning readiness.

For more information, please visit www.opentree.org

Job Description

We have two research projects that have just completed. We have this in raw academic research format. This needs to be creatively designed for multi-stakeholder consumption. The goal is to create 2-3 versions of this report and to have them published in various platforms. The idea is for more and more people to read them, refer to them and use them for their own work.

We'd want the volunteer to thoroughly read the reports, create a base design approach based on our existing design language and then create multiple versions/formats of these reports.

Your work will create a momentum for the cause of Play as a whole. We want to promote play-based learning across the development sector, education system and be able to rally for policy change to establish the Right to Play. Please let us know today if you can help!

Volunteer Logistics

Estimated hours required per week: 5 to 8 hours per week

The estimated duration of the project is: 1-3 months

This position requires being on-site periodically in Mumbai India but also allows for some work to be completed virtually

The office can provide amenities to volunteers such as: Internet, Office space

Language Requirements

English

Desired Skills And Experience

Your skills should transform 'a report' into an experience.

• Core Creative & Design Skills - Visual storytelling - Information design and layout thinking - Typography selection and hierarchy - Color theory and visual coherence - Grid systems and composition - Infographic design - Data visualization fundamentals - Branding consistency and visual identity alignment - Creative concept development
• Technical & Software Skills - Advanced proficiency in Adobe InDesign - Strong working knowledge of Adobe Illustrator - Adobe Photoshop for image editing - Figma or Canva (professional level, not basic use) - Microsoft PowerPoint and Google Slides for polished decks - Basic understanding of print production and file preparation (PDF for print, bleed, margins, export settings) - Basic motion graphics skills (optional but valuable)
• Data & Analytical Translation Skills - Ability to interpret program data and impact metrics -Turning quantitative data into visual narratives - Structuring long reports into digestible formats - Creating charts and visual summaries that are accurate and clean - Attention to detail in numbers and labeling
• Writing & Communication Skills - Strong editorial judgment - Ability to simplify complex ideas - Headline crafting - Visual-text balance - Collaboration with program teams to extract key insights - They should be comfortable asking: “What is the real story here?”
• Strategic Thinking - Understanding of nonprofit communication - Audience awareness (funders vs. policy stakeholders vs. partners) - Ability to align visuals with organizational values and tone - Sensitivity to representing marginalized communities ethically
• Personal Attributes - High aesthetic standards - Meticulous attention to detail - Ability to handle feedback gracefully - Deadline reliability - Portfolio demonstrating sophisticated, clean, and intentional design