ALL INDIA GOLD RESIDENTIAL CAMP AT COORG PUBLIC SCHOOL, MYSORE

27th December 2013 - 1st January 2014

IAYP India in association with Coorg Public School, Mysore is organising an All India Gold Residential Camp at the school in Mysore from 27th December 2013 to 1st January 2014.  This is a unique project exclusively for Gold Award participants. During the projects the participants will have the opportunity of visiting the Nagarahole Elephant Camp and trek to the Rajeev Gandhi National Park to study the flora and fauna in the deciduous forest.  They will also get a chance to trek in the Brahmagiri hills and visit the Irpu waterfalls.  The participants will perform their adventurous activities at Coorg Adventure Club and will also participate in a group discussion and watch a snake show and a cultural programme.  The last date for submission of applications is 31st October 2013.  Click for programme details    Click to download application form

 

NEXT STEP CONFERENCE 2014

10th - 14th February, 2014 at DoubleTree by Hilton, New Delhi

Sport for Development and Peace International Working Group (SDP IWG) Secretariat, hosted by the United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace (UNOSDP), has nominated Magic Bus to host the Next Step 2014 Conference. This international conference is the fifth in the series. Like previous events, this conference will bring together a range of stakeholders who push forward the global Sport for Development agenda. This particular conference will highlight the ways in which sports programmes can deliver on core development outcomes relating to safeguarding, peace and inclusion, youth development, and mitigating the looming threat of non-communicable diseases. The Next Step 2014 Conference is being supported by the Government of India and the Australian Sports Commission. 

IAYP India request Gold and Silver Award holders to participate in the conference to represent the Award in India. Please visit http://magicbus.org/cms/nextstep2014 for more details.

NAA TEAM VISIT TO BANGALORE / CHENNAI - 2

11th - 15th November 2013

The National Award Authority & Audacious Dreams Foundation (YES Centre) organized a 2-day Vernacular Award Leader training programme in Gudiyattam & Vellore, Tamil Nadu, held at St John's Matric Hr Sec. School Gudiyattam on 13th November 2013 and Don Bosco Matric Hr Sec School GandhiNagar, Katpadi on 14th November 2013.

At the beginning of the Programme the Chief Guest, Sis. Jayakodi, Principal of St John's Matric Hr. Sec. School, expressed her appreciation that Gudiyattam was honoured with the training workshop. The trainers detailed the philosophy and essence of the Award and explained the four pillars of the Award through different practical activities. Additionally, the trainers explained about the License policy and starting an Award unit in their respective institutions and society. There were 31 participants from 5 different organisations including schools, Engineering Colleges and NGOs participated in the workshop.
The second day of the training programme was organised at Don Bosco Hr Sec. School, Gandhi Nagar, Katapadi, Vellore District where 21 participants from 5 different organisations including schools, colleges, NGOs and the Rotary Club participated. Bivujit Mukhoty (Programme Manager), Dinesh Gajendran (Member NTP and Gold Award Holder) and K S Biradar (Member NTP) along with Kapil Bhalla (National Director) led the workshops. The Guest Trainer Malhardeen Mohamed, Award Leader from Sri Lanka National Youth Award Authority also shared his experience in these workshops.
As these workshops focused to build up participation in rural areas of Tamil Nadu, Dinesh Gajendran and Malhardeen Mohamed interpreted the training sessions in Tamil.  click for pictures

NATIONAL TRAINING WORKSHOP

22nd and 23rd November 2013 at La Martiniere for Girls, Kolkata

The National Award Authority organised a National Training Workshop at La Martiniere for Girls, Kolkata on 22nd and 23rd November 2013. The workshop was attended by 27 participants from DPS Megacity, DPS Newtown, All Bengal Women's Union, Gems School, RK Mission BBA, Sushila Birla High School, Sri Sarada Math, Christ Church School (Mumbai), Akshar, Heritage School, Bhawanipur Edu. Society, Emmanuel Ministries, Mahadevi Birla World Academy and Calcutta International School participated in the workshop. The training was led by Kapil Bhalla (National Director), Bivujit Mukhoty (Programme Manager), Chai Eng Dutt (Member NTP) and Henry Simon (Member NTP). In the Ice breaking session Kapil Bhalla (National Director) briefed the participants about the Award in India and its prospects. The trainers detailed the Award Philosophy and Framework through the interactive presentations. The four pillars of the Award were explained through presentations and also through different activities. The trainers also explained the brand guidelines and the role of volunteers. There was a session on the new licensing policy and new visual identity which help participants to understand the upcoming changes in the Award branding. The workshop was enriched with practical exercises and visual presentations about the Award in India. Anwesha Ghosh (Gold Award Holder) shared her experience on Life after Gold with the participants. The workshop concluded with the presentation ceremony in which National Director awarded certificates to the participants. Click to view pictures

ONE-DAY ADVENTURE ORIENTATION PROGRAMME

8th November 2013 at JCB Sponsored Government Senior Secondary School, Jharsaintly Village, Haryana

The NAA team organised a one-day Adventure Orientation Programme for the Award participants of JCB Sponsored Government Senior Secondary Schools at Jharsaintly Village, Haryana. The orientation programme was conducted under the supervision of trained instructors from ICNL Calcutta. Bivujit Mukhoty and Priyank Kumar Gupta from the NAA Team mentored the programme. The orientation started with a theoretical session by Bivujit Mukhoty where he explained the need of the Adventurous Journey and the different activities that fall under this section. Next, the instructors demonstrated the use of different equipment essential for any adventurous journey. The participants practiced activities like crossing Single Rope Bridge, Jummering, Monkey Crawling and Tent Pitching. Around 140 participants from the 4 JCB Sponsored Government Schools participated in the orientation programme.   Click to view pictures

COMMONWEALTH YOUTH FORUM, HAMBANTOTA, SRI LANKA

10th - 14th November 2013 : A report from Anwesha Ghosh (Gold Award Holder), IAF representative

The Commonwealth Youth Forum was organized as a start-up event for CHOGM (Commonwealth Head of the Government Meeting.) The forum took place in Hambantota, Sri Lanka. Hambantota is a beautiful upcoming city in the southern-most tip of Sri Lanka. The conference saw participation from many of the commonwealth countries like India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, United Kingdom, Australia to name a few. The aim of the conference was to install a commonwealth executive council and to adopt a constitution to be followed by the council.

The conference was attended by 50 young people from all over the world. It saw a perfect mix of nations, cultures and ideas. It was a four-day conference - from 10th Nov, 2013 to 14th Nov, 2013. During these four days, we all sat together and discussed our views on several aspects that concern the youth and the world at large.

The sessions included topics such as entrepreneurship, quality employment, sex and reproductive health, drug addiction among others. We exchanged ideas on the topics and learnt about the problems faced by young people in different countries. We then came up with practical solutions to these problems.

These solutions were drafted in the form of policies, which were passed by the delegation; these have been adopted as a policy that should be followed. We hope these policies will benefit the youth from all across the world.

Next came the elections. This conference saw the formal election and installation of the Commonwealth Youth Council. Ahmed Amudu from Nigeria was elected as the Chair of the commonwealth executive council. Others were elected for the post of regional representatives and vice-chairman.

The commonwealth countries combined have a youth population of around 1.2 billion people. We all come from different cultures. But oddly enough, most of us face similar problems in life. By putting together our ideas and understanding, we managed to come up with solutions. It wasn't easy. Some days we worked up to 2 am in the morning. But the time didn't concern us. We were burdened with a huge responsibility. We were the voice of the 1.2 billion young people who deserve to be heard.

The conference was not only work but fun too. We had a gala opening event. We were welcomed in a very warm and grand manner. The young people from Sri Lanka gave us a taste of their very rich and diverse culture. Over the following days, we enjoyed beach parties, casual chats, African music and dance, cultural nights, tree planting ceremonies, Sanctuary and National Park visits. We also enjoyed meeting with several dignitaries including the President of Sri Lanka, His Excellency Sri Rajapaksha. Also we enjoyed the company of the Youth Minister of Sri Lanka. We met other dignitaries like the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister of PNG, Ghana and other countries.

It was a great experience. I made several new friends from all over the world. I learnt a great deal in the conference. The experience was both professionally and personally enriching. I would like to thank the International Award Authorities for giving me the excellent opportunity to represent the Award in the Commonwealth Youth Conference.  click for pictures

NAA TEAM VISIT TO BANGALORE / CHENNAI - 1

11th - 15th November 2013

The NAA team of Kapil Bhalla & Bivujit Mukhoty visited Bangalore and Chennai from November 11th to 15th. The team visited Podar International School, Bangalore and made a presentation to Narayana Josia (Principal) on the implementation and benefits of the Award Programme. The team also visited Chennai and made presentations at four schools of AMM Foundation, where they interacted with over 500 students. They met with the teams led by R Mahalakshi (Principal), AMM Matriculation School, Kottupuram; S Sundar (Principal), Velayan Chettiar Higher Secondary School, Thiruvottiyur; Sheela Raghavan (Principal) TI Matriculation School, Ambattur and R Sundaramvedivelu (Adviser) Sir Ramasamy Mudaliar Higher Secondary School, Ambattur.

There was a lively discussion on the benefits of the Award, the various methods and activities of the four pillars of Physical Recreation, Adventurous Journey, Service & Skill, and how these would a be a perfect fit into the existing co-curriculum of the school. Click to view pictures

ADVENTURE ORIENTATION PROGRAMME FOR ADVENTURE OPERATORS

9th November 2013 at Award Training Centre, New Delhi

The National Award Authority organised the first Adventure Orientation Programme for Adventure Operators.  This one-day programme targeted to deliver the theme and essence of the Adventurous Journey section to Adventure Operators.  The focus was on explaining the Award's requirements with respect to this section and updating the adventure operators about the new developments in the Award. Eight participants from 7 different organisations participated in the programme and discussed the various issues related to organising the Award Adventurous Journey. Kapil Bhalla (National Director) started with an ice-breaking session and introduced the philosophy of the Award.  Bivujit Mukhoty (Programme Manager) continued the session with an interactive presentation on the Expedition and Exploration Manual, in which he discussed the Technical and Integrated Skills.  He also described the basic requirements in respect to the Award at each level.  There was a Q&A session where the Operators and the NAA team discussed and resolved the various issues. The programme concluded with the presentation of certificates to participants. click for pictures

VISIT TO GENESIS GLOBAL SCHOOL, NOIDA

8th November 2013

Mr Pramod Sharma, Director

Kapil Bhalla (National Director) along with Gold Award holder Dhanurdhar visited Genesis Global School, Noida on 8th November 2013. They had a detailed and interesting interaction with the Pramod Sharma (Director), A N Dar (Chief Mentor) and Seema Hanvey (Head IB programme). 

 

 

The National Director met and had lunch with the students and discussed the benefits available through participation in the IAYP programme. Dhanurdhar shared his experience of participation in the programme and the fun he had and the benefits he gained while pursuing the programme.

REGIONAL CONFERENCE - ASIA PACIFIC REGION - DUKE OF EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL AWARD

'Transforming the Award'

A three-day conference of the 15 NAAs of the Asia Pacific region of the IAF was held in Bangkok, Oct 26-28. There were delegates from:

• IAF -- John May, Secretary General; Steve De Wint, Chief Operating Officer; Ellie Rocks, Fundraising; Laura Thakray, Communications; Mike Heath, Head Technology
• APR -- Sue Walker, Regional Director; Rob Oliphant, Regional Manager; Kathleen Hewitt, Regional Coordinator
• India were represented by Himmat Kalsia (National Chairman), Dr Sanat Kaul (Managing Trustee), Kapil Bhalla (National Director)
• IC Youth Representative - Mr Ravichandran Balasubramaniam

The annual conference was a follow up to the conference held at Malta in Nov 2012 (coinciding with the International Forum) and the theme "Transforming the Award" was a focus of the workshop sessions and presentations.

The sessions kicked off with a presentation by Secretary General John May, laying out the focus of future directions post the Forum on "Transforming the Award", that the Award is the premier Youth Service & Development organisation in the world.

There were interactive sessions by:

• Laura Thakray -- Communications & Branding updates, with examples of India using the 'Endorsement route to branding; using the India specific Award logo and the International Logo
• Ellie Rocks -- Fund raising & Corporate Relationship avenues for raising resources; India has a successful relationship with JCB Ltd for sponsorship and with HSBC for implementing the Award in Corporate entities
• Mike Heath -- Progress of the Online Record Book, to be launched in Asia by April 2014. It is a powerful data management and operations review tool and India is keenly looking forward to its launch and implementation.
• Rob Oliphant -- Training Framework and the New Learning Hub, will ensure that all training and branding material is available online to ensure best practices are shared and available to all NAAs and Award Operators.

Under the new Licensing policy, all 15 NAAs have signed new licenses with the International Award Foundation. This meant upgrading systems and new levels of governance. The license validation process commenced in 2013 and India is one of the 5 countries in APR that have successfully concluded validation visits from the International team. The new Branding guidelines and governance structures were reinforced and welcomed by all participants as they will make the administration of the Award a stronger force in the Youth Development field.  click for pictures

AWARD LEADER ORIENTATION AT JCB-SPONSORED GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS

31st October 2013 

An orientation programme for the Award Leaders & Volunteers for JCB Sponsored Govt. Schools in Haryana was organised by the NAA Training team at Govt. Primary School, Ladiapor, Haryana on 31st October 2013.  Sixteen Award Leaders form Govt. Primary School, Ladiapor; Village Govt. Senior Secondary School, Village Jharsaintly; Govt. Secondary School, Village Deoli and Govt. Secondary School, Village Ghogola, Haryana participated in the orientation programme. The orientation was mentored by Kapil Bhalla (National Director) and Bivujit Mukhoty (Programme Manager).  The trainers detailed the philosophy and essence of the Award and explained the four pillars of the Award through different practical activities. click for pictures