The Adventurous Journey helps each one realise their own hidden potential

A report from Rashmi Bhargava, Award Leader, M.G.D Girls' School, Jaipur, on the Bronze and Silver Adventurous Journey.

Bronze and Silver Award participants from Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls’ School, Jaipur undertook an Adventurous Journey to Mashobra Hills, Shimla from 11th to 16th April 2017.

Though they had been briefed about the Journey during a preliminary training session, had understood the importance of safety and use of different equipment, the process of pitching tents, use of different types of rope knots, first aid and navigation techniques, the actual Adventurous Journey proved to be a personality changing experience for each one of them.

When they reached Mashobra, they were divided into four groups and the instructors appealed to their competitive and leadership instinct right from the very beginning.

"Each time, on time" was a clearly communicated motto. Each member of each team had to report right on time. There was always an ongoing competition between all teams regarding punctuality, keeping the tents clean, serving and eating meals in a disciplined and cordial manner, putting shoes and utensils in place... in short, in an effort to score over other teams, participants tried to imbibe the right values till it became a habit with them.

The day’s activities -- exercises, treks, adventurous games, leadership games, rappelling, zip-lining, etc., were organised in such a way that besides being challenging and entertaining, each team was back in time for hot, sumptuous meals and clean washrooms, full of enthusiastic anticipation for the next fun-filled activity! Participants and teachers both marvelled at the level of excellence in planning and execution of camp activities.

Digital detoxication was another wonder! The participants had no access to smartphones, television and other gadgets that have become an inseparable part of their lives, and they did not miss them. It was back to basics. With a clear star-lit sky, a bonfire in the centre and fellow participants around it, each narrating her experiences of the day, scaring others with ghost stories and imaginary incidents of the night trek, playing antakshari, celebrating birthdays and friendships, they enjoyed the human interaction which has been lost in the digital world.

It was amazing to see that even asthmatic participants undertook long treks, rappelling and zip-lining sessions, without difficulty. The air was truly invigorating!

Leadership games and cooking a meal after an uphill 14-km trek, saw the best of volunteering, taking responsibility and delegating it to fellow team-mates, recognition of individual talent and excellent coordination among participants even in such a short span of time!

The perfect weather and the scenic surroundings of Mashobra became secondary to the admirable transformation in these youngsters who came to realise their own potential after going on the IAYP Adventurous Journey. It is always going to be a memorable experience for all.

Steps towards Service

Sidhartha Sen Gupta from Miles Bronson Residential School (MBRS), Borjhar, Guwahati is sharing a report on the Service Section.

Award participants along with Award Leaders and Mentors from MBRS visited the Missionaries of Charity, Old Age Home in Khanamukh, Guwahati on 15th June 2016 as a part of their Service project. We all were very curious and excited to visit the people over there. We had a good interactive session with the residents of the Old Age Home. We were touched by the sensitive attitudes of these homeless older people, who shared their thoughts and feelings with all of us. Indeed, they poured their hearts out and we were all touched by their stories. They made us feel a kinship, as if we are also a part of their life! We have learned that it’s the adaptability to the environment that is one of the strongest characteristics of a human being. The people we visited there were the epitome of camaraderie, united although all were from different backgrounds, they were happy and ready to lead a better life.

We were amazed to see that through our interaction many hearts were rejuvenated! They treated us as their own children by forgetting their sorrows and worries. It was a fabulous experience to see how happy they all were and made us realise that grandparents and parents are gifts of God, which should be preserved with love and care.

We promised them to visit again and again on a regular basis. We are thankful to our school fraternity for their whole hearted support and guidance and also for bestowing us an opportunity to extend ourselves to others’ needs, to turn their ‘Tears into Smiles’.

The Programme Creates Great Leaders

Pathways World School, Aravali organised a special IAYP assembly to honour and recognise the Bronze participants. Samanata Prashant and Mansi Agarwal, Bronze Award holders share the report with us.

The International Award for Young People, India (IAYP) delivering the The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award was introduced to the students of Grade 9 in November 2016. Sixty-five students enrolled for the Bronze Level of the Award – which is also the entry level. The programme requires successful completion of the four components of Skills, Adventurous Journey, Service and Physical Recreation. The Bronze Award journey culminated in our achievements not only being carried out but also diligently recorded and meticulously validated by our adult mentors and then approved by the IAYP office. The manifestation of this elaborate exercise was in the form of the IAYP Assembly, which was a special occasion to recognise our skills/achievements.

The room was filled with bliss and excitement as all the awardees walked proudly onto the stage with their Certificates and Badges. After receiving the certificates, there were performances by the students of Grade 9. Displaying great talent, a few of the Award recipients enlightened the crowd with their experience of this journey. The enthralling musical performances, mesmerising dance and mind blowing beatboxing left the crowd spell bound. The proud Award holders will soon continue to take a step forward to achieve the Silver Level. We were congratulated by our Director and Principal motivating us to further take forward this journey and achieve Silver and Gold in the coming years ahead.

This programme brings up great leaders and teaches them to train themselves into independent and balanced individuals. At the Bronze level, we completed 4 components, which required a lot of persistence, effort and willingness. Here at Pathways World School, we get different opportunities to complete all these aspects by unleashing the Adventurous side in us by being a part of the Annual Adventure Camps. As we have Physical education lessons, the students worked on their sport for their physical activity component. For the Service component, the student chooses various ways through which they could help the community and do good for their society. Some students helped keep the school building clean during the breaks, some taught the underprivileged, while others helped in the library and most of us also worked at the Eye camp. Nonetheless, all of them learned something new and it was a good exposure. For Skills, students choose their hobbies and the field they are interested in and worked on them.

We feel really blessed to be offered the Award Programme which has an international recognition and has instilled in us great leadership skills. This was a great platform to showcase our talent in the best way forward.

Football Rani (Queen)

Kalyani Chakraborty, Award Leader Manav Vikash High School, Jharkhand (Special Project) sharing an inspiring story of Rani Ravidas - her journey to become the Football Queen.

Rani Ravidas is a well-known name for football lovers of Jharkhand. Rani represents the Jharkhand Women Football Team.

Rani comes from a small village, Nautandi, near Telco Town, Jamshedpur. Rani’s father Dal Gobinda Ravidas is a farmer and mother Reboti Ravidas is a housewife. Rani is the fourth daughter out of the seven children: five daughters, and two sons. Rani’s sisters married long ago, but Rani refused to marry so that she could complete her studies and fulfill her passion of playing football.

Rani’s love for football started when she was only 10 years old. She started playing football with the boys of her locality. The people of her village did not accept it and questioned how a girl could play football. Rani’s family also worried about her passion, but her mother knew that she is different than other girls and encouraged her to play the game. Her mother told her to “be a good player, be a big personality." Rani's only encouragement was her mother's inspiration. Her mother might not have heard the expression “Women empowerment” but she felt it and expressed it completely. This was a big support for Rani and she decided to do what she wants to do. She started practicing football’s cut and throw every day, and that has made all the difference. She says, “From the very beginning I was quite determined that if I chose a correct and a rational path the others around me would have to change, not I.”

She completed her Matric from Manav Vikas High School in 2012. Nautandi, her village is very far from the school and is not connected to the metallic road. Despite the many difficulties Rani faced, she was very regular at school, her motivation being to complete her studies and practice football.

Rani enrolled in the Award programme in 2010 for the Bronze Level. She successfully achieved the Bronze and has now started her Gold Award journey. Currently, she is studying for her under-grad at Graduate College in Jamshedpur.

Rani looks like a very easy going village girl, but she has a spark. She did not compromise her passion to poverty, illiteracy, and superstitions. She has a very strong will power. Rani’s iron will and mental toughness characterise her. One day, during her under-grad course, she set off to Dibrugarh for the Inter-University Women Football Competition. During the competition she got the news that her mother had fallen seriously ill and was asking her to come back home to be with her during her last few hours. Rani knew that if she stayed back, her team would lose the match. She took her mother's permission and blessings and went for the match. As she reached Dibrugarh the next day, she got the news of her mother’s demise. This was the saddest moment in her life. But this brave girl gathered courage and played her best. The Jharkhand Women Team won the match. Rani says, “I played with only one thought, that I have promised my mother that we will win. I have to give my best to win the match and I did so.”

Rani is a very busy footballer. She has represented her university and state in different competitions. Everyone knows that if Rani is on the team, the Jharkhand’s Women Football team would be the winning side. Rani is now preparing herself for the upcoming Federation Cup.

Rani has become a role model for girls in her village Nautandi, and she is now called Football Rani (Queen).

The Journey

Satyam Gupta, Bronze Award Holder from Ansal University chose Creative Writing for his Skills section. Satyam shared a poem with us.

Living in the shades of the dark,

Today on a new journey we embark.

This journey is the first of its kind,

Everyone embarked has some answers to find.

As the sun has already set,

On this path don’t know where we'll get.

But the journey has to continue,

Because no one cares of our view.

We may think that we are right,

But every mile in the journey brings a new fight.

We always have to remain steady,

Come whatever may, be always ready.

Before we started it was all fascination,

But right now it’s a strange sensation.

At one point there was starvation,

Our body and soul needed a filling station.

In the middle of nowhere was a place,

Silence filled every bit of space.

Our entry made that space lively,

A halt here had become very likely.

Once again we were on the move,

Though this time on a different grove.

Many got tired and fell asleep,

While few stayed awake to look into the deep.

Now that its time and we are leaving,

One last line is 'It’s a new beginning'.

Award Leaders Training (YES) Workshop at Award Training Centre

An Award Leader Training Workshop was organised on 27th - 28th April 2017. Fourteen participants fromThe Doon School, Dehra Dun; The British Co-Ed School, Patiala; Mussoorie International School, Mussoorie; Indirapuram Public School Crossings Republik, Ghaziabad; Indirapuram Public School, Ghaziabad; The Mann School, Delhi; Globetrotters, Delhi; The Ardee School, Gurugram; Bal Bharti Public School, New Delhi and Pathways School, Noida attended the workshop.

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Gold Award Ceremony 2017 - July 20th

 

Achieving a Gold Award is one of the biggest milestones of your life. It shows that you have the ability, focus and determination to achieve your set goals and pursue them with passion and perseverance. It shows that you have done your share to achieve all-round development and at the same time are open to learn from what the future has to offer. Therefore, it is imperative that you celebrate this achievement with others and The Gold Award Ceremony is designed to celebrate this achievement of yours.

We are happy to announce that the Annual Gold Award Ceremony 2017 will be organised on July 20, 2017 at India International Centre, New Delhi.

We cordially invite you to join this celebration and you will soon receive an invite to GAC 2017. It goes without saying that your presence will make this event memorable and successful.

Please note that the last date for Record Book submission is 5th June, 2017.