This Journey Fostered Persistence and the Importance of Challenging Ourselves

Fifteen Bronze Award Participants, including eight girls and seven boys of The Ardee School, Gurugram and NFC, Delhi completed their Adventurous Journey on 14th - 15th September 2018 under the supervision of Seema Chugh (Award Leader) and Atul Kumar Dhuria (Sports teacher). Parveen Bhatia (Award Leader) is sharing this report, a collective response by the Award Participants and the mentors about the Adventurous Journey that the participants undertook to Camp Wild, Dhauj. Both the Participants and their Leaders had much to share on how this journey became a landmark in the Award journey of the participants.

This Adventurous Journey has truly been the highlight of our Award journey. The first day saw us engaging in myriad activities like flying fox, rock climbing, rappelling, dealing with army obstacles, cooking and trekking at night. The day commenced with some fun team building activities, which were then followed by other more thrilling activities. Initially, fear and anxiety had gripped us and we were paid back in wounds and bruises for our physical labour. But eventually, we did overcome the challenges and accomplish the tasks. The second day of the journey unfolded with a 5-kilometre trek to Aravalli Hills. Being able to complete this too, our hearts were filled with the exhilaration of victory. The day and the journey both concluded with a tree plantation activity.

The joy of persistent attempts leading to accomplishments has been overwhelming for us in this journey. While we were doing our tasks, the grips of many of us loosened. A lot of us tripped and fell too. But what kept us going was the will to finish what we had begun. In activities like rock climbing and trekking, we could feel surges of adrenaline in our bodies that filled us with a sense of adventure. These tasks not only aided us in overcoming our fears but also in discovering parts of ourselves that we never knew had existed before. Detaching ourselves from books and gadgets, which had always been a strenuous task, seemed accomplishable in the journey. 

However, one of the most enlightening aspects of the journey has been the tree plantation activity that we undertook as a mechanism to create awareness among the locals about the environment.

When we look back at the time that we spent at the camp, we feel elated. This journey has been one of the most enthralling experiences of our lives, offering us countless opportunities of self-realization. We’ve started looking at obstacles and hurdles as stepping stones. We have not only learned but grown too, both individually and collectively. The moments that we spent with ourselves and with each other in the journey and the life skills that we imbibed with every passing moment will forever remain etched in our memories. Click here for more pictures

This report was prepared on the basis of the reflections received from Inika Sharma, Pushkar, Vaanya Ranade, Yahub, Krisha Agarwal, Priyanshu and Ananya Sharma (Award Participants).

A Stride Towards Excellence

The Journey of IAYP Participants of JP International School, Noida

Embarking upon a journey is utter bliss. Even though your path is laden with countless pebbles in the form of challenges, the journey never fails to astound you with how much you can potentially grow. Something very similar has been experienced by us. Deciding to participate in the Award Programme has been a major turning point in our lives.

The Award Programme, being divided into the broad categories of Service, Physical Recreation, Skill, and Adventurous Journey, provided us a host of options to explore. We could choose from a pool of comprehensive choices. As part of the Service segment of the programme, we engaged in fund raising, charity work, teaching underprivileged students at the primary level, participation in health camps and blood donation camps, visits to NGOs and orphanages and involvement in cleanliness programmes as part of ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’. Such activities have not only made us more conscious citizens of society, but have also aided us in developing a broader understanding of the world. The Physical Recreation segment of the programme is meant to strengthen the body which, in turn, strengthens the mind. We engaged in myriad activities like jogging, running, cycling, playing volleyball and dancing. The Skill segment aims at providing young people opportunities to develop finesse in various fields, and develop a number of skills. We gained hands on experience in activities like playing chess and producing hand-made craft items. We also undertook other interesting activities included painting, calligraphy, playing the tabla and the guitar, learning kathak, which is a classical dance form, and photography.

The interplay of these segments made our Award journey a truly indelible one. We have not only learnt but flourished too. The Award Programme has been an effective way to channelize the potential of young people like us towards something worthwhile. Simultaneously, it offered us a prism through which we could look at the world and encouraged us to contribute our bit in bettering that world. We are proud that our achievements could become valuable components of the many success stories of JP International School, Noida. And now we look forward to our Adventurous Journey, and achieving the Award. Click for more pictures

The Award changed the way I perceived nature and helped me connect with it better

Saumya Rai, Bronze Award participant from Uttam School for Girls, Ghaziabad, participated in her first ever Adventurous Journey for the Bronze Level. Saumya is sharing her experience here.

Childhood, more than being about education, is a wholesome period, laden with opportunities to enhance the good in oneself. The aim of the Award Programme is to inspire young people; charging them with energy and the motivation to grow and bring about advancements in society. As part of the Award Programme, young people perform Voluntary Service, develop Skills, commit themselves to a particular Physical Recreation activity and undertake an Adventurous Journey. All these, collectively, rouse their concealed potential.

This year I participated in the Bronze Level of the Programme. As part of the Adventurous Journey, I travelled to Camp Hornbill, Jim Corbett Park. Away from the murky environment of the cities, I got the chance to explore the fairy-like land of Camp Hornbill. Right from the crack of dawn, I was pumped up with energy and positivity. What was overwhelming, though, was the thought of learning something new with every passing day. Losing my inhibitions and vanquishing my fears, I took part in many adventurous activities like ladder climbing, zip lining, body surfing, bird watching, painting and trekking. However, the cherry on the cake was the fascinating stories about the relations between nature and humans that I got to hear on many nights.

This was a learning experience for me. It changed the way I perceived nature and helped me connect with it better than I ever could. Interacting with the people of Kyari village and spending time on the banks of Khichadi River was utter bliss. However, this experience would remain incomplete if I don’t acknowledge the contribution of my school, teachers and IAYP, who guided me in not only exploring the world but myself too.