The Award in Action- Report on Education Drive themed ‘Civic Sense and Social Awareness' by students of Bawa-Lalvani Public School, Kapurthala

 Report on Education Drive themed ‘Civic Sense and Social Awareness' by students of Bawa-Lalvani Public School, Kapurthala

A Pragmatic Dream of EDUCATION : for a better community, a poverty-free country, a healthier nation, and a safe abode for all children!

The underprivileged child and the community is a distinct microcosm. The children in these communities grow in different environments and have different learning requirements. Henceforth the students of BLPS pursuing the Bronze and Silver Award of The International Award for Young People have decided to play their part actively in regard to the theme ‘Civic Sense and Social Awareness’, dedicated themselves to teach the children from underprivileged backgrounds in Government Elementary School, Village Mansoorwal; District Kapurthala. Pupil Teachers customized the Education to suit the underprivileged ones to ensure their maximum participation and impact.

Setting another milestone, the students of BLPS undertook the responsibility to be an Emphatic Pupil Teacher and perform his/her duty to uplift/reform the society by using the most impactful weapon i.e. Education. They started the education program experimenting with various methods of teaching- alternative methods. They rationalized and came to an understanding that the existing methods do not do justice to the child from the underprivileged community. It led them to work on a tailor-made curriculum. They taught children the basics of Mathematics (addition, subtraction & multiplication), Languages (grammatical concepts) and Sciences (day-to-day occurrences), Arts and Sports. Focus was also made on life skill training, etiquettes, coaching on how to be present in a classroom, grooming and behaving with elders and the young ones. Targeted intervention was practiced to develop motor skills that would enable a child’s fingers to hold a pencil especially in junior grades. Taking inputs from the various methods, the students improvised and devised the newest approach. Nutrition and physical fitness was embedded to support learning. They allow children to receive a quality education and pave the way to bring about sustainable change within their communities, supporting the nation in the future.

Children from underprivileged communities do not have a good support system at home. The battle for survival does not let them prioritize education. These children do not have a structured way of learning at home. To ensure they grasp the concepts taught in class, a constant learning environment has to be created. Therefore, Young BLPians reinforced teaching in the form of art, theater, story-telling, activities, etc to ensure complete understanding of concepts. Pupil Teachers taught children in all experiential ways possible at a given time.

Education and the change it can bring in the life of an individual is a long-drawn process. For a community where more hands mean more income, it takes a lot to convince and motivate the people to keep the child in school. They have to be constantly inspired and given hope of the positive impact that education can bring in their child’s life. Because change can be brought only if they trust and follow the path without wavering. Over the years, this has also become a key point that makes students of BLPS pursuing the Award motivated and they then play their role with passion and to dare to deviate.

THE RIGHT KIND of education is not concerned with any ideology, however much it may promise a future utopia: In fact the highest function of education is to bring about an integrated individual who is capable of dealing with life as a whole. And that is the Motto of BLPians to teach each and every underprivileged child of the District.

The main goal of the program is to combat illiteracy in the region which makes it hard for local people to escape poverty. The pupil teachers visit the school on every Tuesday and Saturday morning for one and half hours. Multiple milestones are plugged in the academic calendar of BLPS to visit and keep these underprivileged children and the family motivated and focused to attend school and get education.

The International Award for Young People, India has played an important role in making our students understand their responsibility towards society.

Thank you IAYP!

Dr. Ekta Dhawan
Principal,
Bawa-Lalvani Public School, Kapurthala

The Award in Action: ‘Say No to Drugs’ Street Play by BLPS Award Participants

 If the Youth arise and act; they have the Strength & Dynamism to generate a huge Transformation in the Society!

The students of BLPS pursuing the Silver Award of The International Award for Young People performed a Street Play titled ‘Say No to Drugs’ to spread Anti-drug awareness in the society. Street Play is the new weapon in a bid to control growing drug abuse among youth.

The students performed for an audience of Kapurthala at Jallow Khana, Railway Station & Bus Stand to sensitize the general public about the ill-effects of drug abuse and its effect on the health of humans and society. The students left the audience spellbound with their awestruck performance and succeeded to make an emotional appeal.

They inspired the folks to refrain from the use of drugs. The young students intrigued the folks well. They motivated them to play their role as responsible citizens in society and make checks on such evil acts. The students, through their impressive dramatization of the characters and highlighting their sufferings, are determined to bring a change in the world with their small bit. These young learners made a call to the audience to join the movement and take a pledge to help addicts recover. These short plays portrayed the traumatic life of a drug addict and the emotionally shattering experience the family of an addict has to go through. The idea is to dissuade impressionable youth from the fake glamour of drug culture. These plays provided an insight into the anguish of the drug addicts and their family members. The battle against drugs clearly needed to be taken to the street as drug addiction is eating our society as termites.

The International Award for Young People, India has played an important role in making our students understand their responsibility towards society.

Thank you IAYP!

- A report by Dr. Ekta Dhawan, Principal, Bawa-Lalvani Public School, Kapurthala.

Award in Action: Sanjna Vivek: CS Academy of Coimbatore

Sanjna Vivek completed the Bronze level of the Award in her final year at CS Academy of Coimbatore. She is currently a second-year undergraduate at Ashoka University in India.

The Award was introduced in my school when I was studying for my Cambridge International A Levels. Although this was a time when I was under academic pressure, I decided to take part. I was keen not to lose sight of the benefits of extra-curricular activities as I knew these would enhance my personal development. At the same time, the Award would give me an opportunity to try new and exciting things.

I took part in a number of unforgettable activities for the Award. For example, for my voluntary service, I initiated a clean-up campaign among primary school children in a local school in Rajapalayam, India. It was a heartwarming experience to interact with young children, both in the local language (Tamil) and in English. The children drew posters about the correct way to recycle, save electricity and so on, and we put them up around the town. At the end of one of our sessions, the class collectively surprised me by tidying the entire classroom to show that they had learned the importance of cleaning up. It was very touching!

Participating in the Award really helped me experience an ideal education, holistic and well-rounded. I also think that my academic performance was boosted thanks to the skills I gained from the Award, such as the need for consistency and repeated practice. In addition, when I applied to university, the Bronze Award looked great on my CV as it summarised my experience of many different fields, and showcased my ability as a multi-skilled and versatile student.

I would definitely recommend participation in the Award. You have the freedom to choose from a range of activities, and experience. I would definitely recommend participation in the Award.

It can also be really good fun and, if you make the most of it, you will develop skills that last a lifetime and find out where your passions lie.

Gold Award Ceremony, 2022

The annual Gold Award Ceremony was organized on July 5, 2022, at the India International Center, New Delhi. The National Award Authority (NAA) took huge pride in congratulating the Gold Award Achievers, Award Leaders, and Volunteers. Twenty-three Award participants were chosen for the acknowledgment at this function, and received their Gold Award. The Gold Award Ceremony is committed to valuing the achievements and the responsibility of every member. The day was devoted to celebrate, appreciate and esteem their accomplishments with their companions, family and members of The International Award for Young People, India.

                                       

We were privileged to have General MM Naravane - Former Chief of Army Staff, to grace the occasion as the Chief Guest and felicitate the Gold Awardees and Award Leaders. Mr Kapil Bhalla, National Director, honored the Chief Guest General MM Naravane -Former Chief of Army Staff, Mr Himmat Sher Singh Kalsia - Trustee Chairman, Award Programme Foundation, and Dr Sanat Kaul, Honorary Advisor, Award Program Foundation. The Principals and Directors of various YES Centers were invited by the National Award Authority to attend the function.

 

The ceremony began with a Solo Classical dance by Award Participant Vironika Rupesh of Vidya Devi Jindal School, Hisar followed by a Group Yoga Dance by Award participants of Sri Sarada Math, Kolkata, West Bengal. Both performances were mesmerizing and memorable. 

Gold Award Holders Puja Mondal from Sri Sarada Math and Udayveer Singh Shergill from Y.P.S. Patiala shared their experience with the Award Programme. 

National Director Mr. Kapil Bhalla addressed the audience, sharing information about the progress of the Award. He outlined the importance and significance of the Award with its salient features that develop the young participants to be "World Ready". The National Director's speech was followed by the Award Presentation Ceremony where the Chief Guest General MM Naravane handed the Gold Certificates to the Gold Award achievers.

                                        

Award Leaders and Volunteers were recognized with the Outstanding, Valuable and Special Service Meritorious Certificates. In addition, YES Centers were recognized for their outstanding contribution towards Voluntary Service and exceptional work during COVID-19.

The Chief Guest congratulated all the Awardees and Award Leaders for their success. He also shared how important it was to volunteer for community service, to learn and develop valuable lessons acquired through life for dedicating yourself to your work. 

The International Award for Young People thank the Chief Guest, Award Holders, Award Leaders, Principals, Directors, Parents, Grand Parents, Guardians and our Trustees for being there to make this Gold Award Ceremony a huge success.

The Award in Action: Vidya Devi Jindal School, Hisar

Institute: Vidya Devi Jindal School, Hisar

Award Level: Bronze, Silver and Gold Participants

 

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

– Mahatma Gandhi Ji

A community is usually defined as “a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.” Inspiration comes in all shapes and sizes. The International Award for Young People, India is inspiring young people across the country and making a difference in the lives of many people and the communities in which they serve. Most of the institutions would not be successful in pursuing their mission without the support of volunteers. 

 

Vidya Devi Jindal School, Hisar provides its students a platform to enhance their Skills through the Award Programme. To fulfill this aim an ATL Community Day was celebrated in the ATL Lab of the school on 14th April, 2022 to extend the frontiers of learning and knowledge beyond our school. Staying true to the philosophy and ideologies of Shri B. R. Ambedkar, our IAYP participants, Charvi, Shailja, Isha Choudhary, Tanisha, Gargi, Samreen, Parineet Kaur, Ravneet Kaur Randhawa, and Vanshika completed the Voluntary Section of the Award. They invited some children from under-resourced communities to participate in this journey of innovation. IAYP aspirants commensurate the occasion with the children and rendered their services as required.

                 

Following activities were performed by children along with our IAYP participants:

1.      Balloon Rocket

2.      Potato Battery

3.      Paper Circuit

4.      Newspaper preparing a heavy stack

 

The program ended with the slogan “#WeAreWorldReady”

 

The Award in Action: Lakshana Chandrashekar

 

Award Participant: Lakshana Chandrashekar

Institute: JBCN International School, Borivali

Award Level: Bronze

“Helping one person might not change the world, but it could change the world for one person.”

The Read a Story Programme completely satisfies this quote. Being associated with Read a Story for the past few months has been amazing. I was a part of it as I was pursuing the Bronze level Award under The International Award for Young People, India from my school. However, I chose to continue teaching my student, Damini, who has always been enthusiastic and eager to learn new things. Her constant enthusiasm was the main reason why I chose to continue reading with her! I wish her all the best in life.
I would like to thank my award leader, Ms. Madhuri Gour and my teacher, Ms. Swati Pusalkar for giving me this wonderful opportunity and Ms. Anjali Desai and her team for their constant support and guidance.

Overall it was an enthralling experience and I wish to take up similar tasks in the future as well!

The Award in Action: Jindal Vidya Mandir Sholtu

 

Jindal Vidya Mandir Sholtu is a YES Centre of The International Award for Young People, India and the participants are actively preparing for their qualifying journey for Bronze level. Under the able guidance of Program Officer - Ms. Ankita Gera and Award Leaders - Ms. Madhu Bhardwaj & Mr. Vikas Chander, all aspirants were briefed, guided and encouraged to achieve the desired target.
Award participants started their journey from the base camp i.e. Jindal Vidya Mandir Sholtu Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh towards the destination at around 0800 hrs in the morning. The final destination point selected for the expedition was Chansu Kanda which is at the altitude of 11715 feet above sea level. Hilly terrain along with the perennial River Satluj & River Baspa made the route even more challenging to reach the destination.
Together they boarded the bus and covered a distance of about 23km by road transportation to reach the beautiful tribal village Kuppa near the bank of river Baspa. All participants were now ready to track the route to reach Chansu Kanda. Lush green forest, steep slope, uneven terrain, and icy winds greeted the team. At Ruturang - a place towards the final destination, the team decided to take a break and energise themselves by taking much needed calories to generate energy.
Team continued their journey towards the final destination and reached Chansu Kanda - a place which was planned for the night stay. Village Pradhan, Mr. Birbal Negi had made the provision for our stay at Village Panchayat Bhavan as prevailing cold conditions during night time is not conducive for the team members besides the threats related to wild animals.
Participants prepared their food and enjoyed it under the lap of nature. Night time at Panchayat Bhavan ended with fun games. Next day, after having a healthy breakfast, the whole area around Chansu Kanda was explored by the team members. Snow covered mountains, green meadows, thick forest, aerial view of village Kuppa & Baspa river, V-shaped valleys gave a feeling of perfect creation of nature. After scanning & exploring the whole area, all members took much needed rest in the tents, which they had installed with great efforts earlier.
Team members experienced nature differently from the tents. During this journey, we didn’t realise any problem & wanted to enjoy and remain there but time did not permit us. The Award Leader gave a command to pack up and dismantle the tents. We cleaned up the area & started trekking down towards village Kuppa. At around 5:30 p.m. all members reached Kuppa and boarded the bus towards base camp i.e. JVM Sholtu.

"The International Award for Young People is the most adaptable and effective youth empowerment program in the world today"

Award Story of participants Yogesh Yadav, Sneha, Harsh Bhati, Akshra Nagar and Kulshree from Vidhyashram International School, Jodhpur.

Award Level: Bronze

The participants of The International Award for Young People from Vidhyashram International School were engaged in a Poster Making Activity as part of commemoration of the 73rd Republic Day of India. The school under The International Award for Young People is working to develop confident, responsible and engaged learners. 

The endeavor is to create opportunities for young people to develop skills, get physically active and serve their local community. The idea of conducting the activity was to spread the spirit of patriotism and solidarity among youngsters and highlight the fact that there is Unity in Diversity which helps in strengthening our roots in our own country.

Creating posters on patriotic theme is an appreciable way to get young people involved in a meaningful craft activity, thereby learning the relevance of Republic Day and forming their own valued nationalistic expressions that would mould them into intelligent citizens of tomorrow.

This virtual campaign brought out the best of creativity, talent and ideas where Award participants paid homage to soldiers, featured different cultures of India, highlighted tricolor and pointed out the true spirit of patriotism. 

Commemorating the occasion, the Principal Dr. Bharti Swami said, "The International Award for Young People is the most adaptable and effective youth empowerment program in the world today which helps teenagers to connect and inspire each other. At Vidhyashram International School, we continuously offer new ways to students to broaden their exposure and enhance learning both inside and outside classrooms."

 

The Award in Action: Lipsa Acharya; Jindal Vidya Mandir, Vidyanagar

Lipsa Acharya from Jindal Vidya Mandir, Vidyanagar shares her reflection on her skill work taken up to decorate her school with pot paintings:

“A picture can paint a thousand words."

A couple of weeks ago when I started my pot painting journey to enhance my skills, I never thought that it would become my passion. When I painted my first pot, I felt very happy. I used two colors, white and green for the first pot that I painted. Later on when I examined it more closely, I envisioned different designs and bright colours. I knew that this pot will be my motivation to many other pots I will be painting in my journey.

A big thanks to my school and the International Award for Young People for giving me an opportunity to learn a new skill!