A Success Story

My name is Priyanka Sarkar. I live in Chandannagar, Hooghly. My father serves tea at the station. With his meagre earning, we found it difficult to meet our daily needs. After my Higher Secondary Examination, I came to take admission at Sri Sarada Math Rasik Bhita with my aunt, for a basic computer course and Communicative English course. During this period of time, I came to know about the “International Award for Young People, India.” or the IAYP programme from Adrija Di in one of her classes. Then I enrolled myself into this programme and completed the Bronze and Silver awards. Now I am working for my Gold award. I could not complete my graduation due to my family's poor economic condition.

This spirit of IAYP took me to the Jadavpur University. There I went to pursue a diploma course in social work. I faced an interview for the admission. During the interview the interviewer asked me different questions about IAYP like, the reason for being a part of the programme, the functions of the programme, what I have gained from this programme and the changes which took place in my life while doing this programme, the reason of the skill section of IAYP etc. They also asked about Sri Sarada Math and Rasik Bhita; how Matajis help us, how do we perform the activities in the Math, what type of social work do they do etc. I also mentioned the regular activities of “Nibedita Bahini”, formed by a group of girls of Rasik Bhita, how it works, what type of work they do and so on. After this interview, I got the opportunity to begin the course there and after six months of I completed. Then I wanted to pursue MSW (Master in Social Work) but without a B.A degree it was not possible to do the course. Then I went to Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) for admission. There I gave an entrance examination and faced another interview session. There they also asked about my past, about Sri Sarada math, IAYP, diploma course in Jadavpur, Nibedita Bahini etc. Then I finally got the opportunity to study at TISS. They also granted to pay half of my course fee because of my poor economic background. Now I am studying “Child Protection” for three years. All these steps of success were not possible if I had not been a student of Rasik Bhita and an awardee of IAYP. I am truly grateful towards them.

Award Leader Training (YES) Workshop

The International Award for Young People, India organized an Award Leader Training workshop at Christ Church School, Mumbai on 26th and 27th August, 2016. The two-day workshop was attended by 23 participants from different institutions across India, including Jungle Lore Student Expedition, Mumbai; Euro School, Thane; P. G. Garodia School, Mumbai; Jamnabai Narsee School, Mumbai; Sanjeewan Vidyalaya, Panchgani; Naz Foundation (India) Trust, Mumbai; Adventure Edu. Tours Mumbai Pvt. Ltd, Mumbai; and Lady Khatun Marium School, Panvel. Over the span of two days, the participants were given in-depth knowledge regarding the four domains of the programme i.e. Skills, Service, Physical Recreation and Adventurous Journey and also the Residential Project. The participants were also introduced to the technical aspects of the programme, which included Risk Management, Brand Guide and Online Record Book (ORB). Other sessions included the Award Philosophy, Framework, Benefits of the Award and how a volunteer could play a crucial role in the Award programme. The workshop was delivered by Kapil Bhalla (National Director) and Bivujit Mukhoty (Programme Manager). The programme concluded with the presentation of participation certificates to the participants by Kapil Bhalla. Click for pictures

Orientation Workshop for Jalandhar Sahodaya Independent Schools

The International Award for Young People, India organized an Orientation workshop for the principals and teachers of Jalandhar Independent Sahodaya Schools at Cambridge International School, Phagwara. The objective of the workshop was to introduce the Award Programme and its benefits to the principals and other teachers of these Sahodaya schools.

The orientation was attended by 19 schools of Jalandhar area, including Apex International Public Sr. Sec. School, Nakodar; Apple Orchard School, Phagwara; Bawa Lalwani Public School, Kapurthala; Cambridge International School, Nakodar; Cambridge International School, Nawanshahr; Cambridge International School, Phagwara; Cambridge International School, Urban Estate, Jalandhar; Cambridge International School, Kapurthala; Delhi Public School, Jalandhar; DIPS, Jalandhar; Doaba Public Sr. Sec. School, Parowal; DRV DAV Public School, Phillaur; IVY World School, Phagwara; Saffron Public School, Phagwara; Sanskriti KMV School, Jalandhar; SRT DAV Public School, Bilga; State Public School, Jalandhar Cantt; and State Public School, Nakodar.

The orientation began with the introduction of the IAYP team by Mr. Jorawar Singh, Chairman, Jalandhar Independent Sahodaya Schools. This was followed by a brief session introducing the Award Programme, its philosophy, framework and benefits of the Award by Kapil Bhalla, National Director of IAYP. A thorough knowledge was provided by Bivujit Mukhoty, Programme Manager of IAYP India on the four domains of the Programme i.e. Skills, Service, Physical Recreation and Adventurous Journey and also the Residential Project.

This orientation workshop was a first step in the IAYP Award Programme. The workshop imparted an outline and its benefits for young people to the principals and teachers of Jalandhar Independent Sahodaya Schools.

The workshop delivered by Kapil Bhalla (National Director), Bivujit Mukhoty (Programme Manager) and Priyank Kumar Gupta (Head IT & ORB) included an interesting Q & A session. The workshop concluded with the experience shared by Gold Award Holder Gurkaran Singh from Cambridge International School, Phagwara. Click here for pictures

Award Leader Training (YES) Workshop

The International Award for Young People, India organized an Award Leader training workshop at Ebenezer International School, Bangalore on 5th and 6th August, 2016.

The two-day workshop was attended by 30 participants from different institutions across India, including The Camford International School, Coimbatore; The Aga Khan Academy, Chennai; 

Athena Global School, Chidambaram; Canadian International School, Bangalore; Ebenezer International School, Bangalore; Oakridge International School, Bengaluru; Euro School, Whitefield, Bangalore; Euro School, Chimney Hills, Bangalore; Euro School, Kogilu, Bangalore; Karaumbiah's Academy for Learning & Sports, Gonikoppal; and The High Range School, Munnar.

The workshop began with an ice- breaking session where the participants introduced themselves and shared their expectations from the workshop. This was followed by an introduction to the Award, and sessions on its philosophy, framework, benefits of the Award and how a volunteer can play a crucial role in the Award programme. The participants were given in-depth knowledge regarding the four domains of the programme i.e. Skills, Service, Physical Recreation and Adventurous Journey and also the Residential Project for the Gold Level. The training team also made them familiar with other important aspects related to the Programme, which included Risk Management, Online Record Book and Brand Pack.

The workshop was led by Kapil Bhalla (National Director) and Bivujit Mukhoty (Programme Manager). The workshop included interactive and fun sessions to engage with the Award Leaders.Click here for the pictures

Award Orientation at Aditya Birla Public School, Kotputli

The International Award for Young People, India organized a one-day Award Leader orientation programme at Aditya Birla Public School, Kotputli on 24th July 2016 in which 14 participants took part. Click here for pictures

YES Workshops at Royal Global School, Guwahati

The International Award for Young People, India organized an Award Leader training workshop at The Royal Global School, Guwahati on 28th - 29th June 2016. The two day workshop was attended by 11 participants from The Royal Global School.

The workshop was delivered by Bivujit Mukhoty (Programme Manager) and other members of Training Panel.

Award Leader Training (YES) Workshop at Award Training Centre

The International Award for Young People, India organized an Award Leader training workshop at the Award Training Center, New Delhi on 28th and 29th July, 2016. The objective of the workshop is to make the potential Award Leaders from the participating schools or Open Award Centres develop a comprehensive understanding of The Award Programme and how it functions.

The two-day workshop was attended by 24 participants from different institutions across India, including Aga Khan Academy, Hyderabad; Dikshant International School, Haryana; NAZ Foundation, New Delhi; The Doon School, Dehradun; Amity International School, Gurgaon; Kothari International School, Noida; Sunbeam School, Varanasi; Calcutta International School, Kolkata; The Indian Public School, Dehradun; Takshila Educational Society, New Delhi; Partap World School, Punjab; Mayoor School, Ajmer; MGD Girls School, Jaipur; Sangam School of Excellence, Bhilwara; Great Rocksport Pvt. Ltd, New Delhi; Vidhyashram International School, Jodhpur and DLF Public School, Sahibabad.

The workshop began with an ice- breaking session where the participants introduced themselves and shared their expectations from the workshop. This was followed by an introduction to the Award, and sessions on its philosophy, framework, benefits of the Award and how a volunteer can play a crucial role in the Award programme. The participants were given in-depth knowledge regarding the four domains of the programme i.e. Skill, Service, Physical Recreation and Adventurous Journey and also the Residential Project for the Gold Award Programme. Furthermore, they were made familiar with the technical aspects of the programme, which included Risk Management and Brand Pack.

The workshop delivered by Kapil Bhalla (National Director), Bivujit Mukhoty (Programme Manager) and Priyank Kumar Gupta (Head IT & ORB) included interactive and fun sessions to engage with the Award Leaders. The programme concluded with the presentation of participation certificates to the participants by Kapil Bhalla. Click here for pictures

My Award Journey

Makesh Srinviasan, Bronze Level participant from Hiranandani Upscale School, Kelambakkam shares his Award Journey experience with us in his words. IAYP has helped me to grow from an ordinary person to someone who is respected, given importance and now seen in the world from a different perspective. The Award Programme brought many things into my schedule that helped me to improve myself in myriad ways. It shaped me not only to take up more responsibilities and challenges but also to handle them and be a citizen that a nation would be proud of. This journal records details of my experience in this course starting from July 2015 until today. As an IAYP participant, responsibilities were assigned to me by the school for the first couple of months. I was part of an adventurous trip to a hill station called Coorg. It was a three day fun-filled trip where adventurous activities were organised like zip lining, trekking, river rafting and swimming in the cold river. My main focus was to learn how to be independent, gain experience and provide valuable support to my companions. To move out of my comfort zone and challenge my own learning, fears and skills was the outcome of this adventure section. Next, in the service section of the Award, during the weekends, my friends and I provided education and basic computer knowledge to kids from the orphanage. We conducted regular and scheduled classes for them. Although during some weekends it wasn't possible for them to attend classes due to transportation trouble, national holidays, floods and rains, nevertheless, we managed to reschedule their classes on the availability of our time periods. Moreover, apart from teaching, I also worked for rescue and relief missions during the floods times in Chennai. Every day was very critical, and I used to spent many hours in preparing food, collecting clothes and gathering necessary items from shops. Eventually, we grew into a big association involving more than 50 members from our society. Together, we were able to help hundreds of poor families and kids. We provided food packages, medicines, water bottles, clothes and other necessary items, to about 1000 people in more than 5 different areas. Besides these, I had also been involved in taking photographs (for which I was given the responsibility) for an event that took place in my community. Compassion, communication and connect with the community were the cherished gifts that I saved from this section of the Award journey. My physical activity involved playing football. Being my favourite sport, I made good progress in it. I practiced regularly for about 2 to 3 hours on the ground and about 1 hour indoors to workout. During exams and flood time I was unable to play regularly. But apart from that, I was a very regular student and had shown progressive improvements in this sport. It is a sport that once broke my nose but still, I love playing football. In skills Section, my interests were mainly focused on playing instruments such as violin and piano, and I chose piano. From July till today, I have been practicing piano lessons regularly and with great interest. Although, due to some reasons my teacher couldn't continue, but I kept on practicing my lessons at home for about an hour or two almost every day. Eventually I found a new teacher but he insisted on starting the lessons from the basics. But even then, I did not feel discouraged. I love piano today as much as I loved it on my first day! Thanks IAYP for making me what I am today!Click here for more pictures

60th anniversary film

2016 marks the 60th anniversary of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award in the UK by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. Over the last 60 years, the Award has transformed the lives of millions of young people in more than 140 countries and territories, equipping them for life. By celebrating this exciting milestone, we want to encourage millions of youth to get involved, either by doing the Award or by becoming an adult volunteer. We are excited to say that The 60 films to celebrate 60 years of the Award have been launched on Tuesday, the 31st of May 2016. The 60 films project and all the films are now available to view atwww.intaward.org/awardat60. We are happy to announce that the five participants from India,Adrija, Ishita, Pallavi, Ranjana and Vivek have been showcased in this project. Our congratulations to all our Award Participants. To know more updates, keep an eye on our social media for exciting announcements and follow#awardat60.