“Ensuring harmony between teaching and learning approaches can bring about success”

Award Leader Ms. Ranjana Pradhan Rai pens down her beautiful experience of being part of the IAYP family as she departs from Darjeeling, Siliguri which she refers to as her ‘dearest land’. Iterating her experience of being an educator, she highlights approaches that are helpful in the success of students in their desired areas.

A flock of geese inspires us in following the legacy of leadership to a great extent. Being part of this moving experience of interacting with young minds, I can conclude that I have met one of the most dynamic groups of visionaries in education from Darjeeling, Siliguri, especially the students who are raring to fly high with 21st-century life-skills.

Having taught students from the CBSE, ISC, ICSE, and IB curriculum for over 18 years on and off, there was only one strategy that worked in bringing about the success of students in whatever they desired – focusing on the approach towards teaching and learning and making sure they harmonize. In my observation, if they are confident in planning effectively through the measured syllabus, lesson plans and tallying with the academic calendar, spending at least two hours per week as per school timetable, the success rate will be much higher. Hence, teachers need to be motivated for the demonstration of effective implementation methods that can be mined, to begin with, in the process.

There are some loose ends in sharing the best practices in education this time. However, fragments of the school culture at Westminster, Harrow, Eton, Boston, Doon, St. Paul's and North Point are worth discussing with both stakeholders at schools as well as with the students. Weekly assemblies are also significant in adding value to school life for young people as they are vulnerable and are in need of proper direction.

At the threshold of many new beginnings, "Schooling is like a marathon, and not a sprint." Thus, the entire struggle is all about the mind battling with the forces in nature. "The harder you want to give up, just remember why you started at all." If you cannot do justice to what you started, you would be nothing but an unusual vagabond. Thus, mean what you say, do what is right.

"There is never a wrong time for the right thing." And in my tryst with destiny, time made our collaboration possible. The weather, the rain, the time crisis and the academic commitments, all brought us together to initiate the ‘wind of change’. I wish to thank all the school directors, principals, faculty, and students for their warm welcome and hospitality; I am really touched.

“We developed life-saving skills; something that we would not have gained in our classrooms”

Akanksh Sanctis, a Silver Award participant, narrates his and his fellow participants' experience of an Adventurous Journey to Ramnagara, Karnataka, where they not only engaged in activities for personal growth but also became aware of life at a different place, outside their comfort zone.

On June 14, the participants of IAYP Silver Award left the campus of Sarala Birla Academy at the crack of dawn for a hidden campsite in Ramnagara, Karnataka. On reaching the ten-acre, huge campsite, we were instructed to divide ourselves into three groups that would continue to function in almost every activity that we undertook at the site. We engaged in activities like Burma bridge crossing, zip lining, rope climbing, pipelining, forming human pyramids and hitting the bull’s eye using a ring and tennis ball. Having pushed ourselves rigorously in these activities, we retired for the day in the tents that we had pitched near the site.

We commenced our next day pretty early as we were supposed to leave for a 16-kilometer trek. We had a wholesome breakfast, filled our water bottles, put on our caps along with protective clothes and started on a soon-to-be-tiring trek. During the trek, we passed through dense canopies of trees and thorny bushes that we really had to keep a look out for. We also passed a pristine lake and experienced an opportune moment of witnessing a wild hare hop downhill. After reaching the summit of the enormous hill, we relaxed for a while and continued our trek back to the campsite. The view atop the hill mesmerized almost all of us. Some of us even meditated in the calm and serene environment that it offered. The trek, though tiring, gave us amazing new experiences, such as witnessing the wild flora and fauna of the vicinity and also helped us learn life-saving skills that we would not have gained in our classrooms. Having drunk water that tasted rusty through a pump at a nearby village, we delved into understanding life in a village and how it differs from what we experience in towns and cities. That is when the vital importance of water conservation really dawned on us.

On the final day, we were taken to a nearby village where we were able to witness routine life in a rural area. We had the opportunity to visit a village member’s house and observe the way people lived in their relatively cool houses made of stones and mud. Seeing a deified ox was yet another interesting part of our visit. We also visited a silk producing establishment where we received an enthralling hands-on experience in the silk manufacturing process. After visiting the village, we headed back to the camp and prepared lunch together. We then boarded the bus to our school.
The experience taught us how to function in team-oriented environments and cultivating dependability. We developed new skills such as agility, concentration, efficiency and innovation. Primarily, it taught us to cherish the satisfaction that followed the efforts we put in various activities that were directed towards making us stronger, both physically and mentally.

Treading Towards Success: The Endeavours of Ivy World School, Jalandhar

The International Award for Young People has been an outstanding guide in the contemporary social realm where it caters to the life of young individuals with a platform to reach the zenith of their innate abilities, develop skills and work towards a better community. The fruits of this endeavour are sweeter than our expectations. Ivy World School, Jalandhar, has always worked upon the thought of nurturing global citizens. The approach that we sought, which proudly involves IAYP, has facilitated us on this path through easy learning.

The activities that participants engaged in opened doors for them to look beyond the domains of education. They opted for numerous projects in distinct categories under the Skills section - carpentry, painting, art and designing, fabric painting, dancing, gardening, basketball, lawn tennis, and cricket under the Physical Recreation section. In each activity, a ‘step by step learning approach’ has taught them about the tools, techniques, and strategies required to achieve their set goals, thus expanding their knowledge base. The participants followed a set action plan to ensure steady and smooth progress.

This expedition has been a very enriching experience. Being educators, it has been challenging for us to sow the seeds of community, recreational and skill development in the participants in view of rapidly increasing technological advancements. However, the combined efforts of teachers and participants reaped the best possible results. The participants worked hard to bring out their best possible versions whilst participating in diligently in various activities. Their rigorous and continuous efforts seemed to highlight a different approach towards the development of these young minds.

The expedition enlightened a new approach towards our perspective on life.

Twenty-two Award participants, together with three Award Leaders of Hopetown Girls' School, Dehradun, visited Har Ki Doon, a valley situated at approximately 12,000 feet in the Himalayas from 25 to 29 April as part of the Gold Award. It was a moderately difficult trek and the participants showed remarkable grit and determination by trekking for approximately 60 kilometres with their rucksacks over four days. They pitched their tents each night, cooked food and washed their own dishes. During the visit, the group slept in tents with the sound of the river flowing, gazed at infinite stars each night and woke up to witness the breathtaking view of snow-capped mountains. They also saw different hues of the rhododendron, the blue pine and walnut trees that added to the exoticism of the location.

The experience was a major turning point in the lives of the participants; something that has left unforgettable impressions on their lives. The participants showed undaunted courage and crossed two glaciers. Backed by remarkable leadership, teamwork, resilience, communication, and positive attitude to survive, they experienced being in the lap of nature with minimum resources available to them. This helped to develop great camaraderie between their peers and teachers and gave them a bag full of memories to cherish for a lifetime. For most of them, it marked a new approach to looking at life. Inhibitions and anxieties about taking up challenges were replaced by confidence, leading to a sense of achievement. It made them discover their hidden potential and transcend boundaries of their comfort zones willingly to know the unknown. Loaded with memories, the participants found the experience almost magical.

A Merry Journey of Self-Discovery

In yet another significant breakthrough in the adventure trail of Vidya Devi Jindal School, Hisar 25 Award participants accompanied by three teachers undertook a trekking expedition from 13 to 18 May to Solang Valley as part of the adventurous journey section of the Award Programme. The valley is undoubtedly one of the most spectacular and impressive valleys of Himachal Pradesh. The team enthusiastically trekked 42 kilometres to and fro in 4 days including 9 kilometres of snow trekking. They braved extreme weather conditions with the night temperatures at the campsite dipping to -9° Celsius. Even rain and mild hail couldn't dampen the spirit of the participants as they unfurled the school flag at Bakkar Thatch, the starting point of Beas Kund located at an altitude of 3400 metres. In addition to trekking, the participants engaged in rock climbing, rappelling, ziplining and river crossing. They even enjoyed a day of leisure at Manali’s Mall Road.

The entire delegation worked beautifully as a team, motivating and strengthening each other. They returned with deep appreciation for the sheer geographic diversity – from the verdant, forested valleys to the flowered meadows carpeted with wildflowers. From cooking meals together to enjoying the view of myriad snow-capped peaks such as Mt. Hanuman Tibba (5928M), Mt. Friendship (5289M), Mt.Shitidhar (5294M) & Mt. Ladakhi (5342M), the participants seemed to have been bitten by the bug of adventure. However, the most striking aspect of their journey was how they explored the inexhaustible reserves of inner strength which they were unaware that they possessed. But they are raring for a bigger challenge very soon under IAYP Bronze and Silver category. This discovery has emboldened them; preparing them for challenges under the Bronze and Silver Award

Motivated Not Thwarted by Challenges

A note by Akash Biradar, Programme Officer (South India), The International Award for Young People.

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” This famous saying stands true when I think of my own journey. I am Akash Biradar and I am currently pursuing Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering at RV College of Engineering, Bangalore. I completed my tutoring at Sarala Birla Academy, Bangalore.

When I was growing up, my father used to play hockey and I used to sit by the field and watch him play. One day he taught me how to hold the stick and dribble the ball. A life-changing moment for me -- from that point onward, I loved playing hockey. Alongside, I took up squash and athletics out of interest. Since I was exposed to a residential environment, I had the opportunity to explore myself in various fields of sport because of which I represented my school at several state and national tournaments in hockey and athletics. I had taken up art and photography as part of my extracurricular activities and am still passionate about photography.

In view of all the activities that I wanted to pursue, time management became a major challenge. However, with primary focus on studies, I coped with this issue by following an exact time table which helped me fulfill my objectives and accomplish my goals, something that the Award has taught me..

I was introduced to International Award for Young People at my school and enrolled for the Silver level of the Award. Subsequently, charged with ardour, I completed my Gold Award in 2015. I am thankful for how much I have learnt in school, especially through coping with the challenges that came my way.