Charity Begins at Home

Award participants from Maa Anandmayee Memorial School, Raiwala took part in cleaning drive organised by the school authorities.  Here is a report from the participants.

On 5th Dec, 2015 as soon as we reached the school, we heard some exciting news. It was related to Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and we were asked to get engaged and contribute in this very important movement which has been started by our honourable Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi.

'Charity begins at home' -- following this very dictum, our Director Arpit Panjwani and our Principal motivated the children with their didactic words to start this very movement from their school.

First of all they told us the importance of cleanliness and they also told us how to clean our house, school and society and public places as part of our regular schedule. They showed us we can clean the places using proper dustbins. Principal Sir explained the importance of cleaning our rooms ourselves, and further put the waste into the dustbin. 

After the discussion we started our cleaning campaign. First of all we cleaned our school ground and also the classes. Afterwards, we went to the classes and told the students about cleanliness and took a promise from the students that they would use dustbins and also keep the school campus clean. They would themselves take care of the school campus and homes, thereby leading to a cleaner society. Click for more pictures

Charge to the Mountains!

A group of 43 Award participants (22 boys and 21 girls) from Miles Bronson Residential School, Guwahati set out for their Adventurous  Journey to Rocky Island in a valley near Darjeeling, West Bengal.  The group left for their destination on 20 Mar 2015 night by train and was accompanied by the Director (Pastoral Care), two House Mistresses and two Sports Teachers. Having reached the railhead New Jalpaiguri the next morning, they left for Rocky Island by bus. The thrill of the adventure began almost immediately when they stopped by a freshwater stream en route to relish their breakfast. Finally they reached the place by noon.

The group was accommodated in tents and huts with the support of a simple bathroom/toilet and a kitchen with open dining space. The young people enjoyed their meals and were happy to wash their utensils themselves. The main focus this time was Rock Climbing and Trekking. Special care was taken throughout the trip to ensure their safety and security. Participants freely roamed around in the surrounding hills and streams accompanied by their Instructors and escorts. They were made to wade through a challenging width of the fast flowing stream, learning to work as a team with close coordination to cross the stream. Rappelling and steel wire sliding were among the other activities conducted during the camp. 

During the afternoon session the participants practiced erecting tents and shelters with natural wood and the minimal material available. In the evening the group gathered around the campfire and participated in the music, dance and group games. 

On 23 Mar morning the group was guided on a trek through hills, deep forests and streams. They were taught various types of knots to be used while making support systems to cross streams and also given training on survival tactics in the jungle. By afternoon the group departed for New Jalpaiguri to return to Guwahati by rail. The group reached MBRS the next morning.

The participants learned not only basic life skills to survive in a jungle but also strengthened their confidence. The trip was a huge success and many of them can't wait for the next available opportunity to return to those environs again!

Returning home

Ayushi Atri, Silver Award holder from Jodhamal Public School, Jammu took up painting as her Skill.  Ayushi shared some of her paintings with us.  In her own words, Ayushi describes one of the paintings which she is sharing with the Award family.
This beautiful piece of art describes the scene after sunset..... when all the birds and other creatures are returning to their homes after the sunset....... this painting tells us the importance of home when all the creatures return to their homes after a full day of hard work for their family. Everyone feels a sense of safety in their home...... so this painting tells us the importance of shelter for every creature through a midnight scene after dusk when all the birds are flying back to their shelter, taking food or to meet their loved ones.

Click here to see more paintings

GOLD AWARD CEREMONY 2015 - July 16th

Achieving your Gold Award is a really big step in your young life. It shows that you have the ability, focus and determination to achieve. It shows you have done your share to achieve all-round development and at the same time are open to learn from what the future has in store for you. So it's only right that you get a proper celebration for your achievement. Our Gold Award Ceremony is designed to celebrate this achievement.
We are happy to announce that Raja Randhir Singh, former Olympic-level trap and skeet shooter, is the Chief Guest and will present the Gold Awards to the successful participants at the Annual Gold Award Ceremony on July 16, 2015 at India International Centre, New Delhi.
You can soon expect to receive an invite to GAC 2015 and your presence will make this event memorable.  Ceremony details can be checked here.

Dr. S Y Quraishi joins as Trustee - Award Programme Foundation

Dr. S Y Quraishi is an Indian Administrative Services officer, a former Indian Chief Election Commissioner, and a former Secretary in the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. A graduate of St Stephen's College in Delhi, and a Ph.D. holder in Communications and Social marketing, he currently teaches as Honorary Professor at Cluster Innovation Centre, University of Delhi.

Dr. Quraishi is known for his special contributions in social sector reforms covering health, education, population, drug abuse, and civil society action. He has done extensive work in the fields of Gender, Women & Child Development, HIV/AIDS, Youth and Adolescent issues. The UN and other international organizations have availed his expertise in these areas as consultant and resource person on several occasions. He also pioneered India's biggest AIDS awareness programme and IEC campaign called 'Universities Talk AIDS' (UTA) in 159 Universities, considered as one of the best global practices.

Dr. Quraishi has a number of books, articles and talks to his credit on issues related to democracy, elections, HIV AIDS and family planning, social marketing, women and child development and youth. His book 'Social Marketing for Social Change' has broken new ground in the field of development communication. His recent book 'An Undocumented Wonder: The Making of the Great Indian Election' is the story of how the world's largest democracy holds its elections.

We welcome him on board the Award Programme Foundation (APF) Trust and are certain that his extensive experiences and outstanding leadership will help in building the Award Programme further.