Bronze Level Adventure Camp at Wangini

The Bronze Level aspirants of Lodha World School, Thane went for an adventure camp to Wangini near Matheran.  The purpose of the camp was to allow the participants to learn as well as to try their hand in adventure activities. The trip was scheduled for five days from the 7th to the 11th of April 2015. 

The morning session for four days began at 07.00 am. Breakfast was followed by adventure activities which the participants looked forward to.  During these four days the participants went through Rappelling, Rock Climbing, Hurdles, Jungle Gym, Raft building, Rowing, Flying Fox, Archery and Shooting.

The participants said that they found the experience thrilling and challenging. Some of them were very excited that they had managed to climb the 50 foot tower. They took great pleasure in aiming straight at the target and trying their hand at shooting. One of the participants remarked that 'Fear is like fire, it will burn till you fuel it', and these activities have helped them overcome some of their fears. 'When we made the rafts and went rowing we realized the amount of strength we have in our hands,' said one of the girls. They also remarked that they learned to work as a team.

Every day the participants returned to help in the kitchen. They took turns to prepare a dish under the guidance of the staff. The participants treated their classmates and teachers to a variety of tasty dishes such as pulav, mixed vegetable sabji, chole puri, etc. It was a proud moment for the participants when they showcased their culinary skills. 

In the evening, the participants played a number of interesting games which required both skill and presence of mind. At night they were taken for a silent walk to the river bank for star gazing. Wangini is a place where astronomy camps generally come to carry out star gazing activities. 

The participants enjoyed themselves thoroughly, lying on the rocks and reveling in the silent murmur of the river -- an experience which according to them will always remain etched in their memory, as it is not one which they could dream of experiencing in Mumbai.

The camp provided wholesome experiences, where participants learnt to work in a team, coordinating with each other and mutually sharing responsibilities.  They continually kept motivating their friends who had certain fears. The activities like making their own raft and rowing taught them the need to work in a systematic and responsible manner.  The culinary activities brought forth their ability to divide and delegate the different tasks, ensuring that they turned out excellent and tasty food.  Surely the camp gave them opportunities to imbibe the values needed to become effective Leaders of Tomorrow in keeping with the motto of Lodha World School, Thane.

On the last night, before they started off for Thane, a bonfire and dance was organised.  The participants enjoyed themselves thoroughly and the trip ended on a high note for all of them. They are sure to look forward to more such adventure trips. This will also motivate them to seek the Silver Level of the IAYP too.   Click for pictures

Kudos to Partap World School, Pathankot (YES Centre)

The Partap World School, Pathankot, Punjab (YES Centre) featured on the national news channel: ZEE NEWS. The school honoured a national level skater, Chandeep Singh, who is physically differently abled. Chandeep lost both his arms at the age of seven, when he suffered an electric shock. Partap World School supported Chandeep and his family with financial assistance and emotional support. On April 12, 2015, the school organised a skating competition on the occasion of their Chairman's birthday celebration.  Chandeep Singh participated in the competition and inspired other students and players. 

Talking to Chandeep, we discovered a determined young person, who says that physical inability cannot keep you from achieving the target. He shared his positive attitude towards life, motivating and inspiring other students. 

We at NAA wish to congratulate Partap World School, Pathankot for connecting with society and imparting a sense of service among their students.  See below the news coverage about Chandeep.

India at Glasgow 2014

216-strong team of Indian sportspersons bagged 15 gold, 30 silver & 19 bronze for a total haul of 64 medals to finish fifth overall behind table-toppers England followed by Australia, Canada and hosts Scotland.

India had finished second behind Australia in the 2010 Delhi edition but considering that some disciplines, from which the hosts had won medals, were either dropped or pruned down in Glasgow, it was a great performance by the Indians in the recently concluded Glasgow Games.

As expected, India collected maximum medals from shooting as the marksmen bagged 17 medals including four Golds. The wrestlers though had the maximum gold count (5 gold) with 13 overall medals.

The weightlifters performed above expectations as they bagged 12 medals (3 gold) with India topping the tally in that sport. In judo, India won their biggest haul of four medals  surpassing the two each they had won in both 1990 and 2002.

In hockey, India won their second consecutive silver in the Games after being outclassed by Olympic and world champions Australia 4-0 in the final.

Badminton was another sport which brought the nation laurels with four medals, with one gold bagged by Parupalli Kashyap.

Dipika Pallikal and Joshana Chinappa created history by winning India's first ever gold medal in CWG squash.

These Glasgow games sets a perfect platform for India to prove their worth again and may be go a notch above to win more gold medals at Gold Coast 2018 games. We at International Award for Young People India will continue to take initiatives through our Physical Recreation domain, as we have done for so many years to make India a power house in world sports.

Medal data credit: NDTV Sports