Opportunity to do Community Service

Shiksha Kendra, a philanthropic venture of Delhi Public School Gurgaon, Sector-45, is a school for remedial teaching for students from the ‘marginalised those at risk’ section of society. It is an afternoon school (1.30 pm - 5 pm) providing quality education to 1300+ students from classes 1-12. As it is a prerequisite that all students/members have to do community service, we at DPS Gurgaon want to extend a helping hand. We wish to invite all those children desirous of doing community service in the form of teaching to come and teach at the Shiksha Kendra run by the school.

The IAYP participants of all three levels can volunteer to take classes from standard 1 to 5 on weekdays from 3 pm to 5 pm. Besides teaching academic subjects they can also conduct classes for co-curricular activities and train students in Dance, Theatre, Art, Vocal Music, Spoken English, etc.

Students interested in teaching at Shiksha Kendra should write an email to Shubra Banerjee or Darshna Dahiya at least a week in advance, informing about the dates on which they would like to take classes so as to enable us to make suitable arrangements. Click to see some pictures at Shiksha Kendra

What the educators says about Award Programme

Any child who is studying or getting an education in the school, is not only pursuing academics, but also on the path to self development to become successful in life. Because the world they will face in 10 years or 15 years is unknown - - neither they know, nor we know - - so we need to give them a firm foundation and build those capacities in the child that will enable them to face the world. So the world does pose a lot of challenges and we might not know what kind of challenges can be there. But to encounter them and face them we need to have some set of basic skills, which are called life skills. For building life skills we need to have a very structured formal setup or a programme which can ensure that those kinds of skills are definitely built in a child. Along with this, it is really necessary now that we need to have responsible citizens emerging out of a school. When they do a job or when they start their own work, they are not going to be limited to thinking about their own office or company or setup but in general contribute towards society, which takes care of their country as well, and that's how we think of responsible citizens and global citizens as well. So with these thoughts in mind, since I was aware of IAYP from quite of few years, I was very keen to initiate this programme, which is definitely going to address these issues and will certainly help in bringing about these qualities or skills in the school.

Mr. Prashant Muley 

Principal, 

Podar International School, Aurangabad (ICSE)

Award Leader Training (YES) Workshop at Podar International School, Aurangabad

An Award Leader Training Workshop was organised on 12th - 13th June, 2017 at Podar International School, Aurangabad. Twenty participants from Podar International School, Aurangabad and DSB International School, Mumbai attended the workshop. The workshop was led by Kapil Bhalla (National Director) and Bivujit Mukhoty (Programme Manager). NAA wish to thank Mr. Prashant Muley, Principal, Podar International School, Aurangabad (ICSE) and his team for their support in organising this workshop. Click here for workshop pictures

A Great Learning Experience

A Report on Adventurous Journey by Sasikrishnan, IAYP Coordinator

Sanjay Ghodawat International School, Kolhapur aspires to nurture each child as a well-rounded personality. The school lays equal emphasis on outdoor activities like field trips, trekking, bird watching, nature walks and adventure camps. These outdoor activities are organised at regular intervals to provide experiential learning to students. As part of the IAYP programme the participants enthusiastically took part in different Adventurous Journey related activities.

An Adventurous Journey Preliminary Training and Practice Journey Camp was organised to provide a great learning experience for the participants. The practice journey was planned for two days and one night. The students were accompanied by six teaching staff and four attendees. The journey was led by the school’s physical education HOD I. Y. Kenchennavar.

Afer the successful completion of the Practice Journey, the Qualifying Adventurous Journey was planned for 12th and 13th November, 2016. As the day of the journey approached the participants were very excited. The venue was the Reserve Forest near Ramling Temple, which is around 12 km away from the school. The place is an idyllic spot surrounded by lush greenery and perfect for an adventurous journey. The team carried all necessary items like rice, vegetables, flour, spices, utensils, lights, etc.

After reaching the venue in the morning, the group cleaned the area and pitched five tents. The participants showed aesthetic sense by decorating the tents with flowers and green leaves. The participants were divided into three groups Zinghat, The Squad and Bampatjal. Different activities like rope exercise, SOS and other team building activities were performed during the day. Later the students brought firewood. At night all the students lit the camp fire. The students played games, sang songs, narrated stories and danced around the fire. At 10 PM students had dinner and rested for the day.

The next day, the participants woke up at 5 AM and went on a trek. During the trek, the participants were involved in many activities like bird watching, collecting rare plants, peacock feather collection, etc. They returned to the tent at 10 AM. After breakfast, many team building games were organised like a treasure hunt, essay writing, drawings, etc.

This Adventurous Journey was a great learning experience for participants. The participants learnt teamwork, independent thinking, creativity, and dignity of labour and most importantly, to face the tough life. Click for more pictures

Camping Expedition

Tirthan Valley at the Great Himalayan National Park, Himachal Pradesh, India

The beauty of this place will just mesmerise any trekking enthusiast and it is simply breathtaking.

Forty-five Bronze and Silver participants of Bawa Lalvani Public School, Kapurthala (Punjab) accompanied by five mentors trekked to the Great Himalayan National Park from 31st March to 6th April 2017.

The entire trek was really beautiful and serene. Close to the base Camp Himalayan, the participants experienced the natural beauty of the 'Jhoi' waterfall and trekked and manoeuvred through the crystal clear, flowing River Tirath. The camping experience helped the participants to introspect and develop a perspective to engage in more adventures in the times ahead. Besides trekking the participants also did the different Adventurous Journey related activities too. Splashing under the waterfall was a memorable experience for the entire team.

Thanks to the local guide at Camp Himalayan, who arranged a trek to the Jalori Pass through a small village, Banjar, inhabited by very friendly and courteous folks. This pass is situated at a height of 10,575 feet. Trekking on this beautiful trail led to the mesmerising places like Shoja, Serolsar lake, Sakiran Lambri and the Great Himalayan National Park! Click here for the pictures

Plantation Drive

"A tree can supply a day’s oxygen for four people."

Nature has been one of the greatest sources of energy for living creatures. We are indeed blessed and privileged to reside in the heart of a wonderful, attractive and eco-friendly environment. Staying in this beautiful paradise proves to be extremely therapeutic and tranquilizing and also motivates one to give back to the environment what it gives us humans so generously and selflessly. Planting trees is one such act of contributing towards the greenery of our surroundings.

Armed with lots of enthusiasm, energy, and thankfulness, the Award participants from The Sagar School, Alwar, wholeheartedly invested time and energy in the plantation drive aimed at a clean and fresh environment. The participants planted these saplings with the hope that, with time, they will blossom into plants and trees, adding beauty to nature and providing food for animals.

The need of the hour is to sensitize people towards promoting afforestation and preventing deforestation to save the world. Click for pictures

Training Workshop for Trained Activity Service Providers for IAYP

The National Award Authority organized a two-day Training Workshop for Trained Activity Service Providers for IAYP & ITAP license and interested Award Leaders of YES Centres to operate Adventurous Journeys and Residential Projects. Eleven participants from nine institutions: The British Co-Ed High School, Patiala; The Aga Khan Academy, Hyderabad; Adventure Education Tours (Mumbai) Pvt.Ltd., Mumbai; Global Travellers Guild, Kolkata; Snow Leopard Adventures Pvt. Ltd., Gurgaon; Juniper Wings, Kolkata; Inside Passage, Dehra Dun and Holiday Moods Adventures Pvt Ltd., New Delhi participated in the workshop on 10th - 11th March 2017.

The workshop was a blend of field work, classroom lecture and demonstration, covering various aspects of the Adventurous Journey and the Residential Project, in which the participants gained knowledge of the need and requirements for the same. The evening session before the bonfire was on the Role of the Assessor and the Supervisor, a critical input for a successful Adventurous Journey.

Day two activities started with an Adventurous & Exploration Journey, where the participants took part in trekking and exploration. This session included the learning and demonstration of the Preliminary Training, Practice Journey and Qualifying Journey, followed by a drill on Recording and Management of the Diary. There were Q&A sessions where the participants shared their experience and the problems that they come across during the AJ, and the NAA Team helped them in finding solutions. The workshop was mentored by Bivujit Mukhoty (Programme Manager). and Priyank Kumar Gupta (Head IT & ORB) The workshop concluded with the presentation of certificates by the IAYP National Director. Click to view pictures

I Feel Confident and Responsible, Thanks to the Award

I am Rima Pakira from the Baladbandh village, Hooghly District, West Bengal, India. I have been associated with the Award Programme since 2013. Last year was very special for me and for my three friends because we got this opportunity to participate in the camp of Bisindha organised between 24th and 28th December, 2016 to complete our Residential Project as Gold Award participants.

I have attended camps in past, but the camp of Bisindha was quite different from the others. In this camp, for the first time I got to know the actual meaning of the word “Responsibility”. I learnt how to finish any task within the stipulated time and in a proper manner. As a Gold participant, I had to look after the new participants, who were attending this camp for the very first time.

I handled that responsibility very well. Moreover, I also learnt how to look after and take care 

of youngsters and at the same time, understood how to guide them effectively for every activity undertaken as part of the Residential Project. The overall experience of this project made me more confident and responsible than I was. Now I have already taken on an initiative to run our next skill development project with a small team of people from my village. This team will learn how to make different products using wax, under the guidance of our Award Leader and interns of IAYP. Thanks to the Award for instilling in me new confidence and making me responsible!