"The Keyboard Sir"

Abhijay Malviya, Bronze Award holder from The British School, New Delhi is sharing his transforming experience. My name is Abhijay and I’m from the British School, New Delhi. The Award Programme has dramatically changed my personality in many ways. During my Bronze Award journey I continued learning the piano and passed with a merit in my Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) exam. I played basketball three times a week and participated in the academy level tournament. Moreover, I went on an Adventurous Journey to Southern India, where I cycled long distances and participated in many activities, such as rappelling to name a few. However, the most transforming experience was at a school for the underprivileged children at Saksham Bal Vikas, an NGO in Gurgaon. The parents of the students in the school are mostly workers and street stall owners, who don’t have the money to send their wards to school. I believe that the under privileged in the country need to be educated so that India can grow as a modern nation, and institutions like this should be set up everywhere. What I learnt from interacting with these children is that they are extremely optimistic with big ideas, but did not have the available opportunities to follow their ideas before joining school. Since this school was already teaching academics, I decided to show them another side to the coin, the side they had great desire for and where they could really express their creativity: Music. On the first day, they were very excited to see my keyboard. To cope with the excitement I taught them the basics of composition, a move which would not have been the best at an early stage but I couldn't take the risk of boring them with some theoretical knowledge! They even started calling me ‘Keyboard Sir’. Overall their happiness along with the driving determination for success really made me reflect on my own life, and if I have to take away one learning experience from this, it would be to appreciate what’s given and stay focused to capitalize on opportunities. Click for pictures

Walk for a Light

Bronze and Silver Award participants from Ramakrishna Mission Blind Boys' Academy, Narendrapur did coastal trekking for their Adventurous Journey from 9th to 11th December 2015.  Chandan Majumder and Rupanjan Goswami (Award Leaders) sharing the details about this trek.

People who cannot see the light of the world due to their blindness, are always searching for a new light through which they can enlighten their lives and souls.

Ramakrishna Mission Blind Boys' Academy, Narendrapur has been imparting education and vocational training to the visually challenged students through the International Award for Young People since 2002. To complete their Adventurous Journey, twenty-five visually challenged, Bronze and Silver aspirants took part in a Coastal Trek from Chandipur to Digha under the guidance of the Institute of Climbers and Nature Lovers.

The participants started walking for 17 kms from Chandipur on 9th Dec '15 along the beach and crossed Buri Balam river and Kasai river. They stayed at Kasafal in tents beside river Kasai first night. On the second day they set off for Dogara village, walking by the sea for 22 kms and in the last lap they walked 23 kms and crossed Subarnarekha river and finally reached Talsari on 11th Dec '15, walking a total of 62 kms. Four NAA interns, all Gold Award Holders, escorted the participants during this journey.

This costal trek helped the participants gauge their own capacity and develop self-confidence. Now each of the participant says "Yes I can, I am prepared for any tasks, I can see the new Light of Life". Click here for pictures

Residential Project at a Spiritual Retreat

Mridul Upadhyay, Open Award Participant attended SPIC MACAY International Convention for his Residential Project. Mridul is presenting here a report on his Residential Project.

The 3rd International Convention of SPIC MACAY was held from 31 May to 6 June at IIT-Mumbai. SPIC MACAY (Society for Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Amongst Youth) is a voluntary movement that organizes events (over 5000 annually) of classical music and dance, folk arts, crafts etc. in educational institutions through the world. The annual conventions of SPIC MACAY, with more than 300 chapters in India and abroad and thousands of volunteers working selflessly, is a Mahakumbh or a spiritual retreat. The annual convention has acquired international status from the past three years, when delegates from other countries also joined hands. 

The International convention focusses on providing a unique atmosphere to delegates with an emphasis on the Guru-Shishya model. The convention aims to provide a holistic experience in line with classical Indian tradition and participants follows certain rules and regulations like consumption of holistic food, not using mobile/camera and early morning wakeup etc. The convention aims to bring the lesser known and often underappreciated art forms, and the associated artists back into the spotlight. Arts forms like Paper Mache, Puppetry, Kudiyattam and more are probably not as famous as others but they are without a doubt equally significant in the amount of skill and hard work that goes into them. The convention serves as a great stage for these artists to earn the respect and appreciation they deserve while attracting people towards these lost art forms. 

The unique experience of the week-long "Aashram-Vaas" for nearly 1,800 participants from home and abroad was unforgettable, where the normal day started at 4 am with Naad-Yoga, the practice of music; Hatha Yoga, the Yogic exercises; and Dhyaan Yoga, or practising meditation; followed by "Shram-Daan" or cleaning up the surroundings. After it the most unique feature of the convention: the 3 hour long intensive workshops every day by renowned Gurus of classical music and dance, folk theatre, painting, handicrafts and much more. Based on what we learnt during this period we got a chance to perform in front of everyone on the last day. 

On various days, the afternoon sessions and lecture demonstrations had Qawwali by Warsi brothers, Sattriya dance performance by Guru Ghanakant Bora and his talented disciple Anvesha Mahanta, Odissi by Sujata Mahapatra, Bharatanatyam by Praveen Kumar, Kathak by Prerana Shrimali, Mayurbhanj Chhau by Ileana Citaristi, classical Hindustani music by Pt Vinayak Torvi, screening of Malayalam film Kathapurushan followed by interaction with 16 times National Award winning film director Adoor Gopalakrishnan, an illustrated lecture with Puppet show by Dadi Padamji and an inspiring talk by the renowned painter Akbar Padamsi.

Another unique feature of this convention was the overnight music concert which started on the night of June 5, 2015 from 8 pm and go till 6 am in the morning of June 6, 2015. Renowned artistes like Balamurali Krishna, Aswani Bhide Deshpande, Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Wasifuddin Dagar performed during the overnight concert. On the last day, the participants were taken on tours to different heritage sites in the city like the Kanheri Caves, the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and many more.

All in all, the week-long convention facilitated hundreds of participants not only the awareness of our classical art and culture but also its ethos, the deeper and subtler meaning and values, inspiring them to become better human beings. Click her for pictures

Award Leaders training workshop

The NAA organised a two-day Award Leader training workshop at the Award Training Centre, New Delhi, attended by 15 participants from Amity International School, Sector 43, Gurgaon;  Amity International School, Sector 46, Gurgaon;  Astitva Foundation, Pune; Amity International School, Saket, New Delhi; Samsara World School, Greater Noida and The Naz Foundation (I) Trust, New Delhi. Bivujit Mukhoty (Programme Manager) inaugurated the workshop with a brief history and introduction to the Award.  The sessions covered the four pillars of the Award i.e. Physical Recreation, Skills, Service & Adventurous Journey, and other topics like Residential Project, Award Branding and Safety issues.  Priyank Kumar Gupta (Head IT & ORB) and Pallavi Gill (Member, National Training Panel) lead the workshop along with Programme Manager, which was conducted on 6th and 7th November, 2015.  Click here for pictures

We are the people we’ve been waiting for

John May address to delegates of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Forum 2015 in Toronto, Canada

Your Royal Highness, Honourable ministers, Chairman, My Lord, Ladies and Gentlemen

Good morning.

We are the people we’ve been waiting for.

I was in the office of a ‘master of the universe’ the other day. Or at least that’s what we used to call people in the financial services industry. He’s responsible for the business of one of the world’s largest banks and we were talking about hiring the right people from university. “The problem is”, he said, these kids have brilliant qualifications, but they have absolutely no interpersonal skills. They can’t work in teams; they don’t relate well to customers; they can’t plan effectively. And these are the brightest of the brightest – fighting to get on our graduate trainee programme. If I have to read another application letter that tells me that a young person has wanted to be a merchant banker since she was eight years old – I will scream. I will genuinely scream.”

And then we talked, as he knew we would, about The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award. How it helps young people broaden their horizons.  And I won’t say there was a sudden epiphany. My friend, the master of the universe, didn’t suddenly spring from his chair and punch the air, screaming eureka at the top of his voice. But he did say that he would look much more closely at a candidate’s resume for mention of The Award on it. Because a mention would tell him a great deal. 

 As Michael Smith of the law firm Baker McKenzie, a great supporter of the Award here, in Canada and the USA, says, ” We employ people from many different countries and we are proud of the diversity of our workforce. Being an Award holder shows that a young person has developed exactly the range of skills, behaviours and attitudes that we’re looking for in our new starters.

We are the people we’ve been waiting for.

I have no doubt that you have similar conversations every week. There’s a growing awareness in governments around the world that learning doesn’t just happen in the classroom. That a concentration over the last 30 years of educational reform on academic qualifications, to the exclusion of the wider non-formal educational curriculum, has led to young people leaving school poorly equipped for life and work. 

To be equipped properly for life, young people need to develop the qualities of perseverance, grit, curiosity, optimism and self-control. Economists might describe these qualities as non-cognitive. Psychologists might call them ‘personality traits’. To the rest of us, they’re just known as ‘character’ and the development of character is the business of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award. 

Some of you were in Malta – so you know that I’m quite challenged when it comes to dealing with modern audio visual technology. The other day I was doing some clearing up at home and found one of these.. young people have never seen these. But for a moment, let’s just imagine the technology of the cassette recorder is still cutting edge. Let’s rewind, pause and fast forward.

If we rewind a moment, we’ve spent the last three years an Award family trying to get to grips with what in Malta I described as ‘Transforming the Award’. We’ve discussed much of that this morning and this afternoon there will be an opportunities to review some of the tools and services we’ve put in place. Thank you to all of you from NAOs who filled in the survey about your relationship with the Foundation. It’s told us a great many things – and we’ve posted the raw results on the Online Learning Hub for you to peruse. 

What’s come across to me, from the survey and from conversations with many of you, is that you generally like the direction in which we’ve been moving. 83% of respondents to the survey said yes to the question, “do you think that the Award is heading in the right direction?”

But as one of you commented:

“There are aspects of the change which are positive. E.g. the need for global standards, governance and licensing across all NAOs but, some of that change process has not been managed or supported as well as it might have been. There is still a need for the Foundation to “listen” more, involve all NAOs in the change and, not rush into specific timescales for some of the strategic changes.”

I liken the last three years to coffee making.

Cafetière and percolators.

We know we’ve been pressing down hard on the plunger of change. It’s now time to pause. And talk. And percolate. 

I hope this Forum will give us exactly that opportunity. When I wrote to you earlier this year, I said

“I’d like this Forum to be one that’s remembered for its straight talking; its creation of a space where a whole range of views can be heard and, more importantly, listened to; where leadership is shown by all stakeholders; where the instruments of decision making are clarified; and where our discussions lead to further action after Forum that will galvanise us all, enhancing the ability of the Award internationally and increasing the international capacity of the Award to grow.”

So now to Fast Forward. We’re all going to get an opportunity tomorrow to do some dreaming, but to do so within a framework that really helps us to plan for the future. And we’re delighted that Group Partners, a consultancy team that are no strangers to the Award, are going to help us all with our thinking. 

But perhaps I could put some of this in context. Let me talk of the young people with whom we work.

We’ve had the ‘silent generation’, ‘baby boomers’, ‘Generation X’ and the Millennials. Each generation has its own characteristics, behaviours and attitudes, developed through the experiences of its formative years.   And now there’s a new generation, – the Twenty-First Century’s first generation, born after 1996. These are the children and young people we’re working now to educate. And, like each succeeding generation, they’re not the same as “us”.

Their childhood has taken place during a period of economic depression not felt since before the 2nd World War. Their Generation X parents have been absorbing the impact beyond the obvious financial strain; promotion opportunities have been obstructed by Baby Boomers postponing retirement and the rising tide of Millennials are already clamouring for a place at the decision making table. At the moment, this new generation are relatively compliant, but they are growing towards and through adolescence in an atmosphere of mistrust of “the system” – Will they, like the Silent Generation who lived through the Depression, react in a way that spawns the equivalent of the anxt of James Dean? The passion of Martin Luther King? The attitude transforming writing of Germaine Greer?

They are being parented in a very different way from the Millennials. Millennials were generally parented by Baby Boomers. They were taught that there would be prizes for everyone; that it was the welfare of a whole class of children that was important, not necessarily the individual; they were told that they could be anything, do anything – aspiration was all; 

Today’s young people are being parented by Generation Xers. They are being taught that only the best win; that their personal welfare is more important than their classmates; that they should do their best but be realistic in their aspirations. This is having an effect on the developing mind-set of this new Generation. 

They are growing up in a society that is more diverse than ever. They are more likely than anyone born before them to have friends that come from different social backgrounds, races and faiths. Gender roles are blurring. Diversity is mainstream. But there are massive challenges to face. This is the post 9-11 generation. Islamaphobia is continuing to grow. Extremism finds fertile ground to develop and grow in communities that struggle financially and where there is a high level of unemployment.

Research suggests that girls aged 8 to 15 have greater expectations today than ever before in obtaining a university degree, helping others live a better life and changing the world. They care more about their results at school and getting feedback from parents and teachers to help them do things better. Girls place a higher value than boys on being respectful, ethical and trustworthy, whereas boys favour being loyal and fun to be with. The women’s liberation movement of the 1970s and 1980s has created a generation where girl power dominates. As this generation grows up, could it be the first truly to see equality in opportunity and success? Or will boys’ achievement levels in many countries continue to fall behind those of girls, leading to a new dynamic and a generation of dissatisfied and angry young men?

This is the most connected generation ever. Will the easy access, even by the youngest of this new generation, to devices that enable fast and continuous communication change the way they learn to communicate? As the Communication Lifestyle spreads and is adopted, will schools and businesses have to change? I think they might. Will this new generation, as adults, see themselves not as global citizens, but simply as connected ones – taking the global bit for granted? I think they might. And if that’s the case, then perhaps we need to look closely at how the Award, through its digital tools, can help connect young people – and leaders. We’ve taken the first steps in this area with the ORB and particularly the online learning hub, but what might follow?

When HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, Kurt Hahn and John Hunt launched the Award nearly sixty years ago, it was to a different generation of young people. Hahn said that “There can be no doubt that the young of today have to be protected against certain poisonous effects inherent in present-day civilization. Five social diseases surround them, even in early childhood. There is the decline in fitness due to modern methods of locomotion; the decline in initiative due to the widespread disease of spectatoritis; the decline in care and skill due to the weakened tradition of craftsmanship; the decline in self-discipline due to the ever-present availability of tranquilizers and stimulants, and the decline in compassion, which William Temple called “spiritual death.”

Perhaps the world has not changed so very much after all. What goes around, comes around.

What we can be certain of is that the Award has an important part to play in dealing with those “poisonous effects”. We know that it does so in a way that allows young people to take control of their own destinies, guided and supported by great adults. 

But we only reach a million young people. And that’s not enough. I know that some people see a tension between growth of the Award and its quality. I don;t buy that. Growth and quality do not exist at two ends of a continuum. HRH spoke of this earlier. We can, and MUST, plan for universal access to good non-formal education and to the Award. I’m not sure how we achieve this – and tomorrow’s conversations can help to debate this matter – but I hold hard to a (perhaps naive) but very simple view. If the Award really is the wonderful thing that so many of us believe it to be, then it is nothing short of our duty (an old fashioned term perhaps, but one that I believe in); our duty to bring the Award within the reach of as many young people as we possibly can. And to do that with rigour, with skill and with urgency. I don’t know how far in the tape we have fast forward to find universal access. But it’s there on the tape. Somewhere.

So just before I finish – and remove the cassette tape from the deck – let me just share with you something that might help others get a feel for the power of the Award – and might help them think about volunteering to help young people. We know that when offered the Award there are few young people who reject it. One of our problem lies in persuading adults – whether policy makers, influencers, community leaders, teacher, youth workers, parents – that the Award is worth resourcing with their time, their talent and a financial commitment.

Results of our recent survey suggest many of you not getting as much help as you would like to grow the Award.

Many also asking for support with communications materials to grow awareness of the Award.

Impossible to grow the Award without growing the number of trained Award volunteers, especially Award Leaders.

Delighted therefore to premiere today a new film which may help you to recruit more teachers as Award Leaders.

I hope you’ll agree that this film breaks new ground for the Award.

We’ll be making this film available to all NAOs in early December.

You’ll be able to edit the voiceover to translate it into a local language, and the URL, so that you can direct people to your own website.

We will also be producing a shorter version which will be suitable for social media and broadcasting.

Special thanks to Victoria Selano from The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award – Canada who has done an amazing job in helping us to produce this film, to Edwin, our Africa regional director, whose voice you will hopefully have recognised, and to the many Award participants and volunteers who took part. This film is very much a product of the Award.

Not all learning goes on in the classroom. Our Award participants and their leaders demonstrate this every day of the year in more than 140 countries and territories. They are the people the world has been waiting for. Our challenge is to swell their ranks. 

And, quite frankly, quite simply, quite outrageously, with them, to change the world.

Source: http://johnccmay.net/we-are-the-people-weve-been-waiting-for/

Adventurous Journey for Gold and Silver Level

Gold and Silver participants of The Cathedral & John Connon School, Mumbai completed their Adventurous Journey  at Bhimashankar and Khopoli.  A report from the Award Leader follows.

The IAYP Gold and Silver Level Adventurous Journey camp was held from 8th to 11th October, 2015 at Khopoli and Bhimashankar. Forty-nine Gold and Silver level participants, accompanied by the Award Leader, left for Khopoli. On reaching Khopoli, the participants were given sessions on rope knots, how to handle various equipment and pitch tents. These sessions were lively, informative and helped refresh everyone's memory of these vitally important skills for safety and survival.

Early morning on the 9th of October, all the participants embarked on a trek to Bhimashankar. They were all transported to Khandas village by bus and then began the ascent from there. The trek was challenging and exciting; there were several spots that seemed impossible to climb but with the correct attitude and skill, all the participants were able to manoeuvre their way through the forest. Everyone was determined to complete the trek and reach the peak of the hill. After seven hours with a lot of encouragement from the team leaders, the group finally made it to the top. The trek was exhausting but it helped improve the participants' fitness and build their communication and coordination skills.

In the evening, the participants were divided into groups and took part in different team building games. In the first game, the participants had to form a circle and pass a hoola-hoop around the circle without breaking it. The games became more difficult as they progressed; in the last game, all the team members were blindfolded and the group leaders had to help them form a square. These games enabled the participants to think on their feet and prepared them for life-threatening situations.

On the morning of the 10th of October, the participants did some light exercise and then took a bus to the Bhimashankar temple. It was a beautiful historic monument that offered an insight into Hindu religion and culture. In the evening the participants undertook a few adventure activities. Both net climbing and jhummaring were good exercise; these activities also allowed the knowledge on equipment and rope knots to be put to good use.

The morning of the 11th was spent in some light exercise followed by lectures and a feedback session, after which everyone departed for Mumbai. All in all, the camp was challenging and tiring but it was a memorable and enjoyable experience. Click here for pictures

Gold qualifying trek to Tumbling

Swagata Sen, Gold Award holder from Sri Sarada Math, Rasik Bhita is sharing her Adventurous Journey experience with us.

My friend Kankana Hambir and I from Sri Sarada Math, Rasik Bhita were selected for this Gold trek from 22nd - 27th June 2015. We were really excited about this camp, mainly because of the venue. We also knew that it was going to be tough so we prepared for the hurdles we were going to face. We started our journey with rest of the team including four instructors and eight girls from the All Bengal Women's Association. Our train (Darjeeling Mail) departed at 10.05 p.m. from Sealdah Station.

The next day around 8:30 a.m. we reached New Jalpaiguri Station. After reaching Manebhanjang we had lunch and were told to take rest to acclimatize to the high altitude. From the next day, 24th of June, we started our trek to Tumbling, about 11 km from Manebhanjang. We were amazed with the scenic beauty that we observed on the way. So mesmerized were we by the beauty of nature that we almost forgot our the difficult physical conditions we were facing.

At first we thought that we would not be able to make it. The steep roads become our greatest challenge to overcome. It was exhausting but we made a slow progress -- quite a tremendous effort. We could hardly imagine that we could make it. Mother Nature also made us happy with her bright skies, drizzling mists, green vegetation and vivid coloured flowers. We also met some lovely people on the way to Tumbling and observed their hard lifestyle and deep love for nature. On the 26th of June we started to come down from Tumbling to Manebhanjang and on the 27th we reached our home safely.

The Adventurous Journey was wonderful; we learnt a lot of things, spent good time with friends, made new friends and came to learn about their struggles in life. There we also observed nature so closely and faced our challenges with a courage that we never imagined we possessed! I think it took us one (big) step closer towards becoming a complete person. The Journey was truly the one that we will cherish in our mind forever.

My visit to an orphanage

Alice Saha, Bronze  participant from Miles Bronson Residential School, Guwahati shares her wonderful learning experience

Human behavior is determined by two faces - physical and social - that humans are trying to understand and maintain since time immemorial. Being benevolent is one of the distinguished characteristics of our existence. This world is vast and we are the members of a big family. Thus inclusive education teaches us to include one and all in the system where there is no discrimination. As privileged children we need to embrace the marginalized members of society, spread awareness and bring a smile to their faces. With this mission in mind, a group of students from class 11 visited the St. Claret's Convent orphanage in the month of September 2015.

It's a great learning experience. During our visit we could feel that the orphanage authority takes good care of the children there. They looked very happy and satisfied. The most remarkable point is that these children receive quality education besides their daily requirements. They are very presentable and friendly and we enjoyed our chat with them. We took lots of chocolates, pencils, erasers and note books for them. We also tried to liven the mood by singing and dancing with them.

Truly, it was mentally satisfying to see the smiles that our small act of kindness could bring to their faces. I met a girl, Afrina, 8 years old, who taught me the lesson that strong determination can direct one to face all the odds in life. At such a small age she has already fixed her goal. She wants to become a teacher. Her life situation has made her strong and resilient and she is making the best use of the resources provided by the orphanage.

We are very lucky that MBRS has provided us with such opportunities of community service. Our visit to the orphanage was a new experience for us. I thank God for blessing us with wonderful parents and pray these orphans too find a better world tomorrow.Click for pictures

Showcasing the IAYP Programme

St. Mary's School, Safdarjung Enclave, New Delhi showcased the IAYP programme for the parents/guardians and the students of the school.  Jyoti Fotedar, Award Leader reports on the event.

IAYP showcasing happens twice a year. It is a time of great enthusiasm. Our IAYP is divided into many clubs and all the clubs gear up to showcase in front of an audience which comprises of parents and fellow batch mates.

Showcasing also brings out the best in us. For many aspirants it is a platform to tap the hidden skills and make themselves proud and gain self confidence. For many it is to enhance their leadership quality and their organizing skills.

Each level of Bronze, Silver and Gold have different levels of skill building program that takes place in these clubs. Parents are awestruck as they have never seen their children ever perform in these areas. Some of the views from the Award Aspirants are

"Being a part of organizing team, the experience I got was one like no other. It taught me time management, co-ordination, humility and gratitude in welcoming the guests.

"Showcasing has always brought out the best in me. First time I did showcasing I was part of the Physical Recreation and I learnt rock climbing. Next I was in western music and I learnt to play base guitar. It was a wonderful experience.

"The IAYP has always been a platform to learn, enhance and show the hidden skills that we generally have no courage to tap.

Click to view more pictures

Mid-term review of Gender Diversity Development Project

A report by Adrija Chatterjee

Kapil Bhalla (National Director) and Bivujit Mukhoty (Programme Manager) along with filmmaker Kartikeya visited the Gender Diversity Empowerment Project in Singur, Hoogly, West Bengal, on 21st and 22nd of September, 2015. The team visited Sri Sarada Math Rasik Bhita on the 21st and met with 76 Awardees at different Award levels. Reviewing the progress of the project, the team interacted with and interviewed the Award Leaders and Gold Awardees. The Awardees who received their Gold Award in 2015 and those who had received it the previous year, came and shared their experiences and challenges while doing the Award. The team also interacted with Adrija Chatterjee (Award Leader and in-charge of the Gender Diversity Women Empowerment project) who shared her experiences of the last 10 years with the Award. The interaction with the Leaders and Participants were on the different aspects of the Project.

Later the team met with 11 Gold Award holders (received their Award from Randhir Singh on July 16 at the Gold award Ceremony in New Delhi) from All Bengal Women Union. Gold Award holder Pallavi Mondal shared her happiness that involvement with the Award and her achievements was a big positive in getting admission to the NDA for her Air Force course.

On 22nd September the team visited Baladbandh village in the Hooghly District. There were 40 Awardees from Baladbandh and Kumrogori village near Singur. The Awardees performed yoga with music, displaying their Skills, which is also a means for earning money. The National Director handed over the first remuneration to them. The Project incharge informed the team about two remote villages under Panisheola Post Office of Baladbandh, where children do their studies with great difficulties and their parents are illiterate. The Awardees of Baladbandh have taken the initiative to help those children and their parents to pursue their studies. They are doing this as part of the Service section for the Award. The team along with the Award Leader and centre incharge of Sri Sarada Math Rasik Bhita Pr. Nityamuktaprana, visited these two villages and met with the children and their families. One boy recited a poem and his parents said they felt blessed when these girls came and taught them. They were very happy to learn how to sign their name, which is important for opening a bank account. A Silver Awardee, Munmun Patra, asked her parents to hold her marriage till she completed the Gold and her family agreed. With such examples we are sure that through the Award we can change our community. Click to see the pictures

The Award helped me realize my self-worth and importance

Trupti Panigrahi, Gold Award Holder from the Open Award Centre shares here life changing experience during her Award Journey.
"Trust yourself. Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement." - Golda Meir

Being honoured with the Gold Award by the IAYP (International Award for Young People), worldwide known as the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award, was a dream that came true for me. I started my journey five years ago with the aim of serving society and working towards self-growth. This journey has given me much more than what I could ever imagine. It has instilled in me the thirst to learn more, explore more about life and evolve as a good human being. It has taught me to never give up and never look back.

It was through this journey I realized that in spite of being a small creation of the Almighty, I can bring about a remarkable difference in his world. It has made me realize my self-worth and importance. It has made me understand my responsibilities towards my own self and towards society at large. This Award has given me an opportunity to challenge my own beliefs and come out of my self-created boundaries.

I am extremely thankful to the Award India for providing such a platform where young people get engaged in developmental work. This not only benefits them but also the people surrounding them and creates a brand value for their respective countries.

I am sure I will see more and more people joining this endeavour and having such amazing experiences.

The Journey of a Lifetime

Trivarg Arandhara, Bronze participant from Maria's Public School, Guwahati shares his experience of the Bronze level Adventurous Journey
As a teenager with an adventurous bent of mind, I am always in search of adventure of any kind, anywhere possible. Then came the amazing year of 2014, when I started my Award journey. It was both adventurous and exciting. But one thing which made me enjoy this year the most was the Adventurous Journey to Mandarmoni, West Bengal, with my fellow IAYP Bronze and Silver aspirants from Maria's Public School, Guwahati and our teacher mentors of IAYP.
Well, today I can say that I am fond of beach trekking, rock climbing, ziplining, commando bridge crossing, rope knotting, etc. And to be honest, I discovered this crazy love for wild adventures after coming back from my journey. Yes, as you may have already guessed, we had the opportunity to do these amazing activities in our Adventurous Journey to Mandarmoni itself!
This journey made us self-aware, responsible, and we also learned how to tackle difficult situations during a natural calamity or any kind of accident. This entire journey is imprinted in my being and has given me the impetus to face any challenge in life. We all know that human life is uncertain in many aspects. Like for example, living in an earthquake and flood prone area and having a lot of people around living below poverty line, any calamity might strike any time. Now after taking part in the Mondermoni journey, I can say that I have gathered the courage to face all these disasters with a brave heart. Given a chance, together with saving my own life I would be able to offer my helping hand towards saving others' lives too.
Hats off to the International Award for Young People (IAYP) who have initiated the Award programme and promoted self-development in school and college students to prepare them for any situation.
This was all possible because of our accompanying teachers who took care of us and guided us throughout our journey. I specially thank our Managing Trustee Mrs Nellie Ahmed Tanweer because of whom we were blessed with this opportunity to learn so much.  Click for pictures

The Award made me a better person

Yuvraj Geet Singh Chopra, Gold Award holder from Delhi Public School, Gurgaon received his Gold Award on 16th July 2015 at the Annual Gold Award Presentation Ceremony.  Yuvraj shares his experience during the Award Journey.
The Gold Award ceremony organized by IAYP, India was held on 16th July 2015 and I was one of the Gold Award recipients.  The entire journey for the completion of the Award was an amazing experience for me. I learnt a lot from it and hope to incorporate the values learnt from it in daily life as well.
There were five parts to the Award, each of which was to be performed and recorded in order to achieve the Award. Those categories included Skill, Physical Recreation, Adventure, Community Service and a Residential Project.
My Skill was vocal music. I practiced every day, performed in a lot of events and competitions for my school and otherwise, and my vocal skill has developed a lot since Day 1. I am now a very good singer and will be pursuing music after school as a hobby too. Under Recreation, I used to go to the gym periodically, due to which I have become a healthier and fitter person. My 'Adventure' included taking a wonderful trip to some islands, where I practiced Para-Sailing, Snorkelling, and other activities. The sheer thought of doing the rides was exhilarating! I also taught the students of the DPS Shiksha Kendra as part of Community Service and I cannot describe how happy I felt teaching the challenged young minds of our society. In fact, I liked it so much that even after the completion of the Award, I still continue to teach at the Shiksha Kendra.
I, along with my friends also visited a village called Ghamroj in Sohna as part of the Residential Project. We visited the homes and farms of the villagers living there, analyzed the current facilities of the village and then had a conversation with the village Sarpanch regarding improving the facilities of the village so that the people could achieve better lives and livelihood.
In conclusion, I have had a wonderful experience and I will cherish the moments I had throughout my life.

Award Leaders training workshop at Bangalore and Lovedale

The NAA organised two Award Leader training workshops at Sarala Birla Academy, Bangalore and The Lawrence School, Lovedale, Ooty. The first workshop was conducted at Sarala Birla Academy, Bangalore on 21st & 22nd July 2015.  Eighteen participants attended from five YES Centres - Sarala Birla Academy, Bangalore; Jain Heritage School, Bangalore; Karumbiah's Academy for Learning, Gonikoppal; Sanjay Ghodawat International School, Kolhapur and Edu Asia New Delhi Public School, Bangalore.  Kapil Bhalla (National Director), Bivujit Mukhoty (Programme Manager) and K S Biradar (Member, National Training Panel) lead the workshop.

The Second workshop was conducted at The Lawrence School, Lovedale, Ooty on 24th & 25th July 2015. Twelve participants from The Lawrence School, Lovedale; Good Shepherd International School, Ooty and Riverside Public School, Kotagiri participated in the workshop. Kapil Bhalla (National Director), Bivujit Mukhoty (Programme Manager) and Jacob P A Matthews (Member, National Training Panel) headed the workshop.  The training modules included the details about the four pillars of the Award i.e. Skills, Service, Physical Recreation and Adventurous Journey.  Apart from these there were sessions about the Residential Project, Risk Management, Volunteering and Brand guidelines.  Click here for pictures from Bangalore and Lovedale

My Award Journey

Debalina Mukherjee, Gold Award 2015 shares her Award Journey experience with us on achieving the Gold Award.

Time and tide wait for none.  I can't fathom how quickly the last four years have passed.  It seems as if July 2011 was just yesterday... when I started my journey with the International Award for Young People. And now today, 16th July 2015, we, the recipients of the Gold Award are assembled at the India International Centre, New Delhi to receive our Gold Badge and Certificate.  Today is the day that we have been awaiting. It is impossible to describe how much we have gained in these four years from this organisation, from friendship that spans across our country and into other nations, to uninhibited creativity; from the light of knowledge that was kindled not just in us but others we came in contact with; and from a deep understanding of nature, to a spirit of adventure. I am very sad that our beautiful journey now comes to the finishing point, but I realize today from the inspiring words I heard at the ceremony, that there is no end when doing something for others. In one word, what I learnt from this journey, the soul of our great culture is 'Udar charitaya'- I am connected to the whole universe.

I am very proud of being a participant of the IAYP, very grateful to our respected Mataji and elders of Sarada Math, Rasik Vita for their guidance to me and also my parents for their support.  I pay my respect to all concerned.  I wish we shall meet again one day, maybe on a cliff or a steep mountain, or maybe around a bonfire under the twinkling night sky.  Till then, good bye...

A journey towards self- transformation

Gold Award aspirants from St. Mary's School, Safdarjung Enclave, New Delhi took part into Residential Project in March 2015.  They called it A Journey towards self-transformation.  Read their experience about this project.

A path towards change may have obstacles and difficult situations but the path leads to the creation of life changing experiences. Eight Award aspirants and four mentors went for a Residential Project on 24th March, 2015. The aim was to familiarize our selves with the lives of the children, women and men of Azadpura, near Orcha, Bundelkhand and to raise awareness about education and health.  The area is largely neglected by the government in the areas of education and health.

Some words spoken by our mentors helped the bonding and communication with the twenty students of the Azadpura School and the community. Children with eager glittering eyes were hopeful that a beautiful future was round the corner.  Classrooms filled with small children with big dreams colored our thoughts of them. The first thing that came to our minds was connectivity and so we started with circle time and some music, which made the environment comfortable for all of us. The only obstacle we felt at that moment was the reticence on their part to participate freely. Through this particular obstacle or block in our first step we understood that there was something lacking on our side. We realized that we hadn't devoted enough time to get to know each other. That particular time to think and grasp other's problem and issues was missing. The space which defined the time to think was missing.  

The lack of understanding and bonding with the community propelled us to conduct a transit walk to discuss various issues with the community. The discussion raised issues of their present condition and the problems that they were facing as well as their limitations. 

On the second day we conducted a drawing session with the children to allow for some creativity. The children made some awesome drawings reflecting their individual feelings, likes and dislikes. Creativity was further enhanced when we played some music. Eventually every inch of the class was filled with happiness and creativity and the children were active stakeholders in creating this little change. Our aim to create bonds with the community was not limited to the students/children. We indulged in a cooking session with the women of the community. The group was divided into two and along with the community women we cooked a healthy and a love-filled meal.  To make every one more comfortable, we played some folk and Bolloywood tunes. Such is the power of music that the women soon started singing and dancing alongwith us. Over lunch the conversations covered a wide array of topics such as lifestyle and family structure to gossip and Bollywood. 

To impress the importance of formal education and to invite the community for the sports day that we had planned, the medium of street play (nukkad natak) was used. The theme of our play "shiksha humara huk hai" made it easier to redefine the word education. They received the message that we wanted them to join in the fun and expressed their willingness to participate. This was our third step in creating awareness for a more involved and participative future through school and education not only for children but also for older men and women. In the evening we introspected on the day's activities and how to work better in the coming days.

The sports day was a huge success. The day started with a Volleyball match that brought us closer and strengthened our bonds with the community. This was followed by a 50m race, 100m race, banana race and the obstacle race. There was a surge of excitement and enthusiasm from the participants and the audience. We also organized the special berry (ber) race for women. We replaced the lemon with the berries as we wanted to use the available resources which would bring them closer to us.  The main thing which could be spotted was that all resources used on the sports day and other activities were the resources of the community which was another way of empowering them. Handling the sports day was a huge activity, but we felt extremely rejuvenated and happy on seeing the brimming smiles on the faces of those who won and those who participated. While the winners were acknowledged with medals and certificates others were given a participation certificate for their exemplary efforts. 

The sports day was followed by the construction of a sand pit. From tilling the ground in hard sunlight, to finally leveling the land and painting the boundary, we were able to relate closely to the working conditions of men and women who work in the field. 

The task required hard work and vigor to strive and complete it. On completion of the sand pit we were filled with joy & the cherished sense of finally being able to give back profitably to the society. It also gave us a sense of satisfaction as we had succeeded in not only creating bonds with the community but initiating this faith in them, that they could be active catalysts in society. 

Developing bonds, conducting dialogues, understanding problems and providing incentives were our reflections from the residential trip. Even though the journey to achieve the trust of the community was a difficult process, we learnt how perseverance eventually brings victory.

When we are sensitive and considerate about the needs and emotions of people, we are able to accept them as our own and create a difference. The IAYP Residential Program taught us that success consists of creating bonds in the most adverse situations & moving from failure to success without loss of enthusiasm.  Click for pictures