9th National Award Leader Training Workshop in New Delhi

The National Award Authority (NAA) organized an Award Leader Training Workshop (YES Workshop) at Award Training Centre, New Delhi on 27-28 August, 2014. Eleven participants from six different institutions including our new Skills Partner Learning Unlimited participated in the workshop. Ice breaking session was the curtain raiser to the workshop; it was led by National Director Kapil Bhalla who also gave an introduction to the Award. The next session was led by Bivujit Mukhoty (Programme Manager) who shared details related to the Award philosophy and Award framework. Then Mr. Bhalla delivered a session on one of the four pillars of the programme i.e. Service, he started the session with an activity which helped participants feel the importance of this section. The post lunch session was devoted to Skills and Adventurous Journey sections, which were led by Bivujit Mukhoty. Kapil Bhalla also led a session on volunteering which is considered an integral part of the programme. The day ended with the screening of the IAYP India movie, "Why Not You?". 

The second day started with the last pillar of the Award i.e. Physical Recreation. The session began with some on-the-spot physical activities and then moved onto the requirements and importance of Physical Recreation. This was followed by the Residential Project which is part of the Gold Award programme. Some details regarding the technical aspect of the Award such as risk management were also discussed. The penultimate session was on the Web Resources and Online Record Book (ORB) which was led by Priyank Gupta, Head IT & ORB.  This session was about details regarding International Award for Young People website and the presence of the Indian Award at different social media platform. Priyank Gupta also talked about one of our new innovations related to the programme, the Online Record Book (ORB). He shared details on ORB process and the rollout plan for ORB.  The final session of the workshop was taken by our Programme Manager who discussed the importance of branding and risk management in the smooth running of the Award. The workshop concluded with an appreciation note from Kapil Bhalla followed by certificate presentation to our new Award leaders.

A visit to Government schools in Haryana

International Award for Young People team visited four schools in Haryana running as Special Projects in collaboration with JCB India. The four schools included Govt. Senior Secondary School, Jharsaintly, Govt. High School, Khandawali, Govt. High School, Deoli & Govt. High School, Bhagola. The motive behind these regular visits to the Special Project schools is to motive the Award participants as well as prospective participants. 

The visit included introducing the programme to the students of the schools and talking about the benefits of the programme. Bivujit Mukhoty, Programme Manager introduced Gold Award winner and International Gold Event 2014, Seoul participant Ankit Durga, who shared the benefits of the Award. Ankit also shared his experience of his Award journey and the life after Gold. 

The IAYP team also constituted of Priyank Gupta, Head IT & ORB for IAYP and also Vimal Kumar, Principal, Govt. High School, Khandawali when the team visited his school. Ms. Neelam Singh, IAYP Coordinator from Lady Bamford Charity Trust, JCB was instrumental in organizing the visit to all four schools. End of the day team managed to have a talk with more than 175 students from the four schools and introduce them to the IAYP Programme.     

Experience the 'Land of Tigers'

Have you ever heard silence, the chirping of the birds, felt each drop of water, listened to the sound of wind? All of the above is at least not possible in the busy city life.

Peace, nature, adventure and fun cannot be put into words they have to be experienced. Camp Hornbill at Jim Corbett National Park situated in the lap of nature, gives a new definition of life, which is beyond the entire muddle.  The four days adventure trip organised by our school, Uttam School For Girl, provided us with the best opportunity a student can get while being a member of the International Award for Young People. This programme has taught us that service and fun can go hand in hand, for which our adventure trip can be the best example. It was an exuberant affair backed with ultimate fun, adventure, and orderliness. The morning started with ‘Bird watching’ in the jungle. We could identify at least 27 different species of birds with the help of binoculars. Mountain biking was another fantastic experience. Rappelling and river crossing in a wild forest was a difficult task, but was made simple by the adept and experienced instructors. The day out brought with it a sense of independence, as preparing your own food in the forest gave extreme satisfaction. Interaction with the neighbouring people helped develop knowledge about their cultures. The sweet folk songs sung by the children forced us to shake our legs.

Body surfing in Ram Ganga canal was an unique experience. We learnt to support each other and work as a team. We ensured that every activity was not only successfully but was also completed by each and every one of us. We also worked with an NGO,”The Waste Warriors” in the village. They showed us how animal waste, dry leaves and waste food from the resorts could turn into organic manure. We are planning to start the same within our school premises. In the evening there were many team building and leadership games which kept us in high spirits

Campfires at night were enthralling sessions of laughter, discussions and jungle stories. Unconditional love and care given by the teachers and instructors made us feel homely. I thank IAYP from the bottom of my heart as they were the reason for this trip to actually happen. By and large this trip will be admired by each and every student, tears rolled down while leaving the place.

This is an experience shared by Brinda Gupta a Silver Award participant from Uttam School For Girls, Ghaziabad. 

Award Presentation Ceremony AT OP Jindal School, Rajgarh

We would like to congratulate 33 Bronze level participants who were awarded their certificates and badges organized by their school OP Jindal School, Rajgarh. According to the school the Award ceremony serves as a perfect platform to appreciate the participants’ hard work and their strong will & determination to come out of their comfort zone in order to achieve all-round development. Principal RK Trivedi congratulated the students and further motivated them to continue with their journey by participating in activities that encourage collaborative learning and helps in bringing change in the community.

The story of an extraordinary volunteer

Babar Ali lives in Murshidabad, West Bengal. He attends the Raj Govinda School, a 10km auto-rickshaw ride away.  He is the first person in his family to go to school.  He is 16 years old and he is a model student. But it’s not what he does at school that is so extraordinary.   It’s the volunteering he does when he has left the classroom.

When he gets home at 4 o’clock each day, Babar Ali rings a bell.  At first they came in a trickle, but now 800 children from poor families line up in the yard behind his house, for lessons from Babar Ali and 10 friends from his school.  After singing the National Anthem, the students settle down to their studies.  There is no charge and no trouble.

Babar Ali is called the youngest headteacher in the world.  He knows that without an education these children stand little chance.   He is an extraordinary volunteer.