From Classroom to Community: Building Bridges to Brighter Futures!

As part of their LEI classes (Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Indian Studies), grade 11 Avasara students covered numerous modules on Income Inequality, Gender Inequality and Diversity & Inclusion. It was the case studies explored in these classrooms that uncovered not only the impact of discrimination on the society but also a spark within these young minds to do something about it. 

After spending almost an year learning in depth about these issues the students participated in YLAC’s (Young Leaders for Active Citizenship) national level incubator competition. A group of eight Avasara students ranked third and procured seed funding of Rs. 50000 for their dream project.

This gave birth to Project Vruddhi, an initiative aimed towards shifting mindsets about the importance of primary education and contributing to the holistic development of young children.

A session at Astitva unfurling with a round of highlights from the week! While at first there was quite some discomfort towards participation, over time students have grown to be both comfortable and eager to talk.

Over the months, Project Vruddhi has collaborated with two community centres- Astitva Learning centre and Bal Bhavan. The focus is to provide academic support, skill development sessions and unwinding activities to children in primary grades.

Embracing the power of friendship and honesty through a captivating read aloud at Bal Bhavan.

Most sessions are a thoughtful compilation of games, poems, activities and read alouds. Given their age, this is the best medium to impart learning that is engaging and stays with them.

Closing a long day at Bal Bhavan with some quiet time and colouring. Here's some of the work from the mini Picassos! These vibrant pieces were certainly a success after a session focused towards colour recognition in the previous week.

The rule is also to keep some time aside for unwinding. This part of the session brings out fun activities such as origami, colouring, drawing and dance!

When this little one couldn't participate in any of the board activities due to an injury on his foot, a facilitator sat with him to explore shapes instead. No wonder he aced the review activity in the next session proudly.

It is definitely also not a surprise when students double the capacity show up, or times when only a few students are able to make it. The team has gotten flexible with the different numbers and the unforeseen challenges coming along the way.

When a shy student raised her hand and bravely came to draw on the board for the first time, in a game of pictionary.

Project Vruddhi may not be able to define its success quantitatively as yet. But beyond the numbers, they have undeniably done a wonderful job. If success was about building a safe learning space, encouraging participation, sharing smiles and the countless joyful high-fives at the gate - Project Vruddhi had achieved it all!

The smiles that fuel it all.

While it has been a combination of seamless collaboration, robust planning and lots of creative thinking, the secret to this change-making initiative’s consistent work are its values. The team firmly believes in and practices empathy, persistence & reflection.

“One of the most beautiful things I’ve seen in my journey is what confidence does to children. It makes them want to learn, teach, trust and share their thoughts. That’s exactly why we do what we do,” says Ashiya, a member of Project Vruddhi.

Written by Ankita Kumavat

Ankita wrote this article as a participant of the Media-Makers Fellowship's April'24 cohort.