A new beginning : Jwalamukhi comes to a fitting end!

The last 2 concluding weeks in the pilot Impact program saw a lot of excitement in our sessions.

We announced to the children that we will be having an election to elect the first batch of Jwalamukhi leaders. The children were both excited and amused with this announcement .  A lot of questions were rising in their minds.

Here’s what we did;

Ø  All the children were asked to nominate 2 names.

Ø  The  nominees   were given a topic to  talk  and they had to talk before the whole group;

Ø  The group then chose their final  2 candidates based on their speech and their performance in the sessions so far.

We had chosen 9 nominees and they all came well prepared to address the whole group in the auditorium.

The nominees were:

Abhilash, Keertan Govind,Ranjitha from MES Kishore Kendra , Pandian from Govt Model Kannada medium school , and Deeksha, Harini, Akshaya,Jahnavi from Kluny convent.

The topic given was-“As a Jwalamukhi leader what are the issues in your neighbourhood  would you work on –give a plan for execution”.

The rest of the children were attentively listening   to what these nominees had to say. At the end they were all asked to cast their votes, secretly to 2 candidates and rank them ‘1’ and ‘2’.

All the votes were kept in a sealed box and taken away.

We decided to build up their enthusiasm by keeping  the  surprise element  on till the graduation  day and announce the top 5 leaders before all the people present in the function-their parents , friends and other invitees.

The proud winners of Election 2010 are-

Abhilash  , Ranjitha, Deeksha, Jahnavi and Harini.

These children will take up key roles and responsibilities in the 1^st Jwalamukhi Club that will be formed and work with their teams- the other members of the club.

The Jwalamukhi team is proud of our little leaders. We have lot of hope and confidence in them as forbearers of social change!

The first Jwalamuki-leader Elections!

In a democratic state, election plays a very important role. It is every citizen’s right and at the same time our duty too to go and caste our vote to the candidate of our choice. How we make this decision is also very important. We cannot take the election process lightly. We have to make a very thought out, weighed and calculated decision. Yet how many of us actually put in the time and interest that this process demands? Do we care as much as we should?

This attitude of caring and participating in every democratic process of our country should be cultivated from a young age. With this intention, at Jwalamukhi we take it as our responsibility to teach the child how and why he  should learn to elect his leaders, what are the important criteria to look for in his/her leaders and make sure that he/she  castes his/her  very important vote  after weighing all the pros and cons.

The children were advised to vote for a person not just because of a personal liking or friendship but also because the person really has the qualities required to carry out the Jwalamukhi responsibilities well. They were reminded that they were electing their leader and hence it will affect their club activities if not done in a fair and thoughtful manner. This voting was also done in a secret ballot manner so the individual child’s privacy was respected. The end results- the leaders chosen were indeed the right choices made by our children.

Jwalamulkhi team also feels that these leaders had the potential, were sensitive to all the children in the group and had shown remarkable interest in working in the projects taken up in our program.

Thus, the first ever election of Jwalamukhi leaders-Election 2010 was a successful, democratic and satisfying process!

The SOCIAL MODULE in a nutshell

One of the major responsibilities of a citizen of this country is to be aware of certain social issues. It comes as a part of our daily life to respect certain beliefs and customs and to show no violent or negative response towards any culture or group. It is expected from us to promote equality among all kinds of groups and eliminate indifference in any aspect. Each and every individual must be aware of his/her rights and duties.

         

          The Social Module was an attempt to make the children aware of the issues mentioned above. Taking into consideration the fact that they are the future citizens of the country, it is very important for them to be responsible in the social context.

Some of the features of social module are as follows:

1.     Child Rights: Contribution from Paraspara Trust.

Paraspara Trust – An N.G.O. for the less fortune children, had a reason to be proud of themselves. It was a knowledge filled experience for the children to have the team of Paraspara trust to give them a detailed knowledge on Child Rights. The chairman of Paraspara Trust took great pleasure in giving away the facts about the Child Rights and explaining to them the importance of each right. The origins and features of the rights mentioned below were brought into the notice of the kids:

·        Right to Live

·        Right to Learn

·        Right against Exploitations

·        Right to form Groups and Clubs

2.     Campaign on Segregation of Waste

The children of Jwalamukhi had something great to look forward for. They were introduced to the topic of segregating waste when they had an informative and thought provoking session with Mr. Parameshwaraya, the superintending engineer of B.B.M.P.

          As a part of Social Module, the children had some serious sessions on segregating waste. They were introduced to Vani Murthi and Meenakshi Barath, two well-known personalities in the city. They gave various inputs and guidelines on segregating waste. The session, although a fun filled one, produced many important messages. The need for segregating waste for a healthy and clean environment was highlighted.

3.     The Children’s Day Special 

Having fun has no limits. The kids of Jwalamukhi showed how fun and enjoyment can be productive and useful to the society. November 14^th! On a day which is dedicated to all the young minds of the country, the young force of Jwalamukhi made it a memorable one! On a bright Sunday morning, they were all present to work for a cause. The excitement was clearly seen in their eyes and they couldn’t wait to start. Finally, they began their ‘door to door’ campaign on segregating waste in and around the areas of Malleshwaram ( 15^th, cross, 18^th cross). The project was in coordination with Dr. Meenakshi and Mrs Vani  Murthy of Bangalore solid waste management round table who guided the children by talking to them , explaining the need , urgency, and method of segregating solid waste at homes and guided them through the campaign as well. The little ones had great joy in explaining the importance of segregating waste and how it might help to develop a healthier environment. People in Malleshwaram witnessed a rare sight as the kids worked towards their goal by going door to door to spread the knowledge. At the end of the campaign, they were proud of their efforts and thus gave a wonderful meaning to a special day! It was indeed a memorable Children’s Day!

4.     Dr. Meena Jain and The Children of Jwalamukhi

Dr. Meena Jain, the acclaimed Psychologist, played a pivotal role in making the Social Module an effective one. Meena Jain handled certain popular issues based on adjustment to different cultures and promoting equality among all.

          Some insight on her contribution.

·        An activity was conducted to highlight the importance of adjusting to different cultures. The children were seated in groups and were told that they had come to the hotel and were asked to order their choice of foods. The mentors played the role of waiters. Later on, the foods were purposefully served wrongly and the kids didn’t get what they wanted. Here, the reactions from the little ones were taken as examples to make a point. Thus, a message of learning to adjust to different types of cultures and not showing negative behaviour towards it was drawn.

·        Another interesting activity spoke volumes of her contribution. All the kids were asked to sit in a circle. Then, they were asked to introduce themselves along with the name of the language they spoke at home. They were asked to introduce in English. Later on. They were asked to do the same in Kannada. Thus, the importance respecting ones language and understanding the diversity of our country was brought out.

·         Next up was a skit! The skit was performed by the mentors ( Vijay, Vivek, and Prajwal). The skit showed how poor people are disrespected and how money is flaunted for no reason by the upper class people. Thus, a sense of equality and the need to respect was understood from the skit.

·        Dr, Meena Jain also had an interactive session with the kids. She gave out many useful messages regarding social issues. She called for equality among all and described the importance of respecting all religions and faiths and having a peaceful community.

The Social Module was successful in creating an impact in every Child’s mind. 

Putting communication skills to use

The module on communicative skills took a new turn when the kids had an effectual learning session, acquiring quality knowledge on various aspects of communication.

          The session, on a breezy Saturday, began with the kids giving out their project presentations. The first presentation of the day was given by Abhilash from the group- Friends of Fire. Abhilash, with his peer group had successfully completed a project on water conservation. One of the members from his peer group, Raghav, was present in the session to help him with the presentation. The presentation was well planned with both the speakers sharing equal amount of content.

          It was interesting to see the little ones divide their project presentations into various categories and then give a detailed explanation of each. On a large basis, the presentations were divided into three categories:

1.     Introduction

2.     Body

3.     Conclusion

One of the major plus point observed during the presentations was the uniqueness in each of the child’s effort. Some had taken lot of care in bringing out a logo or a symbol for their projects. Many young minds had put in lot of effort to make their projects presentable by putting neat and attractive pictures which suited their projects.

Here, another interesting activity which will earn a mention was the fact that the videos of all the presentations where then played on the projector. This was done with a cause.

The People Pro team had a different task at their hands. Familiar for their innovative ways of involving kids in various games and activities which brings out a message at the end, they were here to raise the communicative skills in kids. Godfrey from People Pro, a confident and fluent speaker, took the opportunity to give some inputs on the language and how it can be used for a better cause and for better results. Taking the help of the videos, Godfrey explained the importance of certain corrections in presentations and gave a clear picture on how an ideal presentation should be like. Some of the points were:

·        Always give a complete introduction of yourself before you begin with your presentation.

·        Do not read what you have written. Present it to the listeners with the knowledge of what you have written. This develops eye contact with the listeners, which is very important.

·        Body language plays a vital role. Do not keep your hands stiff. Use them to explain certain things which are complex and needs extra description.

·        Make sure that your presentation is audible to everyone. Be loud and clear. A low voice will not send a clear message, thus hampering your cause.

·        Practice hard before giving a presentation. Lack of practice will lead to nervousness and thus will not bring the best out of you.

·        Do not rush after your presentation is over. Thank all the listeners and provide them with an opportunity to clear their doubts by answering their questions.

Words are a part of our daily life. A quality session on the use of words and lessons on how to make your points clear in the best manner possible, the children of Jwalamukhi couldn’t have asked for more!

WEEK 13 - “So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth.”

What a joy it is when fun and frolic comes right at the beginning of the session! The kids at Jwalamukhi were delighted at the manner in which the 13^th week’s session began on the 9^th of October, 2010 in a classroom of MES Degree College.

The session began with an innovative memory game where one had to add an adjective to one’s own name, beginning with the first letter of one’s own name. As each one did this, the list of names only grew longer for the next person to spell out. So, Joy Jyothi, Brave Bharath, Pranky Prajwal, Yoga Pandyan (he preferred that prefix!), Pretty Preeti, Peaceful Priyal, Lovely Lavanya, etc... off went the list!

As each one of them spelt out the names with unique prefixes, pearls of laughter flowed out in abundance. What was even more interesting was that the first ones to get eliminated from the game were not the young minds but their mentors! The list of names, thereafter, grew so long that one could seemingly go on forever or abandon the game for something more ‘result-oriented’. With a change in the game, and the ever-popular ‘7-up game’ being played, both mentees and their mentors began falling like nine pins! 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,7up!.....1,2,3,4,....wrong move there and yet another gets eliminated and the small classroom echoed the uncontrolled laughter of them all!

The second part of the session saw Ranjitha kick off the group discussion on ‘Why did we have holidays on the 29^th and 30^th of September?’ It was simply ‘unbelievable’ that kids of the 7^th standard followed national issues like ‘Ramjanmabhoomi’ issue so closely! The understanding of such ‘serious’ issues is hardly found amongst many teenagers today, but the Jwalamukhi kids surprised us all! With Vasudha and Lalitha pitching in with their views and offering some ‘food for thought’, the kids openly opined about the issue.

Further, the topic turned towards ‘What is it that we could do to eliminate religious-clashes?’ Srilakshmi gave a befitting prelude to the discussion in Kannada and the kids were rearing to go. Coming from many of the mentors as well as the mentees, the message of unity was prime!

What really charged up the environment was the teacher from the Kannada medium school singing a Kannada song which deliberated upon the need for religions. After which Ranjitha came up with another song in Hindi which emphasized the need to recognize that we are Indians first then Hindus, Muslims, Jains, Sikhs, etc. Thereafter, began the very interesting session where many mentees shared how they celebrate Dussehra in their own ways. This bought out the ‘Unity in Diversity’ that we all share!

With this, the 13^th week’s session of Jwalamukhi came to an end even as one looked back to the first session on the 26^th of June and gauged how far we all had come today. Whether, the programme made any noticeable difference in many lives, only time will show through the kids of Jwalamukhi.

WEEK 12 - PROJECT PRESENTATIONS BEGIN

                              ‘Real satisfaction comes from service to others’.

This realization filled me even as I sat amongst the Jwalamukhi kids and heard their stories of service to others. Today was to be a day of just sitting back in awe and listening to the personal accounts of the kids’ efforts towards making a difference in the world!
               The session began with the very young Kirti addressing the gathering-a sight to behold! She spoke on ‘Are man-made errors here to stay?’ Speaking in a definite voice on the Bhopal gas Tragedy and the human errors involved in it, she said that errors could be made good of. She gave the splendid example of Surat which was transformed through sheer dedication and hard work after the 1994 plague epidemic. Quoting Mahatma Gandhi, she urged all of us to ‘be the change that you want to see’ and convinced us that man-made errors are not here to stay forever!
                  As if taking us to an extended ‘admiration and amazement’ trip, Akshaya from the team ‘Trophy Winners’ came up to speak of her efforts. With a puppet in her hand, a tape-recorder to give life to her story and an enthusiasm seen so far, Akshaya enthralled the audience with her message on ‘pollution control’! She spoke of how she had approached 93 people with 7questions on the eve of the 14th Global Warming Day and inquired them on their habits regarding pollution. It was indeed fulfilling to see the other kids being inspired by one of their own!
                        After this, the instructors thought they must share some nuances of public speaking and presentation which was much valued by the kids. Then came in Deeksha and Harini who spoke on electricity and water conservation, respectively. Murali again emphasized the importance of body language as he gave a detailed talk on it. Then came in Pandyan who spoke on Paper conservation followed by Shobha and Pooja who spoke of their efforts on water conservation. Apeksha came in with her own logo on Electricity Conservation and shared her experience of when she spoke to her school principal to rectify the problem of water overflowing from full storage tanks.
                    The 12th week’s session held in a classroom of MES Degree College was highlighted by the various tips shared by Murali, Jyothi and mentors like Vivek. Vivek was ‘dot-on’ when he emphasized that the best practises of a successful individual must be shared with the entire group, an embodiment of the idea-‘One for all and all for one’!
                 The final segment of the session saw Ranjita coming over to address the pending issue of ‘being eco-friendly during Jwalamukhi lunch time’. Quickly drawing consensus amongst all, she pointed out the solution- paper plates only for those who wanted as others ate together sharing from one large plate! With this the kids at Jwalamuhki demonstrated their learning in action, for the benefit of all!

WEEK 11 - WHEN LESSONS BECOME VALUES..

Today, was certainly a practical day for
the children. At the beginning, some paper bits and paper crunches were
scattered on the stage hoping that when the children come, they would 'pick up'
the paper bits and paper crunches and throw it in the dustbin. The actual
practical part of the day started nearing as and when the kids entered in. All
of us, that is, the Jwalamukhi team members and mentors stood aside and eagerly
watched the kids and awaited for the kind of response from the kids which we
expected it to be. A few students cared to 'pick' it up and left us surprised
by showing that our onerous work of imbibing good activities in these young
minds is definitely not a castle built in sand near the sea shore

It was really a nice experience for us
though, to have a satisfaction that those few students have shown immense
interest in the programme and have extracted as much knowledge as they could.
The process has not stopped here, the ideas including the guidelines are
implemented in their lives. If this 'act' of one can change the other for the
betterment, nevertheless soon we will have the flags raised up in the
celebration of victory of our organization.

The children who performed their duties
today [picking up the paper bits and paper crunches] were rewarded. The session
continued by discussing the responsibilities each of us should have and how we
can perform our rightful duties by abiding the rules.

In the later on part of the session, games
were played wherein newspapers came into play. In the first game, the students
were given newspapers and asked them to search for the word 'the' and cut it.
Only two students in a group were allowed to cut and the rest would help the
team leaders in finding out the word. The second game was where the students
were asked to cut the paper in rows. In the third game, the group leaders were
given pencils and sharpeners each and asked them to sharpen the pencil and make
it as small as possible. The lesson which we wanted to teach the kids was that even
if one made use of newspapers and the pencil sharpeners dust, the individual
should not litter all over the place. This would help us maintain cleanliness
in the city.

Leadership qualities was highlighted again
and also made a point that only a person who makes the difference and change
himself and others to betterment is called a true 'leader'. Since, today's
games made use of newspapers; 'recycle' and 'reuse' was also discussed.

This is how the programme came to an end
for the day and the kids left with good knowledge in them!