HOPING TO CLIMB THE LADDER OF CHANGE- A Residential Project report by the first ever Gold Awardees from St. Mary's School-safdarjung Enclave

An educational system isn't worth a great deal if it teaches young people how to make a living but doesn't teach them how to make a life. (Anonymous)

…we couldn’t have agreed to more. As part of the IAYP Gold Award residential project, five students of St. Mary’s School, along with Ms. Saryu Dahra (Social Worker, St. Mary’s School), went on to discover the unexplored village of Azadpura, in the remote area of Orchha, Madhya Pradesh. Our six-day research study (from 12 March 2012 to 17 March 2012) involved taking interviews and focused group discussions with the people of Azadpura. The main objective of our research study was to investigate the needs, challenges, hopes and attitudes of the people of Azadpura village, in the absence of basic facilities and appropriate conditions that are required to meet human rights.

The situation of people at Azadpura village is quite adverse. Where globalization has turned the world into one whole and created a borderless life, its benefits seem to have hardly reached the roots of this Indian village. Adam Smith rightly said – “No society can surely be flourishing and happy, of which the far greater part of the members are poor and miserable.”

Today, the village of Azadpura lacks the basic amenities such as the accessibility to quality education, heath care, safe drinking water and sanitation. Where the majority of men and women in Azadpura village are employed as agricultural laborers and farmers, their adversities can be identified as they are still dependent on monsoons as the major form of irrigation…local irrigation facilities are not up to the mark. Most of the households still use the conventional cooking fuels like firewood, kerosene and cow dung. The village electricity system is more unauthorized than authorized, and within the system, around 90% of the people are found to be stealing electricity. The village doesn’t even have a proper drainage system. The drainage system introduced by the government was far too risky and dangerous for the people as it was 5 feet deep and ill-structured. Eventually the villagers themselves had to close it up. There is no evidence of a proper health care facility in the village as there isn’t any hospital or clinic in the village. The villagers have to travel to Orchha (4 kms) or better still, Jhansi (15 kms), in case of any injury or sickness, and in the absence of any significant mode of transport.

The education status of Azadpura village is far more disappointing. The village school is just like any other small building in the village, where hardly any teaching takes place.  Parents as well as children themselves are not satisfied with the education provided to them. Teachers are often found to be sleeping during the classes and ask students to clean the classrooms using broom sticks.

All, however, is not gloomy. The village does have an anganwadi, which seems to be nominally functioning. The village also consists of some facilities such as a kirana store (General Provision Shop), and has moved up to organizing women’s Self Help Groups  (SHGs). Some government schemes have also been implemented in Azadpura village, such as the Mid-Day Meal Programme and the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS). A local NGO, TARAGRAM, also provides employment and development opportunities, specifically to the adivasis or the tribal population of Azadpura village. These facilities speak much, but at the same time make us question the quality of services, when we find the people grossly dissatisfied with their plight. A small example can be expressed through the quote of a 12-year-old school-going child about the Mid-Day Meal Programme of the school – “The food that they provide is not at all good. Once I asked my teacher to replace my bowl of pulse as a house fly was found dead in it, but the answer I received was that I should remove and throw the fly out of the bowl and then I should enjoy the meal.”

While we hope to next work towards change and development in this beautiful and heart-rending village of Azadpura, it has been a great first step towards understanding the life and situations of our rural friends. In the process, we have not only learnt about the village, but have also learnt many social work practices and methods like Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), and professional field research. At the end of our trip, we have identified and strongly held that there is an immediate need of a school or an institution that would tackle majority of problems that are being faced by the people of Azadpura village. Our school’s principal, Mrs. Annie Koshi, has been supportive of our cause and has decided to push it forward with initiating a project to build a school in Azadpura. It is proposed that the school will not only provide quality education to the children, but also employment opportunities to the needy. With constructive steps in line, we wait to see positive results, and many smiles in Azadpura village, in the year of 2012. As the Chilean poet, Gabrriella Mistral said – “For many things we need can wait, the child cannot. To him, we cannot say, ’tomorrow’. His name is today.”

Although the research study took most of the time during the trip, we still got some time to explore the beautiful cultural and historical heritage of Orchha. The Jehangir Mahal, Ram Raja Temple and the Chhatris at Orchha were spectacular sights that transported us back in time! Our trip would not have been complete without the exciting adventure sports that we indulged in. Crossing the Betwa River and hiking across barren tracks of dry Orchha made for the most wonderful experiences. We not only explored these, but further explored the exemplary model village, TARAGRAM, set up by the well-known organization – Development Alternatives. At TARAGRAM, we explored innovative rural programmes (such as the paper recycling unit, green building solutions etc.), and further managed to participate in them. Of specific excitement was the Bundelkhand Community Radio, on which we were featured for the special Women’s Day programme.

Our IAYP residential trip has sure been the most memorable one. While the highlight remains rigorous research work, the learnings and the adventures seemed to have made up for all the sweat!

                                                                                                                       

By Gold Awardees- Abhishek Gupta, Shivani Tokas, Mahima Chopra, Dharmendra Kumar and Charu Satija from St. Mary’s School, Safdarjung Enclave, New Delhi. They will receive their Gold Awards at The Golden Jubilee Celebrations on 21st April 2012. 

Rushil Mohan- a Silver Award Participant shares his thoughts on GD Goenka World School becoming a Youth Engaging Society (YES) Centre

A little silver bird can mean so much...

 

3rd February marked the day us silver Award IAYP candidates were given our reward for a year of dedication, persistence and, most importantly, self realization. The unanimous feeling of IAYP was that it had helped each individual push themselves beyond their personal boundaries and helped develop the ability to balance cocurricular and academic pursuits.

As this was one of the largest batches to receive the Award, Mr. Sandeep Dutt, the IAYP National Director and Ms. Rekha Dey from the IAYP national office visited our school to give the candidates the Award. The ceremony began in its usual manner with our principal Mrs. Neeta Bali, who deserves to be thanked for her support in the IAYP initiative, introducing our guests and then proceeding to light the lamp. This was followed by a short video on what IAYP is around the world and subsequently the distribution of the certificates and badges to the candidates. However, sandwiched between these two events was the monumental occasion of our school being officially declared as an IAYP YES center. This means that our school is now equipped to handle IAYP candidates from other schools in the region.

As we dispersed, there was not only an immense feeling of accomplishment for having persisted for the past year, but also an overwhelming pride in being part of a school that has developed the IAYP programme to such a great extent in just a little over two years. And none of this would have been imaginable had it not been for our always-accessible school IAYP Coordinator, Mrs. Vijayashree Pahal. No amount of plaudits can express our gratefulness to her.

 

Rushil Mohan

- A very proud silver awardee from GD Goenka World School, Gurgaon

Award Partner-FootballFirst India's First International Football Festival a huge success!

FootballFirst Sports, in collaboration with the Bolton Wanderers Football club of England, organized a football festival, the first of its kind in India. The FootballFirst International Festival took place from 14th-20^th November at Vasant Kunj, New Delhi.

Over a thousand children from more than 100 schools, over a hundred coaches, and 20 school football teams, from across the NCR participated in the week-long festival in which coaches from Bolton Wanderers Football Club ISS, England, conducted various coaching, skill building, and scouting activities.

The festival started with a seminar, "The Football Link" initiative that focused on Indian football coaches. Over 35 coaches from Delhi attended and interacted with the coaches from Bolton Wanderers. The aim of this initiative was to grow football awareness in India, as well as to connect football enthusiasts across the country and overseas to maximize the existing football potential in India.

In addition to the seminar, the festival hosted morning and evening coaching sessions every day of the week. During the morning sessions the Bolton coaches shared valuable Premier League coaching experience with school football teams and their coaches. The team coaching sessions included Game Strategies, Team Management, and Team Attacking and Defending Principles. During the evening sessions that followed, the Bolton coaches conducted individual skills sessions to help the participating children develop and improve their technical, tactical, physical and psychological football skills.

During the course of the festival, the top football talent across Delhi took skill evaluation tests. The Bolton coaches evaluated each player’s football skills based on international scouting techniques, and provided assessment and feedback on ways to build upon strengths and shortcomings. From this select group, 9 senior players and 7 junior players were invited by the English coaches to take part in the Grand Skills Test in England.

The Bolton coaches also spent a day scouting players from the Finals of the F³ (FootballFirst Futsal) tournament, the largest cage football tournament in India, with over a hundred teams competing over the course of 4 weeks to reach the finals.

The festival ended with a fiesta in which more than 150 children participated in various fun football drills in a carnival-like atmosphere. 30 children from the Salaam Balaak NGO also attended and had an opportunity to interact with the Bolton coaches and take part in the festivities. 

The Festival was a mega success and the feedback and response from the participating children, parents, coaches and schools was really good. The festival lived up to its spirit of creating a fun and interactive environment in which football coaches, parents and budding football players were able to experience an international perspective on football.

 

India Special Project Manav Vikas School Award Leader shares how 'The Award taught us a way of life'

When I was in my teens a line from Mr. Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (The writer of Bande Mataram) struck a chord within me. The line was, “What should be done with this life?”. I contemplated on this line for quite some time but could not find a proper answer untill I was introduced to the International Award for Young People.

I was skeptical when I was asked by my school to join an expedition team of students and a teacher, but when I went for that I was delighted by its charms. The natural surroundings and the panoramic landscape left me overwhelming with gratitude towards my maker, God. The earth is the most beautiful and distinct planet in the solar system. God created the earth probably keeping in mind that the earth should be the next best substitute to the heaven and created us humans in his own image. But we humans are ungrateful to him as we extracted the resources from mother earth to satisfy our greed. No efforts were made on our part to sustain the beauty of this planet.

When I came back from the expedition our school’s general secretary Mr. Sarkar said, “Why don’t you represent our school for the IAYP regularly. I think you will enjoy it.” There was a catch. I knew nothing of the Award. As a first step to know what IAYP actually is I called the awardees and asked them what do they know of the organization. All they could tell me was that this institution takes us for expeditions. One day I saw a few magazines lying around in our school staff room namely the Award India, Award world. I decided to go through them. By reading those magazines I was truly introduced to the IAYP. I found the format and philosophy of the IAYP interesting as well as practical. The philosophy of the IAYP is neither very profound nor very complicated. It simply aims to create complete individuals who shall make the world a better place to live in. That was the answer to the question, ”What should be done with this life?”  How is the creation of complete individuals possible? Bookish knowledge does not evolve us into complete human beings. School books do not teach us teamwork, or how to chase a goal with passion, or discipline and focus. IAYP teaches the students all this through its four sections, namely: 1) Service 2) Skill 3) Physical recreation 4) Expedition.

Working as an Award Leader has helped me realise my own potentials, work towards encourgaing participation. The Award experience keeps me feeling young and excited about growth all the time! 

- Kalyani Chakraborty, Teacher and Award Leader

Manav Vikas School- Jharkhand, India Special Project

Guest Speaker address at Annual Friends' Reception, London: Award Friends and Supporters see impact of their investments and contrubutions

Today I am excited to give you a glimpse into the fast-evolving Indian society, the challenges young people in India face and how The International Award for Young People is working through dynamic partnerships in India Coto address the challenges and engage young Indians from 14 to 25 years of age.

Many of us already know that nearly 30% of the world’s population is between the ages of 10 and 25. In India, 315 million people i.e. almost 42% of India’s population are in that age category.

In the last four decades, India’s youth population has increased three folds and become the 9th largest economy in the world.  At the same time its major industry has moved from agricultural to telecommunications, information technology enabled services and pharmaceuticals all of which demand a highly skilled workforce.

Despite this astronomical growth there are 9.5 million unemployed youth (that’s larger than the total population of London)

The youth unemployed make up almost half (49%) of the total unemployed population and yet share just 21% of the total adult workers workforce.

It would be natural to presume that this is a problem of too many young people and not enough jobs, but this is in fact not the case. The Indian economy is generating approximately seven million employment and self-employment opportunities per annum.

Young people in India today are in this unfortunate situation due to a lack of optimum skills training opportunities. A result of a skills mismatch, young Indians do not have the life skills to adapt to this ever-changing economy – formal education is not reacting quickly enough to the changing demands of business and industry.

We are talking about a large number of high energy, extremely driven young people looking for the life skills they need to succeed.

This is where The Award fits in perfectly. By focusing on the holistic development of young people, social inclusion, experiential learning, skill development and gender equity; As an ‘available to all’, ‘non-political’ programme, in which ALL young Indians including those at risk, marginalized, excluded or disabled can participate.

The Award ensures it reaches all facets of Indian society in a variety of ways, through schools, universities, partnerships with key institutions and companies, Open Award Centres and International Special projects that specifically target at risk groups.

In the last two years, thanks to the fresh investments and partnerships with businesses like Bharti Enterprises, HSBC India, Tata Consultancy Services and MAX India, nearly 2000 lives of disadvantaged young people in Special Projects have been positively transformed. The Award has a completion rate as high as 80% in the Special Projects’ and the support has allowed us equip young people from all walks of life.

Radha- a Gold Award Holder from Special Project in Vellore, South India believes that ‘The Award gave me the confidence to stand up against early marriage of girls, focus on my studies, and gain skills I will use my entire life. Most importantly, today I can be a leader in my community and help other girls to take a stand against child marriage, girls’ education and more.’

The support of our biggest corporate JCB India has enabled IAYP to reach even more young people like Radha.

By financially supporting the team of 3 professionals at the National Office for a period of 3 years as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility JCB India has exemplified that CSR can happen in any way and their support has really helped Award in India to gain a foothold in its nascent evolving stage.

The IAYP has developed Open Awards Centre that allow young people in schools who are not licensed operators to get access to the Award. Since 2010, 3500 young people have participated in The Award Programme and this number is growing by leaps and bounds.

A partnership with University of Delhi, India’s premier university has allowed over 100 young students, who may have missed the opportunity when they were at school, to engage in The Award for the first time.  Today, there are about 250 students from 21 independent colleges participating in The Award Programme.

But this wasn’t enough – we also knew we had to partner with the corporate sector operationally, taking the Award literally ‘into business’.  After all the future of their business and their country is based on the development of a skilled youth workforce.

In January 2010, 100 young employees from HSBC India enrolled in the Award Programme. A part of HSBC’s Service Delivery and Talent Development Initiative, the Award engaged young employees for the very first time! An innovation of its kind, the Pilot Project has successfully equipped 78 Award Participants and HSBC India employees so far by developing essential skills for the workplace such as confidence, improved communication, leadership, resilience and team working.

With 100% Bronze Level completions, 90% Silver Award Completions and 82% Gold Level completions; with some still on the way, it is safe to say that the young people are enjoying the programme.  We can call the Pilot Project an inspiring success. With agreement from HSBC for a further 500 other employees to participate in the Award from February 2011, it is safe to say the business are seeing the benefits.

The Award in HSBC Pilot met business needs through its flexibility to be integrated within existing training and development programmes including apprenticeships, graduate or other schemes. In addition, the Corporate Responsibility agendas within HSBC have better delivery and success rates due to the Service component of The Award. The Award has promoted volunteering, involvement in the community, a better understanding of the environment, a healthier and fitter and more energized workforce. Some Award participants in HSBC have moved on to find their own passions, hobbies and volunteer goals.

If this is the difference the Award in India can make with 4 corporate partners imagine what it can do with 8 or 16?  If this is how corporate support is making an IMPACT in India imagine what it can do worldwide.

Youth unemployment worldwide is 38%, one in 3, imagine if this was your 3rd child or your 3rd grandchild. .  Young people are being deprived of a future and with your help the Award can bridge this gap. …..

The Award would not grow to be the positive empowerment and transformation tool without your friendships and support with us worldwide.

To conclude, I would like to thank HRH The Earl of Wessex, the Trustees at the International Foundation, the Trustees in India, and the entire team at the International Award Association and in India. Finally, I truly appreciate your time and attention in listening to me. I look forward to meeting some of you personally during the course of this evening. 

Thank you!

Nivedita Samata, Communications Manager IAYP India

Arunav Deka, Bronze Award participant from YES Centre Assam Valley School shares his passion for music and the belief The Award has brought him

The only power I believe in…Music

I used to be a regular person with no aim in life, with no clue of where this circle of life would lead me. But it all just came to place when I began to take things seriously; I knew what I was passionate about, what would lead me to be someone I can be proud about.

It was the music, an art of meditation, a power which expressed me every time I wanted to be heard.

A voice that consoled me every time I was upset with the something or the other. A melody which brought a smile to many faces. A path which inspires many to come along with me or besides me. Those who simply heard me, reflected their beliefs on me.

"Music brought a lot of change in my life, making it more systematic, pragmatic and worth living."

And there’s another worth I have made in this phenomenal gyre of learning is enrolling in the Bronze Award this year . It has helped me strengthen my capabilities to seek opportunities and open many doors, I look forward to becoming a master of, in the years to come.

While I continue my search, I hope to learn more and seek every oppourtunity to learn from the activities of The Award in my School and outside.

"I want to explore the possibilities through the Award, learning music and exploring my strengths... here I strive to a new beginning."

Ojas Patel and Divyansh Jain share their experiences from Youth Camp in Republic of Karelia

The International Award for Young People, Karelia organised a youth camp from 3^rd August to 9^th August in the Republic of Karelia, Russia involving delegates from different countries namely India, Singapore, Slovenia, Israel, Finland, Russia and the other CIS countries of USSR.

The participants included boys from Birla High School namely:-

Ojas Patel (11 science B)

Ayush Shah (11 commerce A)

Divyansh Jain (11 commerce C)

Some of the participants share their experience.

Says Divyansh Jain: "I had always actively participated in IAYP trekking programmes and was qualifying for my silver medal. My teacher came and told me about this camp "Beginning of Trust" which was to be held in the Republic of Karelia, Russia. Me and my friends were in for it from day 1. This camp was a totally new experience for us. It was organised by the people of Kujtezha village near Petrozavodsk. There were about 120 participant from 6 countries(India, Slovenia, Israel, Finland, Singapore and Russia). In the camp we took part in various number of activities. There were various workshops like Dancing, Singing, Apiculture, Fishing, Doll Making, etc. in which everybody took part with full enthusiasm. We had to provide them with special services like cleaning river banks, roads, school, making fence, painting windows and fence, etc. There were many lessons on trust that had an everlasting impact on us and taught us to trust others in order to be trusted. There was a trek to the neighbouring village Bolsha Shelga, where we learnt about local Russian culture, dance, music, lifestyle, etc. We had a special programme in which the delegates from each country had to give a presentation on their own countries. This enabled everybody to learn about each-other. We had a special dance night in which everybody had to dance in different tunes of life symbolized by different colours of the rainbow. It was 2 hours of non-stop fun. On the closing ceremony, the Russian people performed their traditional dance and sang folk songs. Everybody showcased their talents in their respective fields. We were awarded with a certificate as well. There was a special thanks giving to the families with whom the participants stayed. The main motive of the camp was to promote and encourage interaction among people of different countries and enthuse a feeling of trust for each other. We all made many friends with whom we will always stay in touch. Through this camp we also learnt another thing. We felt the presence of India even outside India when we saw a Russian lady performing Indian Classical dance in Indian attire and when we saw a teacher from Israel singing songs from Indian movies. This camp was like a special gift to us which will be cherished by us forever.”

Ojas Patel, one of the participants, shares his experience:

“During the camp, apart from participating in many workshops such as music, dance, agriculture, fishing, we also did social service like painting windows, building wooden pathways, cleaning river banks, etc. Interaction with foreign delegates was a spectacular experience in itself. There were many interactive sessions and fun-filled games that helped us get along with other participants. During the camp, we had a trek to a nearby village called Bolsoe Shelga where we learnt about their culture, folk dance, traditional instruments, and lifestyle. A ceremony had been conducted in the camp in which delegates of all countries had to make a presentation about their country and display it as a workshop to the participants of the camp and the local villagers during which India received a lot of interest from everyone. There was a dance ceremony organised in the camp in which everyone had to dance in groups on all the tunes of life symbolised by different colours of the rainbow. On the last night of the camp there was a closing ceremony in which the participants performed the Russian traditional dance. The last night was amazing with the camp fire and participants singing and dancing till mid night. The foreign delegates were given certificates for their participation in the camp, and finally a special ‘Thank You’ was given to the local villagers without whose help the camp would not have been successful. On the last day we were taken to Kizhi Island, a historical place, for an excursion. The camp was an amazing experience for all of us; we met the best of people from different corners of the world. We were surprised to see a Russian lady performing Indian Classical Dance and a guy from Israel singing Bollywood songs. After the camp we visited the two of the most beautiful places, St Petersburg and Moscow. In St. Petersburg, we saw the winter palace, their churches and also had a boat ride on the river Neva. We also met few of our friends from the camp. 

We also went to a small town on the outskirts of St Petersburg named, Wyberg. In Moscow, we visited the famous Red Square where we saw Kremlin, a few churches and museums. Again we met a few of our friends from the camp. The best part in Moscow was the Independence Day celebrations that we saw on our way to the Indian embassy. It was a wonderful experience for us and we hope to treasure it for many more years to come. We would sincerely like to thank our school, our award leaders, Joydeep sir who had accompanied us to the camp and who helped us from time to time.”

Special Olympics Bharat- one of five Australian Sport Outreach Programme (ASOP) Partners

Special Olympics is a global organization that allows more than 3.4 million athletes with intellectual disabilities to participate in sport. The Power of Sport has allowed hundreds of thousands of volunteers and coaches to positively affect the lives of people with intellectual disabilities each year since the establishment of Special Olympics in 1968. 

Special Olympics provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. This mission allows people affected by disabilities to get continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship. All Special Olympics activities - at the local, state, national and international levels - reflect the values, standards, ceremonies and events of the Olympic movement. Finally, most Special Olympics activities are run by local volunteers, in order to create greater awareness among people about intellectual disabilities. 

The Special Olympics Programme Bharat  has so far drawn over 37000 coaches to work with over 750234 athletes across 31 State Programs. India being designated a Priority Nation by Special Olympics International, the goal is to extend the Special Olympics programme throughout the country and reach over 1,000,000 people with Intellectual Disability by end 2012.

INITIATIVES:

Through the Athlete Leadership Programmes (ALPs) athletes can explore opportunities for greater participation in our movement beyond sports training and competition: as coaches, officials, team captains, spokespeople and Board and committee members. These leadership roles allow athletes to speak persuasively; interview with the media; mentor and speak up for other athletes; discuss their opinions on policy and governance; analyze financial reports; and research and prepare for fundraising events. 

Initiatives like Healthy Athletes programme help athletes to improve their training and competition by focusing on overall health and fitness. This is achieved through basic health screenings, provision of preventative and some treatment services, educational information, and referrals for follow-up care.

Special Olympics Unified Sports brings together athletes with and without intellectual disabilities to train and compete on the same team. Throughout the year, in a variety of sports ranging from basketball to golf to fig u re skating, Unified Sports athletes improve their physical fitness, sharpen their skills, challenge the competition and have fun, too.

A part of the worldwide movement to empower those with special abilities through the medium of sport, Special Olympics Bharat as Australian Sports Outreach Programme (ASOP) India partner will not only empower through sport, but also change attitudes and help build communities. 

As ASOP-Award India Partner, Special Olympics Bharat will Engage and Reward the lives of the motivated young people who are a part of the Special Olympics movement in India. In the first year of operations, Special Olympics Bharat and Award National Team will identify key young leaders within SO Bharat to engage in the International Award and then build participation after a year long pilot. 

- Content taken from Special Olympics Website and Special Olympics Bharat website

Korean Delegates visit India, participate in an Adventure Camp with Indian Award Participants in Uroli, organised by Adventure Partner-INME Learning

A group of 14 Award participants from Korea had visited India for an adventure camp in Uroli. A day before leaving for the camp they were shown around Delhi by our Award team.

Adventures in Delhi - Siddharth Bhuyan, Award Intern

The Koreans were picked up by Shubda Hirawat, Award Intern and Arun Deoli, Programme Development Manager, from the Youth hostel in Saket.The Koreans were then taken to the HOHO(Hop-on-Hop-Off) centre in Connaught Place by the Delhi Metro. Once we boarded the HOHO bus, we headed to our first destination- Feroz Shah Kotla.Our Korean friends were thrilled by the pristine polished sandstone pillar from the 3rd century B.C. 

After a while of taking some photos and talking about India’s rich cultural heritage, we took off for our next destination of the day. The next stop on our map was the famous National Gallery of Modern Art. The National Gallery of Modern Art is the leading Indian art gallery.It is the the best place to see Indian Contemporary Art. Our Korean delegates were fascinated to see the artworks of renowned artists, such as Rabindranath Tagore and Amrita Shergill. We then walked to India Gate- the national monument of India. The Korean team was really glad to have seen this very prominent landmark in Delhi,they enjoyed taking photos of the War memorial and the beautiful lawns encompassing India Gate. 

After a long and tiring first half, we wanted our Korean friends to taste some spicy Indian cuisine in the nearby Pandara road market. The Korean team along with the Award team had authentic Indian food in a restaurant called “Havemore”.The ‘tandoori chicken’ was relished by everyone! The post-lunch plan was to show the Korean team a couple of places more before heading back to the Youth Hostel. We boarded the last HOHO bus and got off near the Lotus Temple. En-route to the Lotus Temple, we enjoyed the majestic Humayun’s tomb . The Lotus temple is a must-see for all foreign tourists. As with all other Baha’i’ Houses Of Worship, The Lotus temple is open to all regardless of religion, or any other distinction as emphasized in the Baha’i’ texts. We also participated in the silent prayer that happened in the central hall. 


We winded up our 1st shuttle of the Delhi tour by taking some pictures and interacting with the Koreans beside the beautiful ponds of The Lotus Temple. We then left for the Youth hostel by Metro. The Koreans had quite an experience travelling by metro. Once we got down in Saket, the Award team then escorted them to the Youth Hostel by local conveyance.As the day came to an end, the Koreans showed their gratitude to the Award team by presenting us with souvenirs from Korea.

Adventure Camp in Uroli, organized by INME Learning- Inputs from Arun Deoli, Adarsh Saraff

INME Learning are Award India's Adventure Partner. Founded by alumni of XLRI, INSEAD and IIM, team inme has people with professional experience and trainingin Education, Behavioural Science, Armed Forces, and Corporate Management to Outdoor learning, Adventure Sports, Theatre and Music. Key members have over a decade of experience in designing and delivering outdoor based learning for children. About inme programs inme is an outdoor and adventure based learning program in a wilderness setting for children owned and run by India’s most experienced team of outdoor educationists. inme programs help open young minds to explore their infinite potential and build essential life skills. Parents of children who have participated in INME programs have consistently reported higherself-confidence, adaptability and heightened self-awareness in their children. 

With a short notice they organised a Camp for our Award Participants from Korea and India in Uroli, Uttarkhand. Nestled in the midst of a pine and oak forest near the village Uroli this beautiful campus is a perfect getaway at around 6000ft in the Kumaon Himalayas. It provides immense opportunities for short hikes, overnight treks and rock climbing sites. The campus has its own natural water source and is off a motorable dirt road. The main camp house provides indoor backup.

The group left by train from Delhi at 6 am on 10th August and arrived at the Kathgodam Station around noon. After a quick lunch enroute, everyone arrived at the INME Camp in Uroli around 5 pm. There was a brief introduction session and everyone picked their tents, relaxed for a bit and called it an early night after dinner.

The 6 am Wake up call on 11th followed by morning tea was refreshing and the warm up exercise worked up an appetite for breakfast. Before breakfast we were told about the action points for the day. Post breakfast, we packed up and engaged in the rock climbing activity. This helped all of us come out of our shells and engage actively in learning about the equipment, bouldering, spotting, long face climbing, abseiling. Following lunch, we did the stream crossing as part of the low ropes course and the Burma Bridge Activity. The day of activities came to an end and we relaxed over tea and had a Q&A session about the day.

The next morning, we played a group game after breakfast and left for the a 20km trek. En route to the Camping Place, we halted at village to understand the daily lives of villagers there. We arrived at the Shiva and Vishnu Hindu Temple a little after noon and then to our lunch site an hour later. We continued our trek and finally arrived at the Camping site for the night, set our tents up, gathered firewood and made ourselves comfortable for the night. The highlight of the evening were Performances by Indian and Korean Groups. We all went to bed with glad hearts of making new friends and experiencing new cultures. The next morning after warm up and breakfast, we left for the Target Jump Activity. This was the most amazing activity we had to jump from a tree 60ft high and touch our target in the air. We ate lunch and then packed to hike to our next camping for the night. We pitched our tents, ate an early dinner and challenged ourselves to be self-motivated with a cool moon-lit walk. We returned to Camp to a Bonfire and enjoyed talking to each other. Although, we were all glad to go into our sleeping bags for some hard earned rest.

Next morning we engaged in a fun Leave no Trace activity as part of our breaking camp and returning to the main Uroli Camp. We ate some breakfast, did the Bubble Trouble Activity, took group photos and left the camp for the Kathgodam Train Station to return to Delhi.  

Testimonials

"The best part about the camp and the trip was the entire experience as a whole. One of my best camps ever. Amazing instructors, amazing campsite..brilliant activities..made new friends. I will really cherish my experience.The tents and the entire environment of the camp was just awesome. And the games we used to play in the free time were also very good and challenging. For me, the Moonlight walk and the long trek the most fun. In addition, the trek and the Target Jump was most challenging. 

The Award is a very good platform where one can really get to no oneself better and develop oneself mentally as well as physically for the world.  It encourages self-discovery and growth and via the award one can render useful service to the society which is really essential in today's world. The physical recreation,skills and camps enhances one's personality and physical strength as well as boosting one's mental capability." - Adarsh Saraff, Gold Award Participant

'Fun and Enjoyment' was the best part about the Adventure Camp and the trip.We all enjoyed to the fullest. For me 'Target Jump' was an unforgettable experience. Trekking  was most challenging as it was around 20km with full bags and stuff.The weather there was not stable as well and it was raining which was making the task more difficult. 'Youth Rules'..so always be Young.

- Arun Deoli, Development Manager

" The camp was the most unique and amazing experience I have had and I would first like to thank IAYP for the opportunity. The fact that the camp was a part of an international exchange program made it even better as I got to meet and learn from and about new people and their culture. Therefore, above all, the interaction with different people was one of the best parts of this camp.

The first leg of the Indo-Korean exchange program took place in Uroli (Uttarakhand) at the INME (Infinite Me) Campus. Ten Indians and fourteen Koreans met at the Delhi station at the Delhi station to start off. Despite the language barrier, we soon broke the ice and worked together in all the activities undertaken.

When we arrived at the Inme campus, I was completely surprised. I had never expected such an amazing campus. On the first evening, there was an orientation walk around the campus and we were briefed on the camp rules and norms. Kamaal sir, the camp chief spoke to us and briefly told us about a few of the activities that we were going to do. He made us all feel very comfortable. We also played a few unique games like hand football. The next day, we had rock climbing, bouldering and rope knot session. This was followed by a rope challenge course in the evening consisting Tarzan swing, zip line, multivine, etc. All the challenge courses were real fun and true to their name, they were challenging.

The third day was a test of our endurance. From our campsite, we trekked to a local village, where we saw what the lifestyle of the people was like. We even had the opportunity to see a village house. After about 12km, we stopped to cook lunch. We did this on an open fire. It was really difficult to keep the fire burning because of the weather. From this spot, we trekked about 7km back to our campsite. All the trekking was done with our rucksacks. During the trek we had to deal with problems like leeches, rain and of course, the slippery stones. That evening the indo-cultural took place with the Koreans performing a traditional fan dance and the Indians singing a classical song and introducing them to the world of bollywood.

One of the most unique and exciting activities took place on the fourth day. It was called Target Jumping(TJ)., where one basically jumped from a height of 45ft, hit a bottle(the target) and went into free fall till stopped by the harness. We also had a night out in the wilderness. The night out site was 1.5km away from the INME campus. This time our rucksacks also had tents. We set up our own tents at the site and cooked dinner. This was followed by the moonlight walk. In this we trekked about two kilometers at night, under the moonlight in complete and utter silence, without using torches. We got to see nature from a different perspective which opened our eyes to nature’s beauty. The peace and quiet I felt during the trek is something I have never felt anywhere else. It was a priceless experience.

It is simply the most brilliant experience I have had.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, so we were back on the train to Delhi, having had an adventurous and unique experience. The next leg of the exchange would involve the Indians going to Korea. We are really looking forward to that trip."
-Pranav Balakrishnan, Gold Award Participant

"The first leg of the indo-korea exchange programe was an amazing experience for me. I got to know so many new people and knowing and being friends with the koreans was the best part. They were very warm and helpful. The various activities which we did out of them some I have done before but bouldering and target jump was a new experience for me and maybe I will never get an opportunity to do it again. The best part of the camp was the last night-the night out. We were somewhere where we couldn't see anything except the beauty of the nature. The silent walk in which we walked by the help of moon light which actually kept me moved when it was over.This camp has made me a better person and I have learnt so many new things.Looking forward to the secong leg of this programe." 

- Pratibha Goel, Gold Award Participant

"The camp at uroli was an extremely enriching experience. the INME campus was beautiful and the camp chief Kamal sir was really sweet. the first day,we got to know the korean..veyr different from us,yet very similar because we were almost of the same age. the mixed with us immediately and made us comfortable on the train by introducing themselves to us in a very fun and lively manner. 

We used to have elastic limg sessions every morning with fun games and dances to warm up for the hectic activities of the day. The first day we did rock climbing and bouldering and learnt about knots. We then did a number of rope courses which were fun and daring. We used to play games every evening and i'm ,issing that alot!  The next day we went for a 19 km trek and stopped for lunch..we made pasta on our own. And that evening we had an indo korean cultutral night with a beautiful performance by the korean students. We even had a night out and a night trek at a quiet spot. We had camp fire and everyone sang songs.. the next morning we left for kathgodam and then delhi. :("
- Shreya Budhia, Gold Award Participant