Calendar of Events till June 2012

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.

 

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."

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

Lead the Gold Holders

Your GOLD chance!

We would like to have a Gold Award holder, work as the Executive Secretary of the Gold Award Holder’s Society. Age 23 – 30 years, previous experience not really necessary, as we believe in ‘dream it, build it!’

Location will be the IAYP India Office in Delhi, and will report to the Communications Manager.

Connect and build a network of 1000 Gold Holders in India by 2013, and make the Society sustainable.

Events, Exchanges, International connections, work with leading businesses and be a leader of the pack.

Your ability to lead and manage a network of Volunteers and potential Gold Holders will help you shine as our young achiever.

Connect with nivedita@dofe.in today, as the offer closes before September sets in .

Sandeep
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Sandeep Dutt
National Director, The International Award for Young People
Award Programme Foundation
86 Shahpur Jat, Khel Gaon Marg, New Delhi 110049, India
Phone: +91 11 2649 7154, Fax: +91 11 2649 7165, Website: iayp.in
Registered Charity No. TR/27951
www.iayp.in

IAYP India - Calendar of Events 2011-12

Please note this is the proposed Events Calendar and the dates / events are subject to change without prior intimation, for participation and to plan your activities we recommend you connect with the Communications Manager (ai@iayp.in)

International Gold Event (IGE) 2011 Delegate and India Open Awards Centre (OAC) Leader visits the International Secretariat in London

Devanjali is a Gold Holder from Welham Girls' School, Dehradun. Since 2010, she has not only been studying Economics Honours from Lady Shriram College, University of Delhi but also been heading the Open Awards Centre India Project as Gold Intern. This summer, Devanjali did a Summer Programme at the London School of Economics, United Kingdom. During the course of her summer programme, she visited the International Secretariat located at St. Matthews Street in London. 

Her visit was a pleasant and fruitful one as she got an opportunity to meet the entire team at the Award House. Devanjali says that 'the highlight of the visit was an interaction with the team working on the International Gold Event, scheduled in Nairobi, Kenya this September. A sneak peak into their preparations, and a session with the team regarding my expectations from the event makes me really excited to attend the IGE with Raj."

Photo Courtesy: NAA India Photo Stock. HRH Earl of Wessex in India, October 2010

IAYP India team

Australian Sports Outreach Programme (ASOP) and IAYP India partner to Engage Youth in Society through Sport

Formally launched in India on 07 Oct 2010 by Australian Minister for Sport Senator- the Hon. Mark Arbib against the backdrop of the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games, ASOP India will use sport for development as an exciting way of strengthening relationships between Australia and India while fostering both sporting and life skills in marginalised children and youth.

Designed around the three core areas of Communicate, Connect and Collaborate, ASOP India will be implemented through five selected agencies: Magic Bus, Special Olympics Bharat, Rashtriya Life Saving Society (India), Goa Football Association and Naz Foundation (India) Trust. These organisations focus on social mobilisation through inclusive participation of disadvantaged communities in quality sport.

The 3-year IAYP India and ASOP India partnership will focus on Youth and Sports and engage the young people in ASOP Partners to participate in the Award Programme. Under the ASOP-IAYP partnership, sports coach trainers, mentors, peer leaders and volunteer community sports coaches from marginalised communities, who work with the 5 existing ASOP India partner agencies, will be facilitated to undertake the Award program, in order to incentivise and reward their spirit of volunteerism. They will undergo character and skill building experiences they would never normally encounter, leading to enhanced individual motivation. Pursuing the certified standards of bronze, silver and gold over a time span, they will grow as individuals, become better coaches and eventually qualify as IAYP trainers authorised to deliver and certify the Award program amongst the youth communities they work with, through Open Award Centres (OAC) and Youth Engaging Society (YES) Centres.

Without losing the spirit of volunteerism, the IAYP set of standards (bronze, silver, gold) involving character building activities will not only round off their existing skills, but also provide great motivation and recognition of their commitment to the young Sport Coaches. Motivating the enthusiastic Community Sports Coaches (CSCs) of the ASOP Project to engage in the Award Programme and thus be recognised for their dedication to their communities in the first year of the partnership. Special focus will be given to providing the CSCs with employment / vocational skills in their respective areas in addition to ensuring that their Expeditions and Residential Project experience is different and enriching.

Arun Deoli joins the National Team as Programme Development Manager

Arun joins the National Award Authority (NAA) Team in a crucial year of the Award Programme in India. He will be responsible for the key areas of: Developing Partnerships; Extending the Award; Brand and Marketing of the Award Programme. As part of the NAA Team, he will be closely involved in the coordination of activity, policy and strategy as per the annual plan.

Arun completed his MBA in International Marketing from the University of Wales, United Kingdom in 2008 and specialises in business development. We are certain that his experience in the UK and his enthusiasm to be involved in the development sector will Engage more young Indians this year!

Contact Arun at Arun@dofe.in

Divyangana Dhankar, the First Gold Awardee from the Open Awards Centre shares her experiences

With the Award’s resounding presence already being felt in majority schools, the question that I frequently came across as a participant of the open award centre was why I opted for this programme. The answer was quite simple. I was busier in my school days than I am today! In school emphasis was placed on academics, the goal was to secure that extra mark during the board exams in order to get an extra consideration while applying to college. This goal lead to the pain staking drudgery of burning the mid night oil with the paranoia of scoring better than the others. Free time was often taken over by studies but this time with the reason of attending coaching classes for entrance exams. Thus, one never really got a chance to enhance one’s skills or go on a free spirited adventure. Our knowledge about the world was only limited to the text we managed to merrily parrot. Once out of school and into college the goal changed. It was time to look into something meaningful to do and catch up on whatever was missed. 

The International Award Programme was brought to my notice by a number of friends who had completed various levels of the programme. The difference in their approach, outlook and perception on matters of importance had changed significantly. They seemed confident, proactive, concerned and participative in all spheres of the society-social, environmental, political and economical. While one peer voraciously shunned plastic to favour the forest, the other seemed to enjoy the thrills of outdoor sports like paragliding and was now looking for avenues to train as an instructor. I could see a major transition in them from blindly following idealism to carpe diem-seize the day. It invoked in me a desire to look out of the box and in some ways to become more complacent like my friends. Since the opportunity of entering the Award at the school level had been exhausted, the open award centre, which had just begun, was a perfect solution. The programme followed by these centers was just the same. All five sections of the Award (if one was a Gold participant) had to be completed. The basic difference was the change in institution; instead of doing the Award in school one was now pursuing it in college or in a corporate. It was also for those individuals who belonged to the age group prescribed by the Award programme but due to certain circumstances could not carry it at the regular school level. 

The biggest advantage that I felt in the open award centre was its non competitiveness coupled with a sense of achievement in each section. For the first time I was not competing with my school mates or with my peers. I was making a positive change in my life and that of others around me. In the service section I volunteered with a group called AWAZ with the aim of sensitising ordinary citizens about their fundamental rights through the right to information act 2005 thereby enabling them empower themselves by this effective tool. The RTI also helps to keep checks and balances on the working of the government. Unlike other modes of social service, this sector, I felt was the most neglected. Civil society today only stresses on promoting literacy among the masses but little thought is given in educating our people about their basic responsibilities as citizens or even imbibing them with a value system. Through this section I believe I have contributed in making the world a better place to live in and given back to the society what I believe I have taken from them. The adventure and residential projects were completed in the wild hinterlands of Russia. 

A grand opportunity came my way through the International Youth Forum Seliger and the International meeting-Beginning of trust which allowed me a platform to interact and learn from the youth with a different culture and language. I was humbled to see the ease with which I was able to make lifelong friends across borders, those who I am regularly in touch with through facebook! The physical recreation section was one which brought rhythm into my life. Dancing to the nuanced form of Bharatnatyam I sought to re-establish my severed connections with creation and elements which form the very breath of life. It not only gave me a form of exercise but also helped me rejuvenate. I felt I was able to focus better on work after an hour of dance. Chocolate cakes, cinnamon cookies, noisettes or casseroles you name it and I could bake it! A year long course in the art of baking left me spluttered in batter, covered my nose in chocolate, broke that priceless borosil but equipped me with the life long skill of mixing different ingredients in the correct proportions to appease the taste buds. 

The open award centre is, thus, a platform for those looking for creatively engaging their energies in discovering, confronting, enhancing, improving and enriching their abilities; pushing themselves to take that extra leap through different means thereby becoming self reliant, responsible and balanced individuals. The OAC carries forward the exciting challenge of the Award programme from school doors to magically transforming lives of young university students and corporate professionals. It is for anyone who seeks to look beyond the academic curriculum with an enthusiasm for learning something new and fun everyday!