Hema Surapaneni: Sculpting Happy Minds

As a child, I had always been intrigued by the world around me and changes, great and small alike, always made me wonder. I wondered at the way the ants lined up and worked hard to carry bits of sugar. I wondered at the way the little sparrows chirped all day to collect food to feed their young ones. I wondered at the beauty of the night sky and spent hours gazing and identifying constellations and fantasizing stories of these sparkling diamonds. I wondered hearing the tunes of the buzzing bees. I wondered at the crystal dew drops on soft green grass. I wondered watching the concentric patterns of ripples in a disturbed lake. I wondered as to how my mom knew which ingredients would go with the other to make the dish tasty and healthy. I wondered at the beauty of the blooming lotus and didn’t want to go to bed as it would wilt by morning. As a child I was in awe of life and wanted to know what will happen, how it will happen and when it will happen. As I grew, I learnt a lot, got qualified, and achieved what I wanted but realised that the most precious thing I lost was my sense of wonder. I had seen the same world as a child with much wonder and amazement and now as an adult, I want certainty of how things work with regard to my profession, relationships, finances and my future security that I have missed out the magic of life. I am not comfortable with surprises that are in store for me as the fear has dominated my trust in the world and killed the open ness to wonder. I have reflected over the importance of wonder in a person and that comes only when we believe in being “childlike” as they are born with this innate quality.  

In the current generation, the sense of wonder has been replaced with certainty. The children we are working with belong to “i” generation – iphone, ipad, ipod, etc and they want answers more than imaginative ideas. They are glued to their personal gadgets for long duration and it has become a challenge for the parents and teachers to reach out to them. They are aimless and dis-interested and have dull expressions with lethargic body language. They do not show alertness and get bored in no time as they have less attention span. Their creativity is hampered as they are oblivious to their surroundings and are disconnected to the events or people in and around them. They are losing the sense of observation which in turn affects their ability to wonder. They have become willing victims of the passive learning system.

As Daston and Park say, “Wonder was the reward rather than the bait for curiosity, the fruit rather than the seed”, let’s be “childlike” and take up the moral responsibility as teachers to get our pupils back to wonder and make their learning journey more joyous.

As educators, we should work on enhancing this feature to the next level as it is the foundation to inquiry. The facilitators have to open doors to the curious world and allow the children to explore and wonder. We have to view the world through the eyes of the children and fill their learning with excitement. We have to create that happy learning environment that is stimulus to their imagination which activates wonder.  Wonder is the beginning of wisdom said Socrates. It impacts the knowledge of the child to the higher level beyond the physical mind. Children learn to appreciate and stand in gratitude when teachers fuel their amazement and the potential to learn extends laterally. The learning engagements are more meaningful and the teachers can promote experiential learning through investigations and personal inquiry. It is absolutely fine if they get messy or dirty as we have to provide various avenues for them to touch and feel so they retain the information for longer durations when they explore with multiple senses. We should pave way for more exploration through hands on discussions, healthy opinionated conversations, and collaboration so that they make connections to real life situations. We don’t have to lose our adult sense to be more childlike. We need to be both so that the maturity of being an adult complements the spontaneity, awe and wonder of the child in us to bring out the best in us and in our children.

Hema Surapaneni, Principal The Gaudium School

hema.surapaneni@thegaudium.com

www.thegaudium.com

Late for class - India woos foreign colleges as population clock ticks

Late for class - India woos foreign colleges as population clock ticks | Business Standard

India's ministry of human resources and development is trying to issue what is in effect an executive order, which would leapfrog a bill stuck in parliament since 2010, one casualty of a legislative logjam that has paralysed Indian policymaking over the last two years.

Despite scepticism from many institutions that India will be able to change its game with elections looming by next May, some foreign universities are keen to push ahead with campuses.

"A campus in India has always been our vision and that is our plan," said Guru Ghosh, the vice-president for outreach and international affairs at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, known as Virginia Tech.

It is due to launch a research centre near Chennai in spring 2014 and hopes to set up a campus within 3-5 years if the rules change, Ghosh said.

Under the proposed rules, non-profit foreign universities in the top 400 worldwide would be able to open campuses. The rules need a final sign-off from the law ministry, which will take up to three months, according to R.P. Sisodia, joint secretary for higher education at the Ministry of Human Resources and Development.

GAHN Workshop Singapore - a report

THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S INTERNATIONAL AWARD GLOBAL AWARD HOLDERS NETWORK [GAHN] WORKSHOP, SINGAPORE

On the 16^th of August the delegates arrived at the National Community Leadership Institute [NACLI] in the evening and to begin with we went out for a nature work around Kent Ridge Park, which was an amazing experience, this gave us time to get to know each other.

Day 1: 17^th September 2012, the day began with a warm welcome by Prof Leo Tan, Chairman, National Youth Achievement Award Council [NYAA], followed by an introduction and overview by Jenny Jacob who represented the International Secretariat.

We had the opportunity to visit the residence of the British High Commissioner, His Excellency Antony Phillipson. A lavish afternoon tea spread along with his very kind and supportive words marked the beginning of the day’s activities. 

The main topic taken up that afternoon was ‘Beyond Gold- How to remain engaged in the Award.” This discussion became even more interesting as we were joint by NYAA gold Award holders and current participants putting forward their practices and challenges as well. We managed to have a detailed discussion, which was very well summed up by Major General Chan Chun Sing, Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports and Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Defence.  His very inspiring words helped us consolidate all the ideas brought out by the various groups during this session.

A chance to witness a Meet-the-people-session conducted by Members of Parliament on a weekly basis to hear the grievances of the public and support them with all possible aid was the perfect way to end the day. 

Day 2: 18^th August 2012, we started the day with a keynote address on ‘Servant Leadership” by Dr. Tan Chi Chiu, Member NYAA Council. 

Followed by which we were split into five groups in order to discuss the five main issues:

• International Award Network and Opportunities
• How to set up an Alumni/Award Holder Association 
• Life after Gold-Engagement
• Life after Gold- Advocacy
• Life after Gold- Events 

All the groups began working and were given the next few hours to prepare presentations to put forward all challenges and potential solutions revolving around our respective topics. Rest of the day was marked by a couple of brainstorming sessions and preparations for next morning.

Evening visit to Singapore’s newest attraction Gardens by the Bay, which is a park, spanning 101 hectares (250 acres) of reclaimed land in central Singapore, adjacent to the Marina Reservoir. The park consists of three waterfront gardens: Bay South Garden, Bay East Garden and Bay Central Garden.

Gardens by the Bay is an integral part of a strategy by the Singapore government to transform Singapore from a "Garden City" to a "City in a Garden". The stated aim is to raise the quality of life by enhancing greenery and flora in the city.

Day 3: 19^th August 2012, the day began with all the groups presenting and an interactive question and answer session. 

Devanjali formed part of the group that tackled “Life after Gold-Advocacy” and presented the issue in the form of a role-play taking various situations where Advocacy plays a major role. 

The stage now set for building a network for alumni bodies from all over the world. Thank you Singapore NYAA and the IAA for making this possible!

- Report filed by Rohit Saxena and Devanjali Dutt the delegates from India

For any feedback or questions welcome to email devanjali@dofe.in or rohit@dofe.in

International Spiti Gold Solar Project 2013

After two successful years, The Gold Award Holders Society (GAHS) is happy to announce the Spiti Gold Solar Project 2013. We only accept limited numbers, and are happy to assist young people from all over the world. Gold Award Holders are most welcome and work with the Indian alumni; Gold participants will be able to complete the Residential Project and the Adventurous Journey.

Look forward to building the event of major significance and have the international community work with us for our YES (Youth Engaging Society) Projects. The office of GAHS India is  at New Delhi and the President of GAHS is the spirit behind Ecosphere (the partners for the Spiti Gold Solar Project 2013).

Welcome to write to us on sd@ebd.in for any further information.

The Indian Himalaya in Himachal Pradesh.
June 2013

Duration: 18 days
Route: Delhi - Manali – Spiti – Manali – Delhi
Maximum Altitude: 5000 mts.
Key features:  Volunteering on projects mitigating the impacts of climate change, Homestays, weekend excursions

During this journey you will be assisting the local community in construction of a solar bath. The volunteers will participate in the actual construction of the solar bath and the set up of a solar water geyser (Evacuated Tube Condenser) and will be assisted by a dedicated team of a qualified mason and representative from Ecosphere. The activity will entail physical work. The construction period will be 7 to 8 days. The trip is intermixed with work and pleasure. During this trip you will also be visiting some of the highest villages in the world, going on a high-altitude trek, visiting some ancient monasteries dating back to over a 1000 years and take a yak safari and mountain bike if interested. Traditional homestays further enrich the experience by giving one an authentic understanding of the life and culture in a Spitian home.

Significance of this Tour
The construction of a solar bath is of great significance in this region as great amounts of fuelwood, coal and wood is burnt for heating water which contributes to CO2 and black carbon emissions. The latter having far more damaging affects on the melting of glaciers and snow on a local level. Through the set up of a solar bath which includes both a passive solar structure as well as a solar water heating system, we enable the people to cut down on emissions (especially reducing black carbon) as well as enable them to have better hygiene through regular availability of hot water. 

Costs and more...
This is conducted in association with Ecosphere and EBD Educational Pvt Ltd, the cost for Indian Nationals is Rs. 36.000.00 thousand (from Delhi to Delhi). Foreign Nationals pay $ 750.00 (form Delhi to Delhi)

Costs including taxes for a group of 15 persons
-  All accommodation starting Day 2 to Day 15
-  Meals starting Day 4 dinner to Day 14 dinner
-  All bus/ jeep transfers Day 1 (with bus to Manali) to Day 15 (bus to Delhi)
-  Project support
-  Support staff on days required
Excludes: 
Mineral water and beverages (other than those provided), Monastery Fees, Tips, Insurance  and expenses arising out of unforeseen circumstances 

Please Note:-
a) This is a carbon neutral trip. It is Ecosphere’s endeavour to generate minimum emissions on this journey and whatever emissions that we do generate are calculated and offset through investments in our in-house renewable energy projects within the region. These include construction of passive solar houses, green houses and investing in other sustainable renewable energy alternatives such as solar water heating systems, solar cookers, solar lighting, etc. 
b) A different kind of holiday - Ecosphere is a social enterprise and your travel with Ecosphere will contribute to the development and conservation of the region. Insights into the local development and conservation issues and a peep into Ecosphere’s initiatives 

Sign up Form online
You may want to simply fill the From shown below and or email us if you have trouble accessing the Form. Please email us at sd@ebd.in for early bird discount and more help.

PLEASE WAIT A FEW SECONDS THE FORM WILL BE HERE ASAP!

Award clothing and souvenirs coming soon

Award apparel manufacture Culture Clothing will introduce the exciting range of clothing on the 21st of April 2012, be the first to get this international line of Award branded souvenirs.