The present project addresses the concerns of Adolescent youth. It is during 14 to 18 years that the preparation for adulthood begins. Characterized by rapid physical, emotional and social change, this phase is very likely to create confusion and anxiety in the youth under a tremendous pressure from peers, family and communities to not only perform but also to excel.
The specific need for the proposed project is based on the premise that lack of coping, decision-making and negotiation skills among youth may lead to break down under adversities and they may get into self-denial and deviant behavior.
As we understand, the existing education system is nearly incompetent to address the holistic issues of adolescent youth. It does not equip them to deal with life under all eventualities, be it good or bad, conducive or non-conducive. Besides, the spurt in juvenile delinquency has raised questions on our social norms and their adherence by adolescent youth.
The life skills education imparted through the grant would impact the community directly as well as indirectly. In direct terms, the project would be a tripartite partnership among the adolescent youth, parents and the educational practitioners to together discuss, understand and work in a solution finding mode, mindful of each others’ sensibilities. The aim is to create a positive ecosystem with healthy relationships. In indirect terms, youth participation in economic and social life would reduce delinquency and crime in the long run.
The need of the hour is to have educated youth rather than a literate youth. We need the youth who can face challenges and uncertainties of life. They are mentally, socially and emotionally strong with an understanding as to, where they are, what they want and where do they aim to reach? Youth needs training in identifying their goals and their strategizing and prioritizing in life. This approach would reduce resentment and negative confrontation. The youth energy would be channelized for personal and societal gains.
*Project/Program Description:
Through the present project, we would cater to the life skills education needs of adolescent youth who belong to underprivileged communities, primarily the migrant population and are studying in government schools. We would work in the area of education whereby adolescent youth are prepared for a responsible adulthood using the life skills approach. The life skills would be selected following informal interactions with adolescent boys and girls.
Following activities would be conducted:
1. Thematic Workshops: We would plan a series of thematic workshops with outputs and outcomes to be followed up in each subsequent workshop. The workshop calendar would be formed at the inception of the project itself.
2. Parents and Teachers workshop: Interactive workshops for parents and for school officials including teachers, would be organized.
3. Documentation & Poster making: Adolescent girls would be provided a platform for self-expression and communication through magazine/posters making. Social media would be introduced as a communication tool.
4. Inter Group and Inter-school activities: Each thematic area of selected life skills would be organized in activities such as group discussions, debates and story telling. These would be intra as well as inter community as well as school depending upon where the adolescent girls would be studying.
5. Integration with Adobe Youth Voices programme: Documentation of youth expressions through audio and audio-visual media would be facilitated by the adolescent girls. This program is already running in SADRAG and it would be integrated in the proposed project.
The present project would specifically train the adolescent youth into skills of life negotiation and coping with situations. The proposed program would:
1. Address missing linkages in existing formal school system that remains limited to the three Rs – Reading, Writing and Airthmatic.
2. Broaden the definition of Education with those components that are relevant to actual life
3. Bring together stakeholders: district administration, education department, schools and youth
Constructively for a positive ecosystem in schools
4. Address issues of adolescence with a scientific and practical approach particularly in the context of physiological and emotional changes that occur around this stage of life
5. Introduce youth to an untouched dimension of education that would enable them to cope with actual life situations
6. Enrich formal schooling through practical relevance to life
7. Prepare an army of trained youth to take up the role of change makers
The central need addressed through the proposed project is to improve social, mental and emotional aspects of life for adolescent youth so that can adorn a responsible adulthood later in life.
The youth would learn and acquire life skills as a preparation for a responsible adult life ahead. The community will benefit positively through:
1. Reduced cases of delinquency and violence cases in youth
2. Matured and responsible youth for stability and growth
3. Confidence building and strong identity particularly in girls
4. Enhanced participation of youth in economic and social life
5. Positive environment building and ecosystem in the community
we would cover adolescent youth studying in government High schools/Junior colleges in District Gautum Budh Nagar. The youth here predominantly come from lower socio-economic households living in rural, peri-rural communities in and around Noida. The project coverage would be two kinds:
1. Around 50% of the youth from Phase I would be covered under direct evaluation and impact assessment as well as to impart a peer learning experience to the new set of youth selected in project’s Phase II. .
2. A set of 10 new schools would be selected randomly from Noida and Greater Noida areas and a total of 1000 students would be covered through direct interventions. The sample size would be divided as 30% from Noida and 70% from Greater Noida. The Greater Noida has more of rural and semi-rural schools which pose a very challenging socio-cultural environment on adolescent youth who would otherwise want to study and build their future. Moreover there has not been any structured and organized intervention to address their concerns till date. The city, though well planned in infrastructure, lacks a positive ecosystem for the youth. The proposed project would fill this essential gap in the life of the youth studying and living there.