A powerful learning session amidst nature

Bangalore’s iconic Cubbon Park may be known world over, but there are many youth in the communities we work with, who have never been there or explored the place. MJ’s Yuva Jagriti team seized the opportunity and created an impactful first time experience by taking nearly 60 youth of the Gopalapuram community for an outbound experiential life skills session to Cubbon Park.

It was a surprise for many of the youth that an outing like this was combined with life skills. What followed was a deep learning experience on communication and interpersonal skills, gender biases, and problem-solving in the midst of nature. Their curiosity levels and energy helped them absorb much better than in a closed hall. There was a sense of freedom for them and great bonding as well.

“I had always associated problem-solving with mathematics. I had never expected to learn problem solving through games. I also understood how critical patience and time-management were in life” says Pooja, one of the youth participants.

All in all, it was joyful and experiential learning in the truest sense of the term and there will be more of them.

Packing a punch since over a year

Continuing on the thread of facilitating unprecedented opportunities, here’s something that should kick in even more excitement.

Makkala Jagriti is proud to have been associated with Bhairavi is a social initiative that is on a mission to empower underprivileged children with the tools and techniques to lead lives of confidence, dignity and health through the martial art of Taekwondo. With Bhairavi’s support, we have been facilitating Taekwondo training for children in government schools and Child Care institutions.

In August 2021, we kickstarted online Taekwondo sessions to children in Child Care institutions across the state – a truly unprecedented experience in every sense. The sessions were extremely useful to children in the pandemic times as it helped them release their stress levels while developing confidence and good health. Week after week went by and we had completed a year of the intervention, with many children and Child Care Institutions continuing to participate regularly and enthusiastically.

To celebrate this, Makkala Jagriti and Bhairavi with the support of the Directorate of Child Protection organized an online event where certificates of appreciation were awarded to more than 700 children across 30 institutions in 18 districts of Karnataka who have been consistently participating in the sessions. We are sure that the children will treasure this moment and it shall also be an inspiration for others.

We would like to thank the Bhairavi team including Neha, instructors Ved and Master Nagarjuna for dedicatedly conducting the sessions throughout the year.

An integrated SPICE for a truly integrated learning experience

After nearly a two-year gap, we are back to implementing Makkala Jagriti’s flagship SPICE model of intervention with children in government schools, communities and children in institutional care in a consistent and structured manner. And what’s more exciting is that we have revamped the content and approach towards its implementation.

In the new approach, we will have an integrated curriculum that facilitates Socio-emotional, Physical, Intellectual, Creative and Ethical development among children. We have newly added the dimension of Ethical development to SPICE as we truly believe that a strong foundation on ethics and values is what shall help us move towards a more equitable society.

Our team has been working hard on the new model from the last 6 months and more and we were able to conclude the first set of training to the facilitators recently. The pilot sessions have been very promising and insightful and we are excited about the future of the holistic learning ecosystem we are creating. We shall share the stories from the field as they pour in.

A big shout out to Dr. Indira Vijayasimha, Founder, Poorna Learning Centre and Professor (Retd.), Azim Premji University, who has been guiding us in the process. Here’s what she has to say about the new approach: “Holistic development of children can be effectively achieved through an integrated approach which combines different dimensions of education seamlessly. This can be done by following a theme based curriculum which helps in meaningful and joyful learning.”

Micro-improvements that make mega differences

The development sector overall and the education sector is a complex space with multiple issues, stakeholders, resource constraints and perspectives. It is obvious that interventions at multiple levels are needed to bring in big changes, but one can easily be overwhelmed by the complexity of it all.

This is where the power of Micro-improvements comes in. Micro-improvements are projects or undertakings with small goals that show immediate results. These in turn aid in establishing practices that can be repeated to create a journey of sustainable improvement.

In collaboration with Shikshalokam, a non-profit working on education leadership, Makkala Jagriti had an opportunity to showcase the micro-improvements that we have undertaken in the ECCE space with about 40 enthusiastic changemakers from nearly 15 NGOs.

We showcased a series of improvements that included creating conducive learning spaces in Anganwadis, recognition of Anganwadi Workers as Anganwadi Teachers, early education practices adopted by Anganwadi teachers, community involvement and so on.

Two things stood out from the group reflection that followed. One is the acknowledgment that getting Early Childhood Education right is one of the most important steps in addressing many larger problems of the education system in India. The second is the appreciation and acknowledgment that systemic changes can indeed be achieved through Micro-improvements. We are heartened as well as energized by these reflections to do more.

Helping children dream and learn

The Sharada Sthree Samaja in Kumara Park, Bengaluru is bright and cheerful with the laughter of children. On a Saturday at 3 pm, about twenty kids have gathered here to do homework or play. Four student volunteers are involved in engaging the children and helping them out.

The children from economically deprived communities in Seshadripuram call the space a tuition centre. Facilitators here help children with their studies after school and also engage them in various activities.

Started in 2003, Makkala Jagriti (MJ), a non-governmental organisation, currently has five such community centres in Bengaluru, two of which focus on teens who are in Class 10.

For Mahesh, 16, the space has enabled learning and encouraged him to nurture his ambitions. After scoring 79% in SSLC, now he has taken up science in PUC.

Rakshya, now in II PUC (commerce), aspires to be a bank manager. She says the Valluvapuram centre helped her continue learning through Covid, by way of revisions through online classes. This helped her clear her SSLC with 81%.

For the community, this is a great change as girl children would often drop out after puberty and others discontinued their education due to lack of guidance.

These centres started out as spaces for learning but soon transformed into spaces where children discover themselves and envision their futures — a space for holistic learning.

The concept was then extended to government schools and Anganwadis five years ago. Now, the programme covers about 75 government schools, 67 Anganwadis and 27 government childcare institutions. Facilitators are assigned to each school and they ensure the holistic development of children and employ different learning models.

Premalatha, a teacher working in a government primary school in Malleshwaram, says, activity workbooks for Classes 1-7 helped with the comprehensive development of children through the social, physical, intellectual, creative and emotional development model (SPICE model) developed by MJ’s internal programme team.

“This book turned out to be useful during Covid. Kids were able to learn something sitting at home,” says Prasanna D R, who was a Cluster Resource Person for the Vasanthapura schools.

Most government schools are short-staffed and teachers are not really able to concentrate on co-curricular activities. “That is where Makkala Jagriti helps,” he adds.

During Covid, the NGO formed virtual groups across Karnataka, coordinating programmes for Anganwadis. In 19 years, their work has spread to 13 districts.

Paying forward

Joy Srinivasan, the founder of Makkala Jagriti, saw the prejudices and discrimination in education for poor children when she was a child herself. She believes that the birthplace of children should not limit them.

After a difficult childhood, she overcame all odds, charting a successful career as a behavioural science professional and international trainer. To help other children overcome adversities, she started the NGO in Adugodi.

Mahesh Andani, now a training manager for a smartphone company, started coming to the Adugodi centre in 2010. “Coming from a vulnerable background and entering a competitive corporate space is not easy,” he says. A welcoming space, non-judgemental facilitators and experiential learning were factors that contributed to his growth.

The NGO today has 117 employees. Corporate volunteers and interns work with the NGO on a regular basis.

Sugandhi, a community coordinator, has been working with MJ for the past eight years. On a typical day, she visits the communities to talk to parents and identify issues that would affect children. If a child has a difficult home environment, she tries to counsel the parents.

Coordinators try to enrol children dropping out of private schools into government schools to stop them from discontinuing education. In the evening, when children visit the centre, they engage them in academic and co-curricular activities.

Vaishnavi, a Class 7 student, attends the centre daily. She aspires to become a police officer. Living in a joint family of 35 people in a small space, she says the centre helps her finish her homework and study in the evenings.

Kaajal, the daughter of a migrant from Bihar, dreams of becoming a dancer. “I’m waiting for dance classes to start,” she says happily.

Inspiring others

The NGO has also inspired the creation of another non-profit in the Netherlands. Called Kleine Heiden, the NGO was founded in 2017.

Paulien Weikamp, from the city of Utrecht, says in an email, “In 2015, Joy Srinivasan invited us to visit one of the government schools where Makkala Jagriti was working. We fell in love instantly with this organisation.”

Every year Paulien and her colleague Karin Steffens visit the centres in Bengaluru. They organise virtual meet-ups between kids from their NGO and Makkala Jagriti twice a year. The children exchange ideas and peek into each others’ worlds. Dutch children have also helped raise funds for the organisation.

Saritha, who lives in a tiny one-room house in the area with a family of four attests to the benefits of the tuition centre. “We could not study, that is why we are like this. I don’t want my kids to be like me.”

1, 2, 3… 11 Yes! Eleven

Makkala Jagriti now has its footprint in 11 districts of Karnataka. In the month of July, we expanded our presence to the districts of Bidar, Vijayapura, Raichur, and Yadgir where we would be working towards transforming Child Care Institutions (CCIs) into spaces of holistic learning for children. We shall be working in 26 CCIs across 10 districts overall.

The team, which has now grown to nearly 30 members, spent 10 days in Bangalore immersing themselves in the organization’s core values, child rights, facilitation skills, issues of children in need of care and protection, and their own roles in the program. The new and the old members became one cohesive family at the end of the training and created goosebumps moments when they made an earnest commitment to the cause in their own words.

From Karnataka to Kashmir with love

And for news beyond the state, we were presented a rather unique opportunity to support young learners in a small under-resourced school in Pulgam, Jammu and Kashmir with story books for their library. For us who believe that children should get learning opportunities, no matter what, it was a simple act to respond to the requirement. The heartfelt acknowledgment we got when the books were received by the school however was exhilarating.

Watch the warmth with which this young boy shares his gratitude. It inspires us to do more, and we surely will. Love and learning know no borders.

Our rural interventions get a boost

Thanks to a new partnership with Symphony RetailAI, our intervention towards providing holistic learning opportunities to rural children in Gadag district received a fillip. With this support, we shall be working with 3 schools in Shirahatti Taluk and reaching out to nearly 400 children every year along with empowering teachers and engaging with parents. The schools have been carefully chosen – their locations are away from the Taluk hub, most of these children are first-generation learners and there are resource constraints in the schools – so that our program reaches the neediest.

When teachers become learners

For everyone of us working in education, we place a high level of expectations from teachers. But what is the kind of space and support that our teachers need to bring out their best? While searching for answers, we initiated a “Learning Circle” among teachers of the schools. The theme of this event was creating relevant Teaching Learning Materials (TLMs) and we only facilitated the circle and nudged the participants a bit. Barely a 2-hour event, we were able to witness the sharing of knowledge, best practices and creativity of the teachers without any constraints. There was a high level of participation from all teachers involved and most importantly, they enjoyed it and are looking for more such events in the future.

“It was a very happy occasion for all of us teachers to come and sit together and make Teaching Learning Materials TLMs). Here, I got to understand new different methods of making TLMs from other teachers. I am grateful that such a forum was coceptualized and I got an opportunity.”

Chitra
Science Teachers, GHPS Maralukunte

Learning Circles have a great potential in keeping the morale and creativity of the teachers at a high level and keep working at enhancing themselves. We are excited to see what lies ahead.

A lot more has happened in July than there is space to share. More than two hundred volunteers from Google and Alstom have created magic for our children through various initiatives; we have conducted baseline assessments for all our children across programs and we have been putting our hearts and minds to spice up our SPICE curriculum. More of that in the next edition.

We have a new Yuva Café!

The last weekend of June was an exciting one for us… One that culminated in the birth of something new!

Presenting our new Yuva Café at Gopalapuram, Bengaluru!

A safe space dedicated to empowering youth with programs aimed at helping them discover their true potential – programs in personality development, life skills and vocational training.

The Café witnessed a fervent welcome from the youth of the area, all filled with hope and excitement about the possibilities that now lay ahead of them.

The Yuva Café was inaugurated by Gandhinagar MLA, Dinesh Gundu Rao and Founder and Chairperson of Makkala Jagriti, Joy Srinivasan, and was followed by some wonderful music and dance performances by our youth. Here are a few glimpses:

Rising together with I-RISE

Makkala Jagriti’s I-RISE team, led by our Chairperson Joy Srinivasan, recently concluded a program with Bhumi Chennai where all the fellows of the Bhumi fellowship program were trained on aspects of community engagement and parent engagement through a 3-day experiential learning program.

As part of our eco-system approach, Makkala Jagriti has always focused on working with parents and equipping them to be more involved and effective stakeholders in a child’s development.

I-RISE is Makkala Jagriti’s wing that offers capacity-building and personal development programs for other organizations. If your organization would like similar training programs for your team, do write to us.

We learn while we teach

“If you’re going to teach, you should always be learning”- unknown.

This quote remained in the back of all our minds when we conducted a workshop for our teachers at the Anganwadis we work with, in partnership with Quess Corp and Careworks Foundation.

This workshop was designed to increase awareness about the importance of early learning and its role in a child’s development. It was filled with experiential learning activities which would enable the teachers to impact the lives of the children in a meaningful way.

“I was happy that we were able to learn and understand the best ways to help our children embark on a journey of lifelong learning,” says Mahadevamma, Anganwadi Teacher.

We’re thrilled to share a few pictures with you.

This training that we conduct has been possible thanks to the contributions of well-wishers like you. Your contribution can go a long way in ensuring the gift of early learning reaches our pre-schoolers so they have the right early childhood experiences, and are ready for school.

Introducing ‘Maneyalliye Oota, Maneyalliye Paatha’

Makkala Jagriti has partnered with Department of Women and Child Development, Government of Karnataka, for a state-wide intervention to support home-based schooling. Aptly called ‘Maneyalliye Oota, Maneyalliye Paatha’, the program was launched by Hon. Minister Smt. Shashikala Jolle, Department of Women and Child Development.

It aims at equipping and encouraging parents to engage children in learning activities during the months when schools and Anganawadis remain closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Watch this video to learn more:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDQWzXwZHxk  

We are SAN Certified!

As an organization keenly aligned to learning and evolving, Makkala Jagriti welcomed Social Audit Network (SAN) India, a chapter of Social Audit Network UK, to conduct an impact study for our school programme. The study, designed for the period of 2016 to 2019, included interviews, discussions and surveys with key stakeholders, team members, donors and volunteers that offered a detailed analysis of the programme and its impact. It gave us an opportunity to empirically record the depth of our impact and understand how the programme could be strengthened. We had some interesting findings, new learnings and also a lot of satisfaction to learn that we are in the right direction.

Raising funds to support “Learning under Lockdown”

Makkala Jagriti stepped up quickly to support children and families from underserved communities during the Covid pandemic. Ever since the lockdown, with schools continuing to remain closed, we have supported over 18,000 children and youth from marginalized communities across Karnataka through allround support – from essential supplies to thoughtfully designed “Learning Kits” for home schooling.

To help us meet these emergency expenses, we have been raising funds on Give India through generous donors and supporters like you. To donate, visit our campaign page.