It’s always very exciting to
start something new. The mind starts imagining what it would be like, how would
I go about it, what new things can I do which I didn’t thought earlier, what
will be the results, would I succeed or not and so on. This is my condition after
attending the Ethical Leadership Assembly of the Dalai Lama Fellows. The ELA
was certainly a new experience and the project though an old one, would be
newer experience too.
I have been doing my project on
education with children earlier, but this time I wanted to be different –
different in the way I would approach them and work with them. Since I had
decided to work with children from the lower income families many of them
staying in slums, I knew it would be very difficult to build rapport and keep
up their motivation in the activities. I know therefore that I have to
be innovative, very innovative. For example, I thought do I really need to
start by taking regular sessions with children? That sounds so traditional and
boring. Can I just guide them and provide materials to make creative things,
crafts and toys, and allow them to do at their home? The Education Center in
the community can be open to them whenever they want to come. Can I start by playing
with them what they are playing? And then slowly organize into sessions. These are
some rough ideas going in my mind before I actually start. Its implementation
however depends on where do I actually start.
I have been searching for a place
to start the center for children and contacting few people for the same. I have
come across two alumni from TISS who also want to start a center in a community
in M ward area of Mumbai for their new NGO. They are working with youth of the
community. We are planning to start a common center since neither I nor they
want to use it full time. We can therefore share the expenses as well. However finding
a place for the center is becoming a tough job. We have identified various places
but none is perfect and has some problem or the other with them. But we are
hoping to find it soon and start as early as possible. We talked to people from another local trust who is working with community people. They shared some of their experiences of how even after working honestly for the people, they don't get good response from them. It becomes very frustrating sometimes. It again remind me of the amount of effort and innovation I will need to bring to establish rapport and work with the people and the children.
