Research child development programmes
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To ensure a good future for the children of Vadgam, we need to organise child development activities for children of various age groups in Vadgam - primary (under 13 years), secondary (13-16 years), higher secondary (14-17 years) and the youth in college (17-20 years). We also need to include children not attending school, or drop-outs.
Similar child development programmes have been run by various institutes and NGOs. Also, our neighbours can help with providing material and online training. We should also be able to identify people in Vadgam or nearby villages who can help with any child development activities.
Hello,
I know it's been a while since I've posted.
Here's a link to an open training platform, that could be used for vocational training as well as other subjects for all ages. It is run by UNESCO, most of the programs are free, easily accessable and don't require fancy equipment. I had this link from a previous project on UNV.
I hope that it's helpful.
Open Training Platform (http://www.opentrainingplatform.com/) It can also be used to train teachers.
Sincerely,
Estelle
Hello,
Here's another link. Gardens for Life. A life skills program that teaches children about sustainable farming and basically about life. Where everything starts. It's a collaborative school project- that is different schools work together.
Sincerely,
Estelle
Thanks Estelle. This link is really good.
Nitin: Please have a look at the UNESCO link - it has good sites on child nutrition etc.
Are there people in Vadgam who can read through these sites and train the children?
Hello to all,
Really a fantastic link provide by Estelle.Its looking good.I will go through the all the topic and will try to find out which is helpful to our children development project,both the link will be helpful.I am requesting Ann and Poonam and also our valuable neighbours to pl.go through the site and find best thing among it for our project.
Poonam: Ok I will look UNESCO link,but unfortunately no people in vadgam who can read through these programme and train the children.My self try to do it and also expecting ann,poonam and neighbours help.
Estelle: Thank you very much for a good site.
Regards,
Nitin
Some of the programmes we can develop, with the help of our neighbours and the UNESCO link that Estelle has provided could be:
1)Children's Health and Nutrition - Guidelines to good health
2)Importance of Education
3)Care for the Environment
4)Various options for study and careers (for slightly older children)
5)Summer camp in April/May
Neighbours: Welcome any additions to the above list. Please give some thought to how we can help the children of Vadgam.
6.Involvement of parents.
Creating awareness through group discussion in formal or informal way in a social gathering regarding the all the above programs which are aimed for the development of all the children.
Elders or other people slightly interested must be motivated repetedly for the noble cause and get their involvement.
It certainly helps for the success of our mission.
Hello everyone,
since the project is based in India, I think it appropriate and usefull to train both the children and youth as well as their parents about ayurvedic health and nutrition.
Perhaps there's an ayurvedic practitioner nearby that could provide some training?
Personally I've found ayurvedic food recommendations specifically tailored to my doshas much better than any western nutrition advice. It really helps me understand which food is good for me and why and I can feel the difference.
Ayurveda has studied Indian food for centuries and doesn't only take into consideration each persons individual doshas but also advices on climate and seasonal variations.
Moreover, it doesn't stop at food but is generally full of advice on how to lead a healthy life.
In case that you're not aware of a local practitioner, you could visit www.ayushakti.com. Perhaps they could help you find a suitable trainer.
I hope this helps.
Best wishes
Antje
Based on Kofi Thompson's information (who has made this posting on another link in our village), I have obtained the attached information on educational software for children between the age of 6 to 14 from another village in Uganda.
I have attached the links here.
Nitin: Please go through the links and see what we can use. I will do the same as well.
Hi all,
As there's only one PC available in Vadgam (Nitin's) I'm not sure if PC based training would be suitable.
I suggest we also look into other development ideas :-)
Nitin, could you tell us which subject you think is most important. What would you like the children to learn?
Warm regards,
Pelle
Hello,
Pelle is right about that. We need to look into programs that don't need computers.
There are many alternative education programs available in India. They are usually used by schools that offer a different type of education, more humanistic. If that's what Nitin wants, then we can look into those schools and ask them if they can assist us in setting up our own programme that suits the needs of the children.
Sincerely,
Estelle
Hi all,
I agreed with pelle & Estelle.First we need to make a programme to how we going to work step by step.as pelle informed only one pc available, so PC based training would be not suitable at the moment.I go through the link provide by neighbours and save it to my pc for future use.
I think English,Maths and science is the main subject for education programme.we need to find out how to this subject make easy for children to learn,we need to find out a ideas to make it easy learn.E.g.How can maths make easy by various trick and tips.
I am requesting all of you to pl.suggest your ideas also for other development.I am also thinking that slide show also be helpful to children to better understanding,but we have not a facility for show it on big screen.If we get a hardcopy materials regarding child development its also be helpful to encourage the childrens.
I also welcome software programme if available.I will store in to my pc and will be useful for when require.
We need to prepare a child for better future,how can and which type of help we provide?is the point.
once again requesting all of you pl.be provide information and help as you understand will be useful to child and youth development.
Poonam:-Ok,I go through the documents attached by you and keep useful information.
Thanking you to all of you,
warm regards,
Nitin
Hi,
Kofi Thompson has posted the following message on 'Meet the neighbours' link:
Namaste,
I just had an email from Poonam - and want to say thank you for inviting me to join your children's project. And as I told Poonam, I would like to mull over things for a few days and see what I can also do to contribute to the success of your project.
Just as a matter of interest, is your area within any eco-tour company's in-bound destination tour circuit? I ask because most eco-tourists today, like to do a spot of volunteering, whiles travelling (volun-tourism): and teaching children in your village, could easily be added on, to the tour packages of an eco-tour company, should you approach them.
Some volunteers stay on anything from a few days to as long as a whole year ("gap year" for young travellers!). So, do you know any eco-tour companies you could develop a partnership with?
And as many of the eco-tourists prefer "homestay" packages (in which they pay local families to stay in their homes), as part of the cultural immersion, which they wish to experience, in order to get a taste of the authentic lives of their hosts, you could also generate extra income in the village that way - whiles broadening the outlook of the children, through their interaction with the volunteers!
The Indian High Commission here, has been very good to me over the years - so I would like to return their kindess, by doing all I can for you too!
Well, as this is my first posting, I would like to introduce myself to you. I am from Ghana - and I am a writer and farm organically too, in addition to that.
Best wishes from Ghana to you all - and to the children above all!
Warmest regards,
Kofi.
Nitin,
We can prepare the training material for the programmes that we select. Do you have volunteers who can teach? You can check with local school teachers there, or any volunteer organisations that work around the area.
We can also request the volunteer group that has approached us for the same.
Kofi has mentioned that we could search for eco-tourists (with the help of the local State tourism board) who can also assist us with this. Will you be able to contact the Gujarat State tourism board for this?
Namaster,
Juast a short note to say thank you to Poonam for coming to my rescue - and posting this here, for me! I do hope you will have some luck with the two organisations, I suggested you contact, Poonam. Perhaps Nabuur HQ could also develop a partnership with both of them, going forward - so i suggest you give their contact details to Claudia and Pelle - to share it with the HQ staff, during their regular review meetings.
Namaster,
Juast a short note to say thank you to Poonam for coming to my rescue - and posting this here, for me! I do hope you will have some luck with the two organisations, I suggested you contact, Poonam. Perhaps Nabuur HQ could also develop a partnership with both of them, going forward - so i suggest you give their contact details to Claudia and Pelle - to share it with the HQ staff, during their regular review meetings.