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Children as agents of change

Project Citizen, a social awareness programme piloted by children, aims to ring in social changes

FOR THE PEOPLE A student of Chinmaya Vidyalaya conducting a presentation as part of the school's `Project Citizen'

If in a short while from now, you find your children initiating senior citizen safety campaigns, helping restore historical monuments, cautioning you on food adulteration, and, advising you on your rights and responsibilities with conviction and awareness, don't be surprised. Be proud. And don't forget to thank the teachers at the Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Vaduthala. The school is piloting Project Citizen, a civic awareness programme initiated by the Centre for Civic Education, Calabasas, United States, in Kerala.

Says Maya Mohan, the principal of the school, "the aim of Project Citizen is to promote the principles and practice of democracy. Last year, our school had participated in the training programme conducted at Ramjas School, Delhi, which pioneered this project in India. It is an ambitious but also a very functional plan to make responsible citizens out of our children."

Students participating in the project are divided into four groups. After choosing a relevant issue, the first group collects information on various aspects of the problem, the second group researches on the existing public policies at different levels of the government that address the issue, the third group proposes alternative policies and then makes a suggestion as to which of these can be effectively implemented. The fourth group then devises an action plan based on the suggestions and together with the other groups, implements it.

The programme has been on in full swing at the school since late last year. The students adopted the issue of effective waste management and presented their research and efforts of the past months before an august audience that included the A. P. M. Mohammed Hanish, District Collector, on May 26.

"The apathy and cynicism, characteristic of adults when it comes to social issues, is a form of learnt helplessness. The best feature of this programme is its structured and proactive approach. It's not just about good intentions, it's about constructive action," says Kamala Rajashekhar, a teacher at Chinmaya who underwent training in Delhi,

The school recently conducted a five-day teacher's training programme with about 16 city schools participating, the rationale being to create a ripple effect that will take the programme forward. Says Sarah John, a teacher from Delta School, Fort Kochi, "it was a refreshing experience - almost felt like a fun summer camp for us teachers. We were trained in exactly the same way we are now expected to train our students. Children really need to realise how empowered they actually are."

Anyone familiar with pester power will acknowledge the fact that children possess the natural ability to get themselves heard and to effect change. Project Citizen aims at increasing the child's awareness of the same. An initiative that holds a lot of promise, it seeks to tap into a child's resources of time, enthusiasm, ingenuity and single mindedness and is all set to create a generation of empowered and socially responsible citizens.

Here's wishing the young (and through them, hopefully the older) agents of change, all the very best!

SANTHY BALACHANDRAN

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