Keeping 3-15 year olds in slums, away from juvenile crimes...

My model oF Neem Schools for value education of urban slum children, for injecting value gene in new generation for keeping them away from juvenile crimes.

CASE

I started the initiative in 2010 in New Delhi, aimed at creating ‘Self Respecting Universally Conscious Citizens’, out of the urban slum children. Neem schools are run by us under ‘Neem Trees’ in the centre of the slum. (Neem is synonymous to cleansing and so is Value Education, hence the name Neem School run under Neem Trees, as alternate schools). The reason being 14% of Delhi’s slum population gives birth to more than 4 times juvenile crime! & there has been an increase in juvenile rapes by 188%!

Our initiative of ‘Neem Schools for Value Education’ of urban slum & construction workers children, under Neem Trees, is done in the center of the slum, in a tri partnership model (between children, parents & value initiator) using simple ‘experiential learning techniques, also used by IB’ for easy & high retention and application of learning.

Our methodology is ‘learner centric’, taking care of child’s individual learning needs and learning styles. The value education, experiment has been done by us, on over 1000+ children living in slums by launching 4 schools, 2 in Delhi & 2 in Gurgaon...now expanded to more than 15 neem schools in Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Agra. In this model, we aim to make the slum children into ‘Value Multipliers’ for spreading the values among their parents and neighborhood.

The Neem Schools, focus on imparting, 'Value Education' through 5 step fun & learn process, environment education by way of street plays and personal hygiene by practical demo's, as well as good citizenship . Reading and writing skills are developed along with Painting workshops by foreign experts and cultural programs. Visits to Museum and Parks as educational visits.. medical and eye check-up camps, sponsored by hospitals.

Today Neem Schools run by Delhi University Colleges, IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay, Dayalbagh Educational Intitute DEI, in Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, & Agra Slums.

Interns / Volunteers i.e. Value Initiators are from Corporate, DEI, DU & IITs

Prayer and understanding their Mantras is an important methodology for injecting the Value Gene

Community Service as Part of Respecting the Environment

Community Service as part of ''Swachh Bharat, Swachh HUM''

Our Simple but Effective Methodologies, help in retaining children in Neem Schools (while major reason of school drop-outs from formal education boys – 67.5%, is dis-interest in studies)

OUR NEEM SCHOOL UNIQUE HIGHLIGHTs:

-       School goes to children, right in the center of the slum where they live.

-       Schools under Neem Trees (Neem synonymous to cleansing like ‘Value Education’)

-       All children attend School : already going to school, school dropouts and those who have never gone to School. Timing is matched i.e. after regular school hours.

-       Tri partnership Model (Parents, children, Value Initiators)

-       Totally Experiential Learning for higher retention, reflection and implementation

-       Creativity, Action and Service (CAS) (approved by IB)

-       Highly Trained, very motivated ‘Value Initiators’

-       Continuous Capacity Building of ‘Value Initiators’

-       Slum children become ‘aValue Multipliers’ for spreading value education

-       Mentors adopt children 1:10 for sustainability

-       My aim is to make every child an active, compassionate and life-long learner & Value based Universally Conscious Citizen.

-       High voluntarism leading to higher employee retention & satisfaction for Company

-     WE ARE RUNNING NEEM CHOOLS, COVERING HUNDREDS OF SLUM CHILDREN UNDER VALUE EDUCATION FOR LAST 10 YEARS 

 NO MONEY EXCHANGED HANDS TILL DATE

HOW WE DO IT:

1.   We use home grown experiential learning techniques, which I have been innovating, experimenting and using for my corporate & institute clients since the last 15-16 years. For example the 5 step simple process of story-telling, that helps to sensitize the child, makes him think, reflect, recall, apply, modify, and multiply!

2.   We aim to develop inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. We need to make active, compassionate and life-long learners. This is also the Mission of International Baccalaureate, which is approved globally.

3.   Each student is different from another. We need to take and work on each child separately as per the MI theory (Multiple Intelligences) of Howard Gardner of Harvard University. We need to introduce and identify multiple intelligences in our students, develop their abilities to create MI strategies.

4.   Painting ‘Dream Flags’ to develop inspiration and life goals, while putting stars in the eyes of these children, and making them realize that they are no different from others and that they can also reach what they aspire for!

5.   Neem school students need to understand the ways in which we discover & express ideas, feelings, nature, cultural beliefs & values, and the ways in which we express our feelings affects our relationships.

6.   Volunteer work by senior students & corporate volunteers, at Neem Schools takes CAS into account:

CAS: Creativity, Action and Service, is also an integral part of IB Curriculum.

           C- Creativity – Experiences related to creative thinking                     

           A – Activity – physical exertion contributing to a healthy life style.

           S – Service – Voluntary service to man-kind.

           A good CAS program is a self-discovery journey for students.

5.   Some Methodologies and Strategies, we use to enhance learning in Neem school students:

-       Story telling, role playing, poster making, quiz, video movies , books, practical implementation and then sharing of how they could activate the value imbibed

-       Taking different perspectives, and opinions, making idea owners

-       Buddy system for handholding small & slow children

-       Discussion to help children gain an understanding of how their words of appreciation or actions can lead to good feelings.

-         Learning to think about other’s feelings builds empathy and tolerance.

-         Reflection by students of their work and behavior.

-         Special focus on developing gender sensitivity for reducing crimes against women

-         Working towards a Value Conscious Universal Citizen!

Impact on Children:

In 4-6 weeks, small paradigm shifts, in way of thinking of children and their parents is noticed:

-       Initially in the first week, children would take the biscuits and hide them in pockets, when asked they would pretend not having got them. After 1-2 weeks at Neem School , they would say ‘I have got it, he (other child) has not got the biscuits, Mam please give her!

-       One child (7 years old), would smoke and drink alcohol with his parents, just after a week of counselling he reported ‘Mam, I do not drink alcohol or smoke cigarette now’! At least the child starts thinking and reflecting in order to take CORRECTIVE ACTION.

-       Children will try to grab the color pencils, stationary items etc, in the first week, but slowly and gradually as we empower them to keep all the stock of things themselves and distribute to all children, with rotation, the habit of keeping things for themselves, is reversed, i.e. they start taking care of other children’s needs, and will take care of their buddies and smaller children first, & then themselves.’

-       Buddy system is also helping in older children trying to protect the younger ones and respecting each other, whom they used to hit and scorn earlier!

Impact On Parents:

-       Parents come and sit with their children and give inputs for their behavior modification.

-       Parents also inform us, ‘children are doing and behaving exactly the way you tell them’

-       After we worked with the children for 3-4 months and worked at driving in them urge to learn and go to formal schools. A parent reportedly said to me ‘Madam, my husband along with my children got so motivated, that he has now gone himself to put the children into regular school even when he had to pay 3000/- rupees’!

Impact On Neighborhood Community:

-       The neighborhood people in the buildings next to the ‘Neem School’ would earlier remark ‘these children will steal things, from our expensive cars…’’, which were parked there!’ But now enquire, the children’s whereabouts, when the school is closed for a few days, during very hot weather’! Some offer, ‘’can we come and give our voluntary services, some of them offer toys, books, stationery, chocolates for the children’!

Conclusion:

 After research and application, we conclude that since the core values of world religions are similar and all direct us towards a peaceful co-existence, by using the values of respect, tolerance, humility and brotherhood, leading to ‘Better Worldliness’, the holistic, need based and integrated nurturing of each individual be it in the organizational, family or social domains, using the 5 Kosha Model, driven by the ‘Brainstilling’ for an instant internal connect, will be the ultimate answer to employee and human happiness. All will be able to relate to it i.e. applicability of the model will be transnational, trans organizational, and trans sectoral.

 From the Case also, we can substantiate that Value creation in Slum children through innovative learning methods and tri partnership may have small but lasting impact in making self-respecting universally conscious citizen hence better Worldliness for future generations.

 References:

 1.                 Anjali Nigam, 2009, ‘Evolving a Management Model based on Core Values of World Religions’, PGD Theology Project dissertation.

2.                 Anjali Nigam & Ajit Nigam, 2011, ‘Value Based Spiritual Leadership at Workplace- Means to Achieve Higher Levels of Social Consciousness’