True to our name, we at YSD strongly believe that with opportunities and proper support, youth can play a significant role in social development. Education and skills to navigate life – such as employability, emotional intelligence, communications and leadership – are central to becoming a well-rounded individual. To widen and strengthen the pool, we start early.
To ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all, we work with children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds, including those living in slums and remote rural and tribal areas, and children with disabilities. We seek to improve both the demand (education seeking behaviour) and the supply side (public school education system) of education and learning.
Working with government schools and teachers, we shall run “Community Educational Learning and Support Centre” programme to achieve these objectives. We seek to impact the entire eco-system for a sustainable change:
a. Improve education seeking behaviour : work with children, parents and the community.
b. Improve the delivery system :
(1) work with the school and teachers,
(2) work with the local government structures,
(3) work with leading technical partners in the space of foundational education.
c. Strengthen the support system :
(1) Provide support to the community and community facilitators,
(2) Provide support to parents to better their income; minimize child labour, prevent gender-based biases and discrimination
Designed to enable children and youth (10-19 years) to take charge of their lives, this programme focuses on employability skills, life skills, health, hygiene and nutrition, protection from socially harmful practices and gender-based violence. We seek to inculcate in participants a deep social awareness and empathy about dignity and equality, rights and responsibilities as a citizen of India and a member of our immediate community. Skills like communication, participation, critical thinking, problem solving, negotiation and decision making are imparted to participants so that they could fully – effectively and meaningfully – participate in their lives.
In an extremely challenging environment, child rights are often compromised the most. We shall continue to build an enabling environment for children and young people so that they are able to explore and realise their potential. We shall facilitate the engagement of all the key stakeholders in ensuring child rights friendly spaces – family, village, panchayat, city and district. The overall aim will be to collectively build and sustain an eco-system where children’s survival, development, protection and participation are ensured and celebrated.
One of the key strategies will be to involve the duty bearers in co-creating a sensitive and responsive eco-system.
