LSE enters its Second Stage – Creating Young Change Agents

Adolescents are not kids. Period. They are young adults. Most of us fail to understand that. And that is what leads to clashes between teenagers and the rest of the world. While we keep thinking that these teenage years are just over energetic growing up years where kids are just hyper and angry all the time, these young adults observe some major changes in themselves  – physically, psychologically as well as socially – and need the guidance to learn and accept the ways of life. These (hyper) years of growing up is the time when their energy can be tapped into to instil in them the core values and skills that are needed by every single individual to lead a healthy, informed, independent and quality life.

The Education & Development Vertical of Mumbai Smiles, thus, launched its Life Skills Empowerment Project (LSE) in the year 2014 to tap into these energies to create young leaders or changemakers. Sarvoparita Parmar, Unit Head of Education & Development, sheds light on their plan for the second stage of this project, “In 2014, we started this project for the girls of the select community with the aim of their mental and psycho-socio development. This included the list of skills listed by the WHO (World Health Organisation) like the reflective skills (such as critical thinking and problem solving), personal skills (such as self-awareness in terms of physical as well as mental changes that teenage years bring with it) and inter-personal skills. Along with these, we also included workshops on self-defence, field visits to police stations etc.”

Exposure Visit for LSE Girls to a Police Station

Exposure Visit for LSE Girls to a Post Office

This is where the question arose, why only girls? To which she replied, “That question is exactly what came up in the review session of the first batch at the end of the year! Even the girls gave us an example that they are learning about self-defence and filing an FIR in case of harassment. But what about the boys, who are often the harassers? Shouldn’t they be taught the right from wrong and about accepting their physical changes in a positive way? And that is when, in 2015, we started with LSE for boys as well!”

Field Coordinator, Pravin Birhade conducting an outdoor LSE session for boys

Sports Activity Organised for LSE Boys

And so in the year 2016, LSE has now entered its second stage; that is the stage of giving a chance to these young adults to become peer-educators.

Unit Head Sarvoparita Parmar, with Field Coordinator Pravin Birhade, discussing the LSE activities for the year 2016-2017.

Parmar explains, “With both the previous two batches, we counselled each of our beneficiaries to continue with or return to education; or in case of elder ones, we helped them with securing employment as well. Today, all of them are handling responsibilities of their communities as peer-educators. They come and talk to the new batch as an Alumni. They tell these new beneficiaries on how they have become more mature, responsible and confident in life, able to handle life-situations with complete knowledge of which authorities to approach or what steps to take. And this is our success. We are aiming to create communities are self-reliant. It is like connecting the dots. We empower ONE. That ONE empowers TWO, starting with their own family. That TWO empower THREE of their neighbours. And so the entire community is then empowered – with knowledge and with confidence.”

And that is how the LSE project is aiming to create a Chain of Change, by developing Young Change Agents in these young adults, to make Aamchi Mumbai, a better place to live in. The new sessions of 2016-17 begin in the first week of August.