Bravo! FSL-India’s Youth Development Program takes baby steps

Bravo! FSL-India’s Youth Development Program takes baby steps

Bravo! FSL-India’s YDP has taken its first baby steps…

Post the YDP workshop on facilitation, FSL-India’s coordinators identified potential schools in their respective zones for initiating the YDP Play sessions. The beginning of the play sessions also marks the beginning of YDP’s pilot phase.

Our coordinators visited the schools to request permission officially and met up with the Heads of the schools. Some schools openly embraced the concept of YDP based on the credibility of past experience with FSL-India and our coordinators, whereas some schools requested for permission from the BEO. All in all, almost all schools gave their consent to begin our YDP sessions.

The pilot phase has been initiated with 9 schools, across 5 zones. Post permission, a baseline survey was conducted with the youth of age 13-14 years. Our pilot phase only includes the youth from 7th or 8th grade. This survey was to assess the youth on self, emotional, intellectual and social competencies. These are the domains we will be aiming to develop in children with our YDP intervention. This survey will be repeated at the end of the pilot phase to assess the impact of the shift in the youth before and after the YDP intervention.

YDP’s Play Planet intervention encourages youth to participate, play, have fun and learn from each other, and simultaneously grow with each other. One of the most enlivening pieces of FSL-India’s Youth Development Program is our Play Planet sessions. These sessions are facilitated for the youth of age 13-16 years, with specific objectives of self-development and community engagement. And, we use play based learning and experiential learning methodologies to bring out a sense of self and belongingness in youth.

All FSL-India’s coordinators were trained to design and facilitate play sessions for the youth. They were also introduced to debriefing an experience by asking questions. Debriefing enables the youth to reflect on themselves, their group and their behaviours.

YDP took its big leap in the first week of December! Our coordinators facilitated the first Play Planet sessions in the target schools. The sessions began at Kundapur and Bangalore, and were facilitated by Mr Manjesh, Mr Dinesh, Mr Venkatesh and Ms Ashwini.

It was filled with aliveness and action; some giggles and laughter; some running and some tapping; some cheering and some clapping; some jumping and some  twisting; some making faces and some moving; It was the power of play, playing at its best, said the facilitators. And, the photographs speak volumes of the enthusiasm and energy created during the sessions. We are two sessions completed and eagerly looking forward to the upcoming ones. Regardless to say, who doesn’t like to play?! Isn’t it?

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