Make a Sustainable Place to Play in the City

We believe in design driven stories and innovation. Every year, we add a new element, twist, new set of entrepreneurial skills, stories to our Be! Schools Program.  Before our skills stories reach 130,000 children in Government schools, these stories and games are first shared with their teachers. A massive teacher training workshop begins at the month of June across multiple districts of Bihar. Last year we took them on a journey of stories. We used movies, short clips as well as organised mock storytelling experiences for the participants.

This year 2015, we have geared up to an exciting new chapter. Lights were turned off, entry passes were collected and everyone took to their seats wondering what was about to start. This time we shared our stories through a grand sound, art and light show.

We created an experience as per the theme of our stories. The first five new stories for the year were told with the use of visual and sound effects. The first book was ‘The Indian Train Journey: A Postcard Adventure’.  The session was designed to make one feel as if they were on the train along with our protagonist, the postcards that came to her, the view it showed etc.  Post the story, they played a game called perfect match where they had to match a demand to a supply, an enterprise and also find their corresponding customers.

The second story was, ‘The Book of Leaves’ which was along the theme Solution to Pollution. The video showed how the pollution takes a toll on us and the time it takes to decompose. A banana peel would take two weeks, a paper bag would take 4 months but a plastic bag would take millions and millions of years. Post the video, we brought in alternate options to treat garbage at our homes and how we should segregate them. We also started clay pot compost which if started on a large scale, can be a prospective enterprise. Participants shared their ideas to solve pollution and how we can together bring a change. Post the story, participants played a game that taught them about cash flow. As part of their skills challenge, they were given a big desk of resources using which they made something useful that could solve a problem.

The third story was, ‘From here to there, women drivers are everywhere’. The video showed a large number of women drivers who drive autos, bikes, cars, and even tractors breaking the stereotype. This book gives an inspiration to women and young girls who ride cycles and bikes but eventually stop due to societal pressures. In a world where there are women pilots, astronauts, train drivers, tractor drivers, young girls should never stop riding their cycles. Post the video, teachers played a game which shows how we can use the power of social connections and the theory of six degrees of separation. They came up with fun, fictional stories to use their six cards or connections to reach to the person they want to meet. As part of their skills challenge, participants were given a blueprint of a cycle. While some transformed it to a cycle that could become a boat, somebody added a more comfortable seat. There was one cycle with a solar mobile phone-charging device. This activity brought out many ideas for innovation based on necessities they see around them, everywhere.

The fourth story was ‘Plan Bee’ which showed the depleting nature of our farms due to the use of harmful toxic chemicals. The benefits of honey bees that help in increase the productivity of the farms as well as provide organic honey. This story introduced to the concept of beekeeping enterprises that can help us save the farms. Participants made a marketing strategy as part of their skills challenge to market this concept to the farmers through slogans, catchy radio scripts, posters, pamphlets etc.

The fifth story was ‘Seher’s bolt of lightning’. The video showed how often when the power cuts, the helplessness people go through in the dark. The moment the fan starts again, the relief we get and the amount of ease having electricity brings to our lives.  The concept of using natural and renewable solar energy was introduced in this story. Participants played a game where made their own business plans to start an enterprise that would solve a problem in the community.

We ended the workshop with a fun photo shoot which had props from the stories we read about- a train, honey bees on sunflowers, a tractor. Teachers loved the concept of visual and sound show and their eyes were glued to the screens. They only wished if it went longer and never stopped. It gave them a broader sense of where the story originates from, what is the bigger problem the story is addressing to and how there are many more solutions other than the ones we are discussing in the stories.  The Art, Light and Sound Show was a huge success and we can’t wait to share it with hundreds of other teachers across Bihar.