This is the summer camp project. AJ Trust runs three camps in a year. Summer camp is a major event. Each year the Trust works with a theme, to simulate thinking and decision making capacity. All camps involve formal lectures, activities to enhance cognitive, kinesthetic and social skills. During this summer the theme is about Kaadu - meaning the forest. The participants are from a tribal village surrounded by small hillocks and forests. The theme is in their honour.
Madurai schools teach little or no art education. Every year, 90% of high-school graduates walk out with a diploma in Science, Mathematics, Technology, and Engineering. Scarce resources, and unfair student-teacher-ratio prevent building a holistic curriculum. Absence of an arts curriculum creates a deficit in learning, critical thinking, sense of freedom, political participation, and lowers employment opportunity. This affects young people's political participation and distributive justice.
AJ Trust equips 750-1000 Madurai young adults with a holistic art education, to improve their communication, team-building, critical thinking, and social skills. All art modules and productions focus on exposure to global and local themes. They learn to use and review the internet as a medium and resource. This opens doors for young people to pursue an expressive culture, and diversify their employment opportunities. This shall be a modular program to be implemented in all districts.
Knowing is growing. This project aims at embracing the underprivileged; removing the dichotomy in school education and learning; enabling self-discovery; and tapping into different artistic potentials. Critical and pro-social thinking and action form the core of this program. This would help learners gain a holistic approach to life. They are self-actualized, cohesive, and better participants in a harmonious and meaningful democracy. The processes evolve, transform, and empower simultaneously.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
