Enable 100 low-income girls to complete graduation

Executive Summary

Udayan Shalini Fellowship (USF), one of the unique programmes of Udayan Care that aims to promote and support higher education for girls from disadvantaged background to develop them into dignified independent young women. The fellowship ensures that the lives of the girls do not succumb to monetary hardships and they do not give away their most cherished dream of thinking big and making a mark for themselves. However, USF is not just envisaged as a monetary assistance programme, but rather, as a holistic programme of sustained mentoring support and association. The growth is fostered with continued association of mentoring, motivational workshops, and development of socially responsible behavior through awareness drives. The fellowship stands as different because of its pyramidal mentoring.

The six months were filled with a series of activities which included Quarterly Workshop, Small Group Workshop, mentor mentee meets. Quarterly workshops were conducted on SMART PARADIGMS- SPELL SUCCESS. Small group workshops conducted on imbibing the skills and tools for creating and preparing a resume. Workshop on ‘leadership’ built an understanding on the effective and ineffective styles of leadership whereas team building sessions developed an applicability of Team Building Skills in the different life situations.

Five days’ residential camp on Comprehensive Sexual education and Leadership Building echoed as the central theme of the USF residential program was a mixed bag of imparting knowledge and fun based exposure for the fellows.

Details of Progress during Reporting Period:

Workshop on resume building

OBJECTIVES

• To develop the skills and tools for creating and preparing a Resume.
• To Understand the format of Resume
• Differentiating what is acceptable what is not while writing a Resume.
• Reflection on how to make Resume effective

CONCLUSIVE OUTCOME:

• Understood the importance of introspection required for building an impressive and earnest Resume.
• Got a better understanding of the format of the Resume and approach to make them more effective.
• Accepted the importance of tailoring Resume as per the requirements of the job.

Workshop on “Smart Paradigm- Spell Success”

SESSION ONE: The facilitator conducted the workshop on “Smart Paradigms, spell success”. The facilitator first aired a question on the understanding of the word paradigm to fellows to which the responses were – it is a set of beliefs, values, ideas one possesses. The facilitator, reflecting on the responses of the fellows, explained paradigm to be Mental maps based on the principle of our brain of matching things. For better understanding on the same, certain pictures were shown.

EMPHASIS OF THE SESSION:

• Understood the word paradigm and necessity of having strong self-paradigm.
• Learnt on the understanding of building positive paradigms for oneself

SESSION TWO: The second session was conducted by Mr. Kwatra who is the ex- principle of Hans Raj College; he has many degrees in diverse fields. The prof. talks excessively on patience, perseverance, practice; these are the 3Ps on which one should have a great hold. To excel in any area of life, the main component which is needed is PATIENCE; patience to wait till the outcome is achieved. Showing patience at a time when hurdles come our way, perseverance is being persistent in our work, ways and approach towards life, practice is the only way to get success and master in whatever we are doing.

SESSION THREE: YP FOUNDATION- Comprehensive Sexual Education

YP Foundation initiated a campaign called “know your body, know your right” as a part of comprehensive sexual education program. To familiarize with the subject, the representatives of the organization, talked on India’s first youth led campaign on why sexual education should be accessible to young people.

The facilitators explained the need of the program with few facts, which was recognized when Population Council did a National Study on “ Youth in India” to discover that of a total population of over 50,000 young people, only 15% of young people have access to information from their parents or teachers on any kind of sexual education. By 18, 28% of Indian women will have given birth to a child and 49% will be married. Of 2.5 million people in India who are HIV+, 50% of all new infections take place amongst young people between 15-24 years of age.

During adolescence, we all go through the same feelings and in dearth of proper guidance young people often indulge in activities which often lead them into difficulties in life. Prevention can only come via proper guidance, and proper guidance will only come when we as a society start taking the matter of sexual education seriously.

EMPHASIS OF THE SESSION:

• Learnt about the campaign “know your Body, know your Rights”.
• Understood the importance of having comprehensive sexual education as a part of our educational curriculum

GROUP ACTIVITY 1 : Who’s your leader?

DESCRIPTION

Facilitator asked the fellows “Who according to them is their leader in personal life”?

Each fellow had to think about one such person and the reason for considering them a leader. Each of them had to share responses.   

OUTCOME

Majority responded, school principal, uncle, best friend, elder sister, and mother as leaders. Qualities emerging out of the discussion were vision to see, loved by all, convincing power, team worker, daring and many others. Further the fellows discussed upon the reasons for choosing these people as their leaders.

GROUP ACTIVITY 2: Debate it out- Leaders are not born but made

DESCRIPTION

On the basis of the position they took on the topic, fellows were divided into two teams-For and Against the motion.

OUTCOME

Each and every fellow was able to put forward their stand to strengthen their argument. While some strongly believed that leadership is inbuilt characteristic and is possessed by only a few of them. The opposite team gave views that leadership can be developed with experience and time and everyone has the equal potential of becoming a leader.

GOLDEN RULES OF LEADERSHIP –The workshop  highlighted golden rules to summarize the discussion

• Be approachable-A leader cannot sit in his cabin and ask team mates to meet some other time.
• Lead bravely- Have courage to face at the same of controversies.
• Acceptance-Accept the mistakes as you would accept the success.
• Communicate frequently-Don’t lose touch with those who consider you a leader.
• A Leader is not God.-Don’t consider yourself a solution to everything and anything.

CONCLUSIVE OUTCOME

• Reflection about their development as an effective leaders in future.
• Practical learning about linkages between leadership skills and personality development.

Workshop on Comprehensive Sexual education and Leadership Building echoed as the central theme of the USF residential program’ 2016, the camp saw the participation of 37 fellows from Delhi centre. A six day long camp from 30th May held at Jagshanti Udayan Ghar, Greater Noida, was a mixed bag of imparting knowledge and fun based exposure.

OBJECTIVES:

• To enhance knowledge on sexual and reproductive health
• To build understanding on the changes and the reasons behind the changes in the body
• To advance leadership to enable young people’s access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Information and Services.

STORIES from Residential Camp: BREAKING INHIBITIONS

“Shivani (Name changed) lives with her mother and doesn’t have a father and any sibling. For her, her mother is her world.  On the first day of the camp, she got very emotional remembering her mother. She has never lived alone without her mother. This camp was her first time away from home. Initially, during the session conducted, she was seen as painfully shy. But as soon as the session progressed, other fellow helped her in putting forth her views, questions. Through many group activities she opened up and overcame her inhibitions.” 

“I never knew that I could speak in front of so many people and be able to put forward my views. But all thanks to USF residential camp for providing me with the opportunity to open up.  I was given a chance to step out from my shell, I gained confidence, started to feel good about myself. I began to develop a positive self-image.  This residential camp, all USF staff, facilitators and all my sisters Shalinis have contributed towards making me, “a better version of myself” i.e. a confident me with more spark.”  Teena (Name changed)

Workshop on Team Building

OBJECTIVES OF THE WORKSHOP

• To develop applicability of Team Building Skills in the different life situations.
• To enhance knowledge on various phases of team building.

LEARNING OUTCOME OF THE WORKSHOP:

• Develop and learnt the applicability of different team building skills
• Enhanced knowledge on various phases of team building

MENTOR MENTEE MEET

The meeting was important to be conducted as the fellows from Batch 13th had just finished their 12^th Standard exams and needed guidance on the procedure for applying to various colleges, entrance examinations, etc.

Following reflections on the relationships with respective mentors were shared by mentee’s.

• Mentor-Mentee interactions are always effective, solution is always provided by the mentor to all the problems

• A new leaning in each meeting, a development plan has been made for them with the help of their mentors and expectations from the meetings are fulfilled.

CONCLUSIVE OUTCOME

• Built understanding on the dynamics of mentoring as a process
• Understood building blocks and source of strength and positive changes mentors have observed in the relationship.

Success Story

Dream of Teaching!!

“In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn.” ~~By Phil Collins

Hailing from a remotely situated small village in Uttarkashi, Neha (name changed)’s only dream was to study and be like her teacher only what she has seen and known. Neha adores teaching as a process. A teacher plays a very vital role in shaping and making the lives. Her father, who works in the farm of others, was miserably unable to look after his family of four daughters and wife. The father heartbreakingly agreed to send her daughter with one of their acquaintances who lives in Dehradun in a hope that her daughter will get to study and have a good life. Her family’s financial condition is very much poor that it was impossible for her even to do schooling.

Apart from her academic engagements and pressure for studies, she is currently doing BA. She is also voluntarily teaching kids living in slum areas without charging any fees. She has passion for teaching. She believes she will become the kind she can and others will be proud of.

My happiness couldn’t be measured when I got selected in Udayan Shalini Fellowship. It gave a hope and big support to my life and got me another family in the form of mentors and co-fellows.  If I was not a part of USF, I can’t imagine what my life would have been. 

USF taught me many things and the biggest thing that “I have learned from it, is to present my views and perceptions in front of others, it has taught me to be assertive in a very positive way which I think is very important in this rushing and competitive world. I come from a very small village where the environment itself does not encourage us to grow in life but I am grateful to USF for its amazing programmes for needy girls and students like me. Today I take part in Weekly group discussions held in Udayan Care office where I take part with confidence and put forward my perceptions and share what I feel. It helped me to improve my knowledge in many present issues and preparing me for competitive exams.”