Enable 100 low-income girls to complete graduation

Udayan Shalini Fellowship (USF), one of the unique programme’s 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 to think big and make 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 different because of its pyramidal mentoring.

The months were filled with series of activities which included Quarterly Workshop on Menstrual Awareness and Hygiene which allowed the girls to challenge the patriarchal ideas of impurity attached to menstruation. Small group workshops on Career Counseling, Employability and Soft Skill training helped the fellows in gaining perspective regarding the current crisis in the job market and how to deal with it effectively.

II. Details of Progress during Reporting Period:

S.No.

Activities Undertaken During the Reporting Period

Results

QUARTERLY WORKSHOP

DATE:

9^th July, 2017

FACILITATOR:

Enactus I.I.T Delhi

THEME:

Menstrual Awareness and Hygiene

VENUE:

Mahavir Senior Model School

PROCESS OF THE WORKHOP

Enactus,   a student community group of IIT Delhi as a part of its core project ‘Titli’ aimed to create awareness about menstrual hygiene and eradicate the taboo or stigma attached towards it by our society.

To facilitate an open discussion about this sensitive topic, the Enactus team organized a ‘Gaming Session’ in which the students were divided into 8 groups and were taken into separate rooms. In each room, three games were played, namely; The Roulette, A Memory Game, and A Puzzle-Solving Game.

Activities Organized:

a)      Roulette

Rules of the Game:

• In a group of 5, each student was given 10 chances, in which they have to roll the ball on a wheel, which was numbered from 1 to 30 and color coded in black and red.
• Black signified a negative and Red as positive.
• After rolling the ball, if the ball ends up on a red numbered slot, the participant has to pick up a card which was signified by a positive number; such as +10, +25 etc.
• If the ball, landed on a black colored number, the participant had to pick up a card which was signified by a negative number; such as -10, -25 etc.
• The positive numbered cards signified, good habits during a menstrual cycle and the negative numbered cards signified, unhygienic practices during menstruation.

The participant with the highest subtotal after 10 chances was declared as the winner.

b)      Memory Game

Rules of the Game:

• 16 cards were placed upside down in front of the participants.
• Out of these 16 cards, 8 were picture cards (on menstrual hygiene), and the remaining 8 were information cards. The picture was complementary to the information which was provided.
• Each student got one chance to pick up on picture card and a corresponding information card.
• If the information matches the picture, the participant was given 5 points.
• The participant with the highest points was declared as the winner

c)      Puzzle-Solving Board Game

Rules of the Game:

• Students were divided in a team of two in which they had to solve a puzzle.
• The team which solves the puzzle in the least amount of time was declared as the winner

After the gaming session, the students were again brought into a single group and they were asked to talk about what they learnt from those games, and talk about the healthy practices before and after a menstrual cycle.

Outcome of the session:

The girls were informed about the use of pads and the proper disposal of these pads as well. They were also informed about the importance of a healthy diet and regular exercising for a healthy menstrual function.

Overall, the workshop helped the girls gain confidence, rather than excluding themselves from participation in daily public activities during the course of their menstrual cycle.

SMALL GROUP WORKSHOP

DATE:

2^nd July, 2017

                      FACILITATOR:

IIT Enactus Delhi

Pooja 

                            THEME:

Session 1: Menstrual hygiene and addressing the taboo.

Session 2: Career Counseling.

                             VENUE:

Mahavir Senior Model School

PROCESS OF THE WORKSHOP

Session 1: Menstrual hygiene and addressing the taboo by Enactus Team

Session 2: Career Counseling and admission related information by Pooja 

SESSION ONE

The IIT Enactus Team addressed our Shalini’s regarding the taboo or stigma attached towards menstrual health.  Many statistics were presented regarding the ignorance towards women’s health and special needs due to this associated stigma. Based on this, the discussion was taken forward on the lines of awareness and the need to talk about ‘feminine hygiene’. As a part of Enactus’ project ‘Titli’, the girls were also familiarized with cotton sanitary pads which can be washed and reused making it more economical and long-lasting as compared to the daily disposable ones.

SESSION TWO

The following session was taken up by our Programme Coordinator, Ms. Pooja who addressed the various doubts and queries that our fellows had regarding their choice of stream, future prospects and the colleges one can seek admission in. The aim of the session was to not only to aware the girls that they should pursue a field or course of their own choice and not taking into account what peers or members of the family force upon us.

Outcome of the session:

From session1, dual outcomes were achieved;

• The fellows became more confident as they spoke about menstruation in front of a large gather. The girls did not hesitate in sharing their own experiences.
• The session also sensitized the girls about the use of biodegradable pads as opposed to the non-biodegradable ones which add on to the amount of waste we are dumping into the environment.

From session 2:

The fellows understood the importance of taking a firm decision regarding one’s own career. They also gained clarity regarding the wide range of career opportunities which are available to them.

SMALL GROUP WORKSHOP

DATE:

6^th August, 2017

FACILITATOR:

Mrs. Nupur and Ms. Naina

Ms. Sapna 

THEME:

1. Career Counselling and Soft Skill Training by Sapna 

 2. Career Counselling and Employability by Nupur

                           VENUE:

Mahavir Senior Model School

Process of the Workshop:

On 6^th of August, we conducted our small-group workshop with Sapna, our alumnae Shalini, and Nupur. 

SESSION:1

Career Counseling and Soft Skills by Sapna 

Our Senior Shalini, Ms. Sapna  from Batch-8 conducted a workshop on soft skill training and provided appropriate career counselling to the girls of Batch 14-15. The purpose of the workshop was to aware the girls about career paths which suits their choices and interests. She also talked about the importance of taking one’s own career-related decisions, independently and not succumbing to pressures created by peers of family. Through anecdotes and quoting her own life experiences, Sapna gave clarity to the issues which plague the minds of young students who are unaware of the courses and options which are available to them. She also highlighted on the significance of standing out of the crowd rather than being a part of the herd. For this, she laid emphasis on confidence building; a key to crack any sort of interview.

SESSION:2 Career counseling and the employability of the Youth by Nupur 

The second session was taken up by Mrs. Nupur with Batch-12 and 13 who are currently pursuing their graduation. The purpose of the session was to make girls aware about the current crisis in the job market wherein many of the jobs have become redundant or have completely mechanized. This has resulted in loss of jobs especially in the private sector. In such a scenario, it is important to enhance our skill set and knowledge base accordingly. For instance, learning computer programming or many soft skills such as communication skills which have taken the forefront in today’s world. Based on this, the girls were given guidance on how to 'stand out' during job interviews by working on their communication skills and basic logical reasoning skills. Overall, the session helped the girls in gaining insights on how to crack an interview and prepare their CV accordingly.

Outcome of the Session;

Both the sessions helped the girls in getting a clear idea of what career they want to pursue in the future and how to work towards it.

While the session by Ms. Sapna was wholistic in terms of how to take important career decisions regardless of one’s field; Mrs. Nupur  focused primarily on the private sector jobs in the field of marketing and sales. Together, both the sessions helped the girls get a clear idea of how to apply for jobs and what are the demands in the larger job market. Both the sessions ended on a positive note, where a Q and A session was organized by the speakers and all the doubts of the fellows were addressed by the them. 

4.

MENTOR MENTEE MEET

THEME:

Confidence Building

DATE:

2^nd July, 2017

VENUE:

Mahavir Senior Model School

Layout of The Meeting:

Confidence is something which is hard to learn, however still remains a key aspect during interviews and all public speaking activities.

To develop this indispensable skill in our fellows, our mentor Didi’s provided our Shalini’s with some important tips to build their confidence which are as follows;

-          Prepare and Plan: Before a job interview, or any public speaking activity, one should rehearse beforehand.

-          Increase knowledge base: One should be well aware of the subject that will be discussed. More the knowledge we have about the subject/ topic, the more confidently we will participate in the activity.

-          Practice self- appreciation: It is important to keep a positive mindset as it is directly impacts our well-being. A negative or a pessimistic attitude may result in low self-esteem and even lower self-confidence.

Outcome of The Meeting:

This mentoring session helped the fellows to open up and present their thoughts in an articulate manner. Also, the fellows learnt the art of positive thinking and self-motivation. Lastly, the session also helped the fellows learn that they should not be intimated by anyone. 

5.

MENTOR MENTEE MEET

TOPIC:

Career Counseling and Admission Related Guidance

DATE:

6^thAugust, 2017

VENUE:

Mahavir Senior Model School

Layout of The Meeting:

Since admissions are around the corner, the fellows received guidance and career counseling from our mentor didi’s regarding which course or college to opt for and how to go about the admission procedure. 

The mentor didi’s also advised the elder Shalini’s who are pursuing their graduation to go for internships and gain the required experience/exposure in their field. This will give them an edge in job interviews.

The mentors also advised the fellows to develop a ‘goal planner’. This will help them in becoming more focused towards their goals and aims in life. The fellows were also recommended to pursue a field they wished too rather than going by any conventional/ normative career paths.

Outcome of The Meeting:

The tips which the mentors provided were a great help to the Shalinis’ who are currently in the process of admissions in different courses.

 Moreover, the fellows who are in pursuing their graduation were advised to enroll themselves in an internship Programme in order to receive exposure in their field.

Overall the mentoring session benefited the fellows greatly. They learnt new ways to manage the admission related stress and anxiety and how to choose a field based on their interests and aptitude.

6.

WRITTEN TEST

DATE:

13th August, 2017

VENUE:

Mahavir Senior Model School

FACILITATOR:

Mohd. Faheem 

In this quarter, we started with the process of inducting a new batch of fellow Shalinis for which we conducted the written exam in Mahavir Senior Model School.  As our motto is to reach out and serve every disadvantage girl; we initiated the process of selecting new batch of Shalinis. The response has been over whelming as we received around 800 applications for our programme.

INTERVIEW

DATE:

3^rd September,2017

VENUE:

Mahavir Senior Model School

FACILITATOR:

Mohd. Faheem 

Followed by the written exam, we also conducted interviews in Mahavir Senior Model School. After the first round of screening, we interviewed of around 200 shortlisted applicants along with their parents. In order to select the most deserving candidates for our programme.

                                                                               Sucess Story

Nisha , a young 18 years old girl who always seem quiet and thoughtful has spoken graciousl