Citizenship Initiatives

Report on Workshops on 1. Positive Parenting (Classes 2&3) and 2. Female Foeticide for Class 9, Saturday, 3rd May 2014. Today was a Double Bonanza for the Citizenship Program.

At 8 am, I conducted a workshop on Positive Parenting, this time for the parents of classes 2 and 3. Approximately, 50 parents attended this interactive session. They went back feeling reassured that they were not alone in their daily challenges of parenting! In fact they took back tips from the workshop and from fellow parents. Parents requested that a follow- up session should be held where we must discuss the results of trying to incorporate the tips received today.

At 10.30 am a workshop was conducted by Dr. Ritu Juneja and her team ( from the NGO called VIDIA Foundation ) on Female Foeticide for Class 9. Several touching videos were shown to the children explaining what it actually means to abort a girl child, effects of female foeticide on society and the health of the mother and the effects it will have on our future. Dr. Juneja linked this very appropriately to the posters she noticed at our reception on Earth Day about saving the earth and asked the children What will you save the earth for, when there are no more mothers to give birth to children ? The entire presentation saw several moist eyes and the students seemed taken aback by the statistics shown to them.

Towards the end, everyone in the room made a pledge to do their best to create awareness on this subject and everyone spontaneously signed on a banner that screamed "SAVE THE GIRL CHILD SIGNATURE CAMPAIGN. This is now displayed at the School reception for all to see and sign. (photo attached)

In addition, the children were given a pledge sheet, wherein they would explain what they heard today and take signatures from people around them, in fact, anyone to help create maximum awareness from amongst their communities, neighbourhoods etc. These forms would be handed back next week.

I returned reassured that we had ignited a concern in the hearts of our future citizens.

Ms. Sangeeta Aswani, Citizenship Coordinator.