International Adolescent Summit

Education plays a major role in bringing about a change in society. Not only does it create awareness but is also important to provide an environment for children which is both safe and free of stress. Schools help young citizens of tomorrow construct personal, physical, moral and mental well being.

Considering this, Expressions India organised the International Adolescent Summit 2018 for life skills, values, gender and school well being on 4th, 5th and 6th December 2018 at the India Islamic Cultural Centre, Lodhi Road. This year 6 students from our School, namely Anshika Sharma (XI-E), Jahnnobi Roy (XI-D), Mehul Tandon (XI-B), Saksham Batra (XI-C), Epari Pratyaksh (XI-E) and N Risha (IX-E) participated in the summit. The event was attended by schools from all over the country representing states like Punjab, Kerala, Haryana, etc. Schools which were a part of SmartGram ( initiated by our former President, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee) also attended the event.

The first day of the summit began with setting stalls for the exhibition, Myriad and the preliminary rounds for the quiz Whiz Quiz. A painting competition Utopia was held alongside the quiz. OurMehul Tandon took part in the painting competition whereas Jahnnobi and Anshika took part in the quiz.

At 1 pm, the inaugural ceremony was held where former President, HE Shri Pranab Mukherjee, was the chief guest. Other dignitaries were Ms. Rekha Chauhan ( Counseling Psychologist), Mr. Vineet Joshi ( Director General of the National Testing Agency and former Chairman of CBSE), Mr. A. P. Sharma ( Principal of Birla Public School, Doha), Ms. Ritu Chaudhary ( Block Education Officer, Gurugram), Ms. Ameeta Mulla Wattal ( Former Chairperson, NPSC and Principal -Springdales School, Pusa Road), Mr. Raj Kachru ( Chairman Aman Kachru Trust) and Dr. Jitendra Nagpal (Director of Expressions India).

The event began with lighting of the lamp followed by a short programme presented by school students. The assembly was welcomed with a thematic welcome song. Students from Dev Stuti ( a SmartGram school) conveyed the message of Girl Child Safety through a Haryanvi folk song while the students of DPS Faridabad presented a Nukkad Natak. Four students including two from a SmartGram village got the opportunity to present the Student Charter at the inaugural ceremony.

Our faculty member Ms. Archana Sharma along with Ms. Shuchi of DPS Faridabad were given the responsibility of coordinating the events on the stage. As the evening descended, there was an Indian/Western music event in which our Jahnnobi Roy participated.

Day 2: Events lined up for this day included the Rhetorics competition and Rhapsody which saw the participation of several young orators. The composers displayed their talent in Thematic Jingle. All the events took place simultaneously. Saksham Batra and Epari Pratyaksh participated in the event titled Thematic Jingle whereas Jahnnobi took part in the Rhetorics competition. The participating schools showcased their exhibits which were judged by a panel of judges comprising Ms. Rekha Chauhan, Ms. Swastika Banerjee and Ms. Charu Singhal.

All the students present participated with vigour and enthusiasm. When the exciting sequence of events was over, all the students and teachers were asked to attend a workshop on CPR training, the trainer for the same being Dr. Prof. Satish Bhardwaj, general practitioner. Dr. G. S. Grewal, Secretary, Delhi Medical Association was also present and shared valuable information- the importance of paramedical services and first aid. The important mantra that the resource persons shared to ensure fitness along with the changing dynamics and life style, was, to keep all the vital body matrices ( BP, Blood sugar, Pulse rate etc.) at 80 units. The workshop culminated with a question-answer session.

After lunch, the Indian/western dance event titled SurTal kicked off. N. Risha from our School participated here, choosing contemporary as her style. Day 3 consisted of a workshop on Child Rights and Safety. Mr. Salam Khan, Magistrate -Child Protection Services, discussed the necessity of various kinds of rights for the child. He spoke of two categories of laws for children- namely, CICP (bChild In need of Care and Protection) and CCL ( Child in Conflict with Law). Dr. Nagpal joined the session and involved all the students in a group activity where in all the groups had to think and enact an activity to spread awareness about mental health issues.

The teachers attended a session on case studies and clinical appraisal. The session was conducted by Dr. Jitendra Nagpal, Ms. Rekha ( Counselor and Special Educator), Ms. Manvi ( Counselor at DPS Mathura Road) and Ms. Taniya Bharadwaj ( Clinical Psychologist at Moolchand Medcity). They spoke about psychogenic and dissociative disorders. Mr. Salam Khan later joined the session. He conducted a session on the POCSO Act and discussed the legal repercussions of the same.

After a short break for lunch, we gathered for the valedictory ceremony. Our School carried back the following laurels: We were adjudged Outstanding in Quiz and Exhibition. Our students received the Special Jurys prize in Jingle Making and our participant, Jahnnobi Roy was declared Exemplary in the singing competition.

Anshika Sharma (11E), Mehul Tandon (11 B) and Ms. Jigyasa Khokhar.