GDL - Piramal Foundation » Education

The Interns are Coming

Preeti — Sat, 10 May 2008 02:50:03 +0000

It’s really hot in Bagar. But we can’t afford to let the heat slow us down. We here at GDL are gearing up for 18 interns who will be arriving here on May 22nd! As the 22nd gets closer, we’re making sure that rooms are set and project objectives are clear. We’re also trying to contain our excitement as much as possible, but it’s really hard!
The interns (who are from BITS-Pilani/Goa, the University of Pennsylvania, IIT-Delhi, etc.) will be assigned various tasks which include starting a Bagar-wide cricket league – IPL fever doesn’t spare anyone – and scaling up both BDWI and Source for Change.
We’ve told a few people in town that we’re getting 18 new people. There hasn’t been much of a reaction. I guess it’s one of those things that they won’t get until they see 18 new faces. Then everyone in Bagar will see that we mean business!
Look out Bagar! The Interns are coming!

Sports Day brings young people together

Preeti — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 17:30:06 +0000

It has been a few weeks since I posted. There has been a lot of activity here at GDL. Last Sunday, we organized a Sports Day. The day kicked off with a 5K race and was culminated with the final match of a three day cricket tournament. It was a great community event a lot of kids came out from as far as Haryana came over to participate.
Highlights from Sports Day and the few days leading up to it included (1) seeing the girls’ playing cricket on the field of the boys’ school and (2) having the realization that everything we at GDL did to organize the event could have been done by any group of kids. In fact, the cricket tournament was essentially run by three or four local guys! Unfortunately, there were some blocks in the road as well. Most markedly was the number of cheating claims that participants made. Sports Day was definitely case and point that we cannot make everyone happy.
Overall, though, the amount of energy and excitement revolving around Sports Day was really motivating and I’m really proud that we could facilitate an event that the community was so excited about!

Career Day

Preeti — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 18:20:04 +0000

Tomorrow is career day. We are organizing the career day primarily as an advertising mechanism, but it has also proven to be a great way to interact with the community and build awareness regarding the career building process.
This week has been pretty stressful because I had expected to get certain resources more easily than we did. I had promised myself that things would not be last minute, but things did not go as planned. Although we did not get the recruiters or managers we were initially looking for, we will definitely be delivering. There is going to be a lot happening tomorrow: Aptitude tests, a resume booth, the sure-to-be AWESOME interview skit that the computer class students prepared, and many people coming to share their vast array of experiences. We have people sending us resources and volunteers galore coming to help us out. There is definitely power in numbers, and this Career Day is really a testament to how far our network stretches out GDL has certainly come a long way!

FLC – Challenges & Breakthroughs

Preeti — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 18:10:04 +0000

Sessions for the Future Leaders’ Course (FLC) are in full swing now. We have 9 girls and 7 boys who come regularly. The girls are really engaged and are very open in class. One of our biggest challenges this week, however, has been engaging the boys in the course. I originally felt that maybe the class was not active enough, so we started integrating games like Coh-Coh and Frisbee. The boys enjoyed playing, but the objectives that we have defined are not being met: the same boys were talking and no one was very responsive to the other activities we had planned.
One breakthrough we had was after we presented the idea of the kids helping out at the Career Day and organizing their own Sports Day/5K Race. The energy level in the classes shot up instantly! There was talk of what needed to be done, how many people they would recruit to help, who would do what, etc. I recently read about how self-efficacy, or the belief that you can accomplish something, is more important than self-esteem, and I think that giving the “future leaders” these projects really speaks to that.
My next challenge, however, is to develop critical thinking skills. Someone recently sent me, “Teach Your Child How to Think.” by Edward DeBono. This has been very valuable in helping me think about how I should approach this. I’m going to try to incorporate thinking exercises into the event organizing process. If anyone has any other ideas, please let me know! .

Implementing the pre-assessment

Preeti — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 16:40:04 +0000

I know that we cannot have a project that is not measurable. Following the progress of the Future Leaders’ Course, therefore, is one of the things foremost on my mind. To address this issue, one of my goals from last week was to develop some kind of questionnaire/survey that would define the baseline for the group.
After some research, I found some questions that addressed issues regarding problem solving, decision making, self confidence, and goal setting. These questions became the anchor of the survey. The plan was to implement on Sunday, as we did not want the survey to disturb class time. Unfortunately, due to power cuts as well as the fact that it somehow did not show up higher on our list of priorities, the survey was not translated and, therefore, could not be implemented.
I recognize that putting something off once greatly increases the chances that it will be put off again. This is my challenge for the upcoming week…

recruiting course participants

Preeti — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 19:10:04 +0000

This has been one of the most exciting and the most challenging weeks in a very long time. The main goal for this week was to recruit students for the leadership course. In spite the challenges we have faced in recruiting, I did not expect my task to be especially difficult. I was almost certain that upon hearing the phrases, “career guidance,” and “personality development,” I would have a line of students waiting to get into the course.
But, it did not work out that way. Maybe 9th and 11th standard students are not especially concerned about future plans. Or, as a colleague astutely noticed, maybe all the kids are on their roofs flying kites.
So, I am scrambling for kids, rather than hand-picking them as I had originally thought I would. But still, I have faith in the course. Maybe it is good I’m not getting only the ones that I feel demonstrate some sort of potential. Maybe I’m getting the true diamonds in the rough.
Wish me luck. The course starts tomorrow!

Marketing for Leadership Course

Preeti — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 13:40:03 +0000

We were supposed to have an Academic Bowl today. The idea was that the academic bowl would be a marketing tool, but I decided to hold off on the academic bowl because it would detract me from more focused marketing. Also, how great would it be if the kids in the course helped organize the academic bowl?!

Speaking of marketing for the course, the next week is crucial. I’m ready to start the leadership course on January 7th. The next week, therefore, will be when I pick the first group of students. I believe in my product, and have been getting some response.

My goal for the next week is to work on my marketing pitch. By the end of this week, students are going to be clamoring to get into the course!!

Planning the Academic Bowl

Preeti — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 22:10:03 +0000

This was supposed to be my week for advertising for the Future Leaders’ Course. The plan was to go to all the schools and give an inspiring motivating talk that made students jump at the chance of joining the course.

I knew that exams were going on, but did not realize that students would not be in one place at once. Nor did I think about the fact that students would not be in the mood to listen – they would rather be reviewing or whatever else students do before an exam.

As a result, I did not get the word out to the extent that I had wanted. I postered a little bit, and drew some attention that way.

I have decided that I am going to organize a General Knowledge Bowl as a mans to generate buzz around the contest. The Bowl – tentatively set for December 29th – will hopefully get a lot of teenage kids to one space so that I can tell them about the bowl.

Also, I have one more week between when school starts and when the course starts (during which time, I can advertise some more).

hopefully gaining momentum

GDL Admin — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 09:50:03 +0000

As usual, Anand's visit was refreshing. He puts the correct amoung of pressure on us BUT at the same he is also very motivating. I am know excited about the project(s), recruiting interns/volunteers, developing the GDL brand, AND this awesome move toward synergy in the form of the new skill enhancement training center.

So here's what my next few months should look like:

1. EXTREMELY high standard teaching certification program targeted towards rural/semi-rural India
2. A leadership program for senior secondary students (the objective is yet to be defined, but I see it as career guidance, personality development, and a service program)
3. Looking into developing a radio station in Bagar
4. Intern/Volunteer recruitement
5. Taking on part of the Admin/GDL Manager role
6. Contributing to the personality development curriculum at the training center.

Sounds like a lot. It is a lot. But it's exciting. Things are happening.

English Trainers Needed

Naman Shah — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 06:22:28 +0000

We are currently looking for English Trainers for our Spoken English and Retail Course initiatives. Here is our add:

Job Description – English Trainer Needed

The Piramal Foundation seeks an energetic individual, fluent in English and passionate about contributing to

India’s development. If hired, the individual will be responsible for teaching courses in Spoken English within Piramal Foundation’s Spoken English Institute and Retail Training Course. The hired person will be expected to create a positive learning environment for students in which they feel comfortable and confident speaking English. While curriculum objectives and lesson plans will be prepared beforehand, he/she will be required to add or amend the curriculum to suit the pace at which the class learns. The trainer will also be responsible for organizing individual meetings with students, evaluating class and individual progress, and building each student’s fluency sufficiently to converse with native English speakers. Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

An understanding and belief that the learning the English language is the key to the advancement of rural populations in India.
A thorough understanding of and ability to communicate in the English languageAbility to teach English effectively
Broad knowledge of the principles and practices of current educational trends in curriculum and instruction
A team player with a positive attitude
An ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing

An Understanding of rural India’s cultural norms