Pratiti in Bhopal - The Closure Event!

 4 months. 27 fellows. 7 organizations.

The conclusion of PFP's first ever Pratiti Gender Fellowship cycle took place in Bhopal on 25th June '16 at the serene Gandhi Bhawan premises, with a celebratory event marking the day on which our cohort of diverse young individuals marked their transition into excited, confident and knowledgeable Pratiti fellows. To showcase the work done by them to the wider world and initiate a strong and sustainable conversation on gender at the same time, the closure event's format saw fellows set up stalls and present the remarkable amount of work done by them, before joining a larger audience to witness a specially organized panel discussion, conducted by distinguished persons from the MP social sector.

The day began with the fellows taking part in their last workshop of the fellowship. Many expressed gratitude on how enriching the learning journey had been for them, both at a personal and professional level, while others expressed their unhappiness at the fact that Pratiti was ending much earlier than they would have liked. Powerful experiences and stories were shared, as also hopes and desires expressed about creating a better future in which all of them would play their part. 

Post workshop, the fellows began preparations on their stalls through which they would present their stories to the general public through the 2 hour closure event planned for the evening. 

Participating in the last workshop

Prominent individuals from MP's social sector, members of the general public, organizations wishing to engage in future cycles of Pratiti and numerous media persons, all began to venture in as part of the audience at the scheduled event time of 4 pm.

Saba from Pahal making preparations for her stall

Through the stalls and direct engagements with the fellows, they were able to gain a better understanding of how Pratiti worked and the much-needed benefits it had yielded in the gender scenario of numerous communities across the state.

Shyam and Ram from Sathiya at their stall

Asha from Pioneer stands proudly at her stall

Astha and Kirti all set and ready at their stall

A glimpse of registrations from the Welcome counter

Sonu, Manohar and Niharika (R-L) explain about their work at the NIWCYD Bachpan stall

Shubham and Poonam (R-L) engage with visitors at the Eka stall

The highlight of the day was undoubtedly the panel discussion event, centered around an important topic - ‘Imagining a world without gender violence – Perspectives from across communities’. Comprising of individuals known for their social initiatives in Madhya Pradesh such as Amod Khanna of Taal, Smriti Shukla of Sathiya, Rolly Shivhare of Vikas Samvad, Naki Jahan Qureshi from the Women Empowerment Department and Prarthana Mishra from the Sangini Gender Resource Centre, the panel brought out diverse and informative takes on how we can work towards a world free of gender violence.

PFP co-founder Arushi introduces the panelists for the evening

Amod ji, who brilliantly moderated the session, remarked, "What is new about Pratiti is that it;s a fellowship, not a regular training. There are now 27 new activists who are ready to act on gender. We would definitely love to follow them and see what they achieve tomorrow".

The audience listens in rapt attention as panelists narrate their gender experiences

Smriti Shukla aptly summed up the panel's message: “In a world without gender based violence, there will be no man or woman or third gender. There will just be people.”

Smriti ji from Sathiya makes a point

Renowned social workers Rolly Shivhare from Vikas Samvad and Prarthana Mishra (L-R) from Sangini on the panel

An audience member puts his views across

Panelists, fellows and the audience also repeatedly stated the need to begin by changing one’s own mindsets as gender is deeply ingrained in our daily lives.

An audience member shares his opinion

One of the fellows, Saba Khan leading an organization, Pahal mentioned how Pratiti is a unique experience as it has given her the power to see how there is discrimination on the basis of gender in everyday small activities.

Pratiti fellow Saba shares her experiences

Gracing the occasion as the honorable Chief Guest was Yogesh Choudhary, the Inspector General of Police, Bhopal Zone. In an occasionally light-hearted yet powerful speech which resonated with all present, he shed light on how even occupying a powerful role in the Goverment machinery hasn't exempted him from being exposed to the oppressive manner in which gender manifests itself in society.

Yogesh Choudhary ji, IGP Bhopal, shares gender stories from his personal and professional life

He mentioned how he considers himself as a proud father of two girls, contrary to what the rest of society expects him to believe. He shared about how many people expressed their disappointment and attempted to console him when he had his first daughter, while another high-ranking official even went to the extent of greeting the news of his second daughter's birth as a 'catastrophe'. He recollected, “I have seen my male cousins being scolded by elders including women for even picking up a child in his arms. But for me, I feel there is no bigger pleasure than spending time with my daughters and doting on them.”

The stirring Chief Guest speech was followed by a beautiful little impact session in which fellows took turns to share their personal stories of change with the audience, invoking applause and compliments for their efforts.

Poonam from Eka shares her story of change

Manohar from NIWCYD Bachpan shares his story

The program ended by felicitating the 27 young souls for their zeal and efforts and fellows also shared their personal experiences during Pratiti, showcasing how empowering young people can facilitate creation of a society that respects human rights of all.

Sunil from Synergy Sansthan is felicitated by Yogesh Choudhary ji.

The celebrations ofcourse carried on for a little longer, with a cake cutting ceremony taking the fellows by happy surprise and phone numbers and promises to stay in touch being exchanged with equal excitement! 

Cake cutting and celebrations!

The Pratiti Journey in Bhopal has been most memorable in multiple ways - think 27! Spreading our unique message of gender peace through future cycles of Pratiti remains high on the PFP agenda, and given the accomplishments of its first cohort, the fellowship promises to receive a warm welcome in Bhopal when we launch our second cycle in the months to come.

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With the successfully organized closure event, our blog on the first cycle of the Pratiti Bhopal journey now concludes! Much gratitude to all of you who supported and followed these 27 unique journeys over the past 4 months! We cannot wait to get back to Bhopal for future Pratiti cycles, to engage with many more youngsters and revel in their change stories! Looking forward to having you join us then! :) 

Pratiti in Bhopal - Kirti's Letter

A letter from Kirti

Sometimes you come across participants who startle you with their sincerity, keenly paying heed to every single word you say with the intention of translating their learning into action at the earliest possible opportunity. Kirti has been exactly that type. The beautiful way in which she acknowledges all that she has grasped from the Pratiti workshops and how it is helping her in her life and work fills us with a tremendous sense of gratitude and makes a lot of our efforts worth it! Thank you Kirti! :)

जब प्रतीति की वर्कशॉप में आए थे तो हमारी सोच ‘जेंडर’ को लेकर कुछ अलग थी लेकिन तीन दिन की वर्कशॉप में शामिल होने के बाद मैंने लिंग भेदभाव, लिंग आधारित हिंसा को समझा और जेंडर पर अपनी एक समझ बनायी। प्रतीति की वर्कशॉप अभी तक की सभी वर्कशॉप में से सबसे अच्छी रही जिसमें बहुत सारे दोस्त बने, मैंने बहुत कुछ सीखा और सभी बातों को खुलकर रखा। रोचक गतिविधियों के माध्यम से जेंडर को समझने में ज्यादा आसनी रही।

प्रतीति की वर्कशॉप में हमने अपने आप की एक पहचान खोजी जिसे हम भूल जाते हैं कि हम क्या है? और हमारे गुण, अवगुण क्या है, हम दूसरों की बातें सुनकर अपनी पहचान खोजते हैं लेकिन प्रतीति के माध्यम से अपने आपको जाना और पहचाना है।

प्रतीति वर्कशॉप में वैसे तो सभी कुछ सीखने के लिए है लेकिन एक सामाजिक कार्यकर्ता के रुप में तीन महत्वपूर्ण चीजें मैंने सीखी -

1. धाराणाएं- हम अपनी पूरी सोच समझ धाराणाओं पर बना लेते है जिससे हमारी सोच नैगेटिव हो जाती है।

2. एक व्यक्ति के जीवन में सहजता, असहजता, घबराहट जैसी परिस्थितियां होती है लेकिन हमें खिंचाव में अपने आपको लाना है।

3. सामाजिक शक्ति की हवा के बारे में कभी सोचा भी नहीं था। ऐसी भी कोई चीज है जो हमारे जीवन में इतना असर कर रही है।

हमारे हर निर्णय के पीछे सामाजिक शक्ति की हवा है। अब हम समुदाय में काम करते हैं तो कहीं भी लिंग आधारित हिंसा होती है तो हम जल्द ही समझ जाते हैं कि ये किस लिए हो रही है, जेंडर के आधार पर या धारणा या फिर सामाजिक शक्ति की हवा है।

“जब मैं मां के गर्भ में आयी

सबने मिलकर सोच बनायी।

लड़का है या लड़की भाई

लड़की है तो हम सोचेंगे 

लड़का है तो खुद सोचेगा।।” 

 – कीर्ति प्रजापति

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The Pratiti Bhopal journey concludes with a celebratory closure event on 25th June, 2016! 

Come, watch the fellows from the Bhopal cohort present their wonderful stories of change and cheer them on in their future journeys towards establishing gender peace! All are invited! :)

Pratiti in Jaipur - Ravi's Letter

A letter from Ravi

It takes a brave soul to identify and accept their own faults before trying to point out those of others. Ravi's enduring humility, politeness and hard-working nature makes it a pleasure for us to meet him on our monthly visits to Jaipur. Here he writes a heartfelt letter to the Pratiti team, the sort that inspires us to carry on our work with renewed vigor and unearth more Ravis across the country! 

More power to him!

प्रतीति ने मेरे जीवन की कई पुरानी यादों को फिर से याद दिला दिया जिसमें बचपन की गलतियों को उजागर किया, 15-17 वर्ष की आयु में जो गलतियां करता था उन गलतियों को सही रुप से सही तरह से समझाया। मुझे लगता था कि मैंने अपने जीवन में कभी भी किसी का अपमान, बुरा व्यवहार, ऊंच-नीच, जातिवाद, महिलाओं और स्त्री के सम्मान नहीं करना आदि नहीं किया है लेकिन प्रतीति ने मुझे मेरे कई प्रकार के दोष और गलतियों का अहसास करा दिया। मुझे हमेशा ऐसा लगता रहा कि मैंने कभी भी लिंग के आधार पर किसी से भेदभाव नहीं किया पर प्रतीति के माध्यम से मुझे पता चला कि कई बार मैं भी लिंग भेद का हिस्सा बना हूं तथा किसी का भी सम्मान नहीं कर सका। लेकिन मुझे खुशी है कि मुझे प्रतीति से जुड़ने का मौका मिला और जेंडर(लिंग भेद) शब्द का सही अर्थ जानने के बाद मुझे अपने आप को लेकर शर्मिंदगी का अहसास हुआ तथा अपने आप को लेकर निराशा से भरा हुआ महसूस किया, लेकिन थैंक्यू प्रतीति के सभी सदस्यों को जिन्हें मुझे मेरे गलत होने का अहसास कराया।  

 

 साथ ही मैं ये कहना चाहता हूं कि मुझे तीन दिन की वर्कशॉप में बहुत कुछ जानने और सीखने का मौका मिला तथा अपने अन्य साथी और दोस्तों को समझने का मौका मिला, उनके अच्छे कामों और विचारों को अपनाने का मौका मिला, साथ ही उनके अनुभव को प्राप्त करने का मौका मिला, प्रतीति के जरिए मुझे अपने आपको जानने का मौका मिला और अपनी पहचान एक व्यक्ति, पुरुष होने का अहसास हुआ, मुझे हर किसी से प्रतीति के माध्यम से कुछ न कुछ सीखने का मौका मिला, जैसे- आदित्य सर, आरुषि मैडम, सोमेष सर इन तीनों ने मुझमे अपने आत्मविश्वास को जगाने तथा अपने आप प्रेरित करने और कुछ करने हेतु बनाया।  

 जब हम तीन दिन की वर्कशॉप के बाद वापस अपने काम में आये तो हमारे सभी साथियों ने कई सवाल पूछे, हमने वर्कशॉप में जेंडर और लिंग आधारित भेदभाव के बारे में जो भी सीखा था उन्हें बताया जिसे सुनकर वो काफी खुश हुए और हमारी सहायता करने तथा इस काम को आगे बढ़ाने हेतु तैयार हो गए। उसके बाद हमने नीतू, मुकूल, रवि ने मिलकर इस पर काम शुरू किया तथा धीरे-धीरे लोगों, लड़कों और लड़कियों को इसके बारे में जानकारी देने लगे, साथ ही अन्य गतिविधियों के माध्यम से उनको जानने और उनके मन की बात एवम इच्छाएं जानने की कोशिश की तथा धीरे धीरे हम इस काम में इस तरह खो गए कि हमें समय का पता भी नहीं चला तथा उनसे बातें करने पर हमें काफी खुशी मिली और वो भी जेंडर के बारे में नई जानकारी पाकर काफी उत्साहित थे और आगे भी हमारे साथ जुड़ने हेतु आगे आए, ये अनुभव हमारे लिए काफी आश्चर्यजनक था। तथा हमें अपने आप पर विश्वास नहीं हो रहा था कि हमने इस काम को किया है।  

 तथा आगे भी हम इस काम को जारी रखेंगे तथा अपने विशाखा समुदाय और अन्य समुदाय में जारी रखेंगे जिससे जेंडर (लिंग भेद) असमानता शब्द को मिटा सके या उसे कम कर सके। साथ ही मुझे व मेरे साथी गणों में परिवर्तन नजर आए जो मुझमें पहले नहीं था। कुछ बदला-बदला सा रहने लगा तथा अपने बातों को आराम से तथा दूसरों की बातों को आराम से सुनने और समझने लगा तथा इससे मेरे जीवन में कई बदलाव आए तथा आगे भी मेरे जीवन में कई बदलाव देखने को मिले।        

विशाखा महिला शिक्षा एवं शोध समिति जयपुर  

विशाखा महिला सशक्तिकरण एवं युवा खुशहाली केंद्र बगरू (जयपुर)

रविशंकर शर्मा

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Just a few weeks more remain before the Pratiti Jaipur journey draws to a close! We will be tracking and updating all the stories from the participants with regard to their action projects as well as their personal transformations! Keep following the blog to continue reading these amazing stories!

Pratiti in Bhopal - April Meetup

It’s always nice to be in Bhopal, away from the chaos of Delhi. The city seems peaceful and the blue sky never fails to impress. At our favorite workshop venue, ICM Bhopal, the atmosphere is even more serene with a view of hills in the distance and mango trees brushing you as walk down the aisle. Of course, when its April, this also means you have access to fresh raw mangoes, and our day in Bhopal this time started with a collective mission to pluck a few of those - our fellows were quite upto the task but that's a story for another day! :)

Mango hunt done, prepping for the day's sessions

It has been 6 weeks since the Pratiti Bhopal cohort’s first interaction with PfP and their efforts to build in-depth understanding of gender and allied issues. In these six weeks, a lot has been happening in their respective action projects. But true to their nature, with added devotion to the cause, our 27 fellows have also taken the challenge of resolving gender issues in their own lives and in their families. They have been stretching and conversing to their loved ones about gender, social power and how these things affect their lives! The results are mixed, but then this was never supposed to be a cakewalk considering how gendered attitudes are deeply entrenched in our nature.

Arushi facilitates a gender conversation

Asha from Pioneer had something touching to say about the impact Pratiti has brought about in her personal life: “I have begun talking about gender to my family, mainly from what I have learned during my Pratiti journey. My younger brother has been so inspired by what I have to say that he begs me to bring him along to Bhopal and let him join me in my work”

Sharing stories

Sunil, from the Synergy Sansthan, stressed as much about the changes in thinking that Pratiti has brought about: “When I came for the first workshop, I thought gender was only about female issues and that violence and discrimination was something only women faced. But I am now able to see how it affects everyone. I have also begun to reflect upon those instances where I might have consciously or unconsciously perpetrated such violence on someone…My sister regularly asks me to go to the bazaar whenever she wants something as she is not allowed to go. I know it might be a stretch for me, for her and for my family and that people may say things but I am trying my level best to ensure that she is able to go on her own from now on, and am also trying to get my family to agree to the same…”

This particular meetup was special also due to the powerful and inspiring presence of the ever-youthful Dr. Ramnarayan Syag, who had generously offered to take a session for the participants.

Dr. Syag, the youngest and most energetic of the lot!

A co-founder of Samavesh, Dr. Syag, or Syag bhai as he is lovingly called by everyone is a storehouse of energy and ascribed this to his faith in the Indian constitution. He deeply believes in the power of our democracy and shared with us how we have to aspire to implement the Indian constitution together. He also elaborated on the importance of youth, and their ability to take firm stands against cultural practices and norms which propagate inequality. His presence was energizing and inspiring as well as reassuring at the same time – the PfP team and fellows were equally taken in by his firm and infectious belief in a beautiful co-created future.

Passing on his magic

The rest of the day was action-packed as usual, with participants creating their own fun energizers and participating in the eagerly awaited set of activities, the highlight being Toxic River, a battle of wits and teamwork between 2 groups and a reliable guarantee for laughs.

Harnessing energy from the energizer!

Team 1 tries to figure out a way out of the Toxic River as Team 2 looks on

Given that the entire activity was focused on enhancing teamwork, participants emphasized on the need for trust and communication among team members to not only ensure better planning and coordination, but also to be able to support each other. Another important thing that teams working on social action need to remember is playing by the strengths, i.e. assigning roles as per the team’s skills.

Team 2 all decked to go

Participants were allowed to replenish the energy expended during the activities by sitting together for another eagerly awaited activity - discussing about gender movies. An assortment of new and old movies, advertisements and videos, all containing an underlying theme of gender, were screened to allow participants to reflect on the deeper meaning and also figure out ways to integrate it into their own community interventions.

Discussions and glimpses from the action projects:

The participants sat together in teams to reflect on the plans they had proposed in the initial meetings, the progress they have made thus far, and the upgrades they would like to introduce in their planning and execution for the coming months. The action projects serve as an opportunity for young people to learn team work, take ownership and innovate, a line of thought encouraged by activities such as Toxic River.

Participants discuss their action project plans in teams

The various action projects chosen by the participants of the Bhopal cohort are a perfect mix of development challenges that plague the country today. While our trio from Bachpan is addressing the oft neglected topic of adolescent girl health, the other trio from Saathiya is striving to establish the identity of women in bamboo crafts as crafts worker and help them gain financial power.

The four participants from ActionAid, while working in diverse thematic areas, often access the same communities and intend to initiate conversations around domestic violence with the intention of creating awareness and prevention measures in rural MP.

Shweta from CRRC, ActionAid holding a community conversation with women and girls

Just like in personal sphere, challenging gender norms in communities is not simple either and Pratiti fellows form Pahal shared how they worked with young women and men separately in the beginning and then slowly convinced both the groups to come together for a session on ‘friendship’.

Says Saba, the 20 year old from Pahal - "We have been able to integrate many Pratiti processes and values in our work and feel benefited by it. We stress heavily on feedback and sharing, and talking about feelings within ourselves after each of workshops. One thing we have noticed when conducting workshops is that in the course of physically intense activities, participation by the womenfolk is less as they feel embarrassed and reluctant to jump around. So we are trying to figure a way around that, either by helping them remove inhibitions or find more inclusive activities. 

Saba in conversation with girls from Pahal's community 

"Ashish brings in the male perspective to our work. I am able to mobilize more girls naturally than boys.So while Ashish's presence helps, I would like to be equally convincing in engaging with boys as well. A huge high point from our work recently was how the participants from the community sat and engaged with us for more than 3+ hours. It was very encouraging and motivating..."

Ashish (R) conducts his session with the community youngsters

Fellows from Synergy Sansthan are constantly innovating to mobilize more young girls to join their youth resource center. For eg. they have held film screenings and also shown these films door to door, are making plans to hold a rally and conduct a survey to understand people’s mindset around gender. They have already conducted workshops with youngsters from the local  college and ITI in Harda. Such detail oriented approach and research forms a solid foundation of social action.

Sunil (R) participates in an activity as a co-facilitator for girls from the ITI as part of a Synergy gender workshop

Rakesh and Abhishek hold a short-film session and converse with youngsters in their Youth Resource Centre

The all-girl team from Pioneer will conduct intensive day long workshops with young women and men in the coming months while Eka will deepen their community conversations. by including topics of gender in their weekly meetings.

Many more such exciting stories await in the form of these 7 impactful action projects being pursued by the Pratiti Bhopal cohort. We invite you to join us in supporting these beautiful journeys and extend your encouragement to these young change makers! Keep following for further updates! 

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Pratiti in Jaipur - April Meetup

On April 16, 2016, the fellows from the Pratiti Jaipur cohort got together with Arushi for their monthly meetup at the Pravah Jaipur Initiative's premises. Below, she shares her experiences from the day and the excitement building inside her about all that's to come:

"It was surprisingly a nice breezy day and we could sit outdoors contrary to what one might expect on an April day in the capital of the desert state (we did eventually witness the temperatures soar eventually, who can escape the sun’s wrath in Rajasthan after all)! It was a day of deepening the fellows’ understanding of gender and upskilling themselves to facilitate community conversations on this omnipresent monster of an issue. It was also a day of ‘all that can go wrong’ but everyone still managed to strive through and learn from each other’s projects and plan the way ahead. The description below is a glimpse of all that happened …

The day began with a short session on ‘gender realities’ facilitated by one of the fellows, Priyanka who through games showcased how the current social systems restricts women from dreaming and aspiring to achieve those dreams while the same system assists men in the same! During the conversation, it also came out that since this the only reality we all know, if women are trying to break free of it, men might feel threatened that this is an attempt to annihilate them as the concept of peaceful and equal co-existence is only seldom talked about. Clearly, we need to work together to give our vision of gender equal world (or a world with gender peace <3) a concrete shape. We need to paint that picture, we need to write that story to be able to share the same with everyone.

Between sessions

The importance of this social system and the need for an alternative reality became further evident through the session on ‘gender socialization’ or simply, how does gender come to be a part of our lives (I can't imagine having been born afraid of being alone at night!). Fellows created stories about a man and a woman based on what they see around and there were stark differences in what messages they receive from their families, school, NGOs, neighborhood – the society as a whole. While the woman protagonist always came over obstacles with an external support, there was no such thread in the man’s story! Of course the flipside was visible in the end of the man’s story where he committed suicide due to financial pressures (bank loans, to be precise) and the lack of support available for him.

Pratiti fellows then clearly articulated the messages that males and females receive from families, schools and media during their lifetime, including women are “impure” at the time of menstruation, men need to be strong, women are beautiful objects and the likes – you might know these from your experiences, none of us are immune to such messages. But once we realize that these are “messages” and not truths or our specific characteristics, we can learn to challenge or ignore these. Even better, we can start to change the conversation and give messages that start of wave of socialization towards a gender equal world ! Right? 

During one of the chai pe charchas

Pratiti fellows are doing the same in their lives, families, organisations and communities! They are striving to strike conversations and create empathetic safe spaces for everyone – men, women, girls, boys. Girraj from Smile Foundation who works with adolescent in a rural community near Jaipur is regularly holding sessions with women and men to promote sharing of household chores. He is walking the talk and assisting his wife in cooking and child care (much to the disappointment of his mother who is still not on board with his idea, but we are sure he will infuse the spirit of equality eventually in her as well ;)) and trying to engage community members through games and activities. Women members have opened up to Girraj to share that they don’t consider it “right” to occupy chairs in front of men or to not cover their faces. The challenge that he has now taken up is to “inspire” women through constructive action to dream of a reality where they also have “rights” and do not only have to live by what is considered “right”. 

Another one of our fellows, Siddharth has taken up the task of resolving gender differences he observes in his organization, Magic Bus. During his initial interactions, women staff members have opened up to share how they feel when they aren’t considered able enough to take on field activities. He has a long way to go to build a common ground for all staff members where men do not feel it is unnecessary that women take on field responsibilities. We are hoping Siddharth can share the benefits of the difference in perspective that diversity brings in, and of course also help them break their stereotypes about women. In the social sector, it is essential that the actors working on various causes are gender sensitive! We cant afford to share the same story of patriarchy through our interactions, it is quite counterproductive to our own efforts to say the least. 

We are hopeful that the Jaipur cohort will fuel the revolution towards a gender equal tomorrow and with their diverse approaches and extensive on-ground reach, we await excitedly on the stories that remain untold. As is our habit now, we will keep sharing these with you and wish, pray, request, demand that you take up something in your own lives and join us in our journey :)"

- Arushi 

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Pratiti in Bhopal - March Meetup

The Pratiti Bhopal cohort’s first monthly meetup took place via a full day workshop on Tuesday, 29th March at the ICM Bhopal premises.

Purvi sets the day's agenda

The day began with the participants sharing about the gendered experiences they are a part of on a daily basis but have only now begun to observe. Many powerful stories were shared ranging from how views and beliefs are evolving to how habits and notions are being uprooted. 


One such story was from Poonam, who works with Eka. She shared:

“As I now know what is gender and where it originates from, I have started pointing it out in my day to day life even in my office. Recently, there was a program hosted in CM house where women were asked to wear pink sarees. We were also asked to do the same. On asking why this particular attire, we were told that pink is girl’s color. I bluntly refused wearing the pink saree stating that it is gendered and I will not follow the same…” 

Following the sharing was an extremely interesting session on facilitation, in which participants, one each from every organization, were asked to self-nominate and facilitate a gender session based on their existing knowledge and what they had learned thus far. 

Discussing about the nitty gritties of facilitation

Manohar, Rahul, Ashish, Sunil, Tabassum, Poonam and Divya were the volunteers who nominated themselves on behalf of Bachpan, Sathiya, Pahal, Synergy Sansthan, Pioneer, Eka and the ActionAid Network Office respectively, with each given 15 minutes to design their own customized session based on a list of themes revolving around gender: 

- What is gender? 

- What is gender based violence? 

- What are stereotypes/dharnayein? 

- How can we support someone who has faced/is facing violence? 

- What are the benefits of gender equality for the community? 

Manohar introduces his session

Tabassum facilitates her session

Ashish organizing his session

Participants discuss in pairs as part of an activity under Ashish's session

Sunil introduces his facilitation session

The 7 volunteers smoothly navigated their way through facilitation, despite most having no prior experience, by keeping the audience involved and engaged in their own fascinating ways. The post-lunch session saw the participants finalize the ideas for their action projects and reflect on why they chose this idea and the resources they would need for the same.

Engrossed in discussions about action projects

The day concluded with a final session on the list of activities that will be planned by the participants for the month of April to get their action projects underway on-ground.
Stay tuned for their impact stories!

Happiness and smiles during the concluding energizer!

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Follow the Pratiti blog to receive more updates about the Bhopal fellows and their journey against Gender Based Violence over the coming months!