Gender Peace Workshop with Ibtada, Alwar

The day started...

People for parity organized a three day residential workshop from 12^th November to 14^th November, 2016 with one of its partner organizations, Ibtada on gender specific capacity building in Alwar. Ibtada works to strengthen communities especially women to play an influential role to reduce social and economic poverty and inequality. People for parity organized workshop focusing on the capacity building of the staff which helped them to have a better understanding on gender through self awareness. Total 23 members of Ibtada attended the workshop.

On paths, path shall we discover….

The workshop started with some warm up activities followed by self introduction session to create a friendly ambiance. Before starting the major sessions to understand their expectations or moment thoughts, we spent a little time to know each other’s expectations from this workshop. After that we came up with some mutual agreements which should be followed throughout the three day workshop.

For showing them any bigger picture or any different perspective on Gender, the clarification or the knowledge of the difference between the two terms- sex and gender should be clear to them. Hence to create the understanding a small activity was done where they had to give their agreement on the statement written on a chit. This activity reflected their perception towards sex and gender, what definition or understanding they had in their mind regarding this. Once it was cleared, the session was followed by Chinese whisper game to understand the interpretation and evolution of the social messages we receive as our culture to define the identity of gender. Then there was a discussion on the source of gender disparity, how it started and became an epidemic.  After that, to make them reflect on their daily life and to understand its influence we did a small group activity where we tried to figure out or recognize the disparity of the social messages for holding a particular gender identity. It helped them to understand the evolution of gender in the society.

I am…

As they gradually started understanding the visible disparity in society’s thoughts, belief – empathy was introduced to them. The most notable thing was being activists they were aware of sympathy and considered it as one the best approach to show in a vulnerable situation. This session led them to an inner transformation, showed them a different dimension to have the kind of perception toward things. Seema ji, one of the staff members, stated, “We often fail to empathize with our co workers as we never tried to listen to their side of story rather we did not try to realize them. We are so self centric that we always think of finishing our given tasks without understanding their vulnerability. But social sector is a place where this tool should be implemented the most.”  Other staff member, Chandrakant ji stated, “I have learnt new word 'empathy'. I thought that sympathy was the only thing we can show to a person. But today I have realized how different it is from empathy and empathy is the thing what we should try to do with people whenever they are in any vulnerable situation.”

Among masses within opinion pulse of public we will gather, uncover, discover

The session on socialization helped them to understand the influence or practice of the messages we receive from the society to define our lifestyle. In this session through an activity they could balance the pressure of the society both on men and women. Saheb ji said, “We only blame men for making a woman’s life terrible. But through this activity hope we all have realized that some injected social norms make situation worse for both men and women. If a woman has to suffer it, the man has to create it, because that’s what they have been trained.”

Let’s make a story…

Session on social power was conducted through activity including drama. In this session they had an in hand experience how predefined social power impacted the fate of decision in a woman’s life and what role it played in a man’s life to perceive things. Santosh quoted, “I have come to this realization point that I have enough capacity to do things, but making the decision to do those, something which was not in me. But I am confident that from now I will work on the access of the power to make decisions for my life which is already in me.”  This session further led to the self reflective session, ‘zones’ which helped them to reflect upon their strength, fear, anxiety. Pooja said, “Today I feel that I too have an identity. It took me time to recognize myself, to acknowledge myself. I am feeling very confident and hopeful now. I want to start working on my shortcomings first.” Pilot ji further added, “I did not know that the shortcomings which had been resisting us, were inside us. We need to focus on ourselves first, and then we would be able to bring change outside.”

We’re opening up a Pandora’s Box. Be careful what you wish for…

ESCA was a session which helped to learn how to implement the understanding of empathy, zones, social power in field work. It was a tool for the behavioral approach. They found it quite convincing and practical. But some of them needed a little more discussion on it to get more clarification on its approach.

On third day we had a discussion on social beliefs, its system and source and how it was emerged in our day to day life. This belief system gave them a glimpse of reality which they unconsciously overlooked in their day to day life. Vrihaspati said, “We receive messages from the society from the very beginning of our life and that's what makes all the differences in one's life- I was not aware of it. I somehow skipped this consciousness. Now everything is crystal clear to me.”  Sahab ji further added, “Whatever I have learnt throughout these three days workshop, I desire to implement those in the society to demonstrate them that the conceptual ideas of the society are far, far away from the reality we deal with.  We can do a lot more than what society thinks we can do, better should do.”

Life is a theatre set in which there are but few practicable entrances…

The entire realization took a completion with gender peace session. It provoked them to think of the world to which they actually wanted to belong. This session had a very reflective activity where they had a reality check on what they dreamt but how they lived. Tara ji stated, “I have learnt empathy, I have learnt the norms of the society and mine as well. I can see a different me now. The activity with toffee was a mirror to me. It reflected the darker side of us that we didn’t mercy anyone when it came to our self interest.”

Over all, this workshop was a successful first step towards gender peace as attendees felt a shift in their mindset end of the workshop. Rajesh ji stated, “My perception towards gender has completely shifted to the other zone now and I can feel it.” Rajkumar added to it saying, “This workshop has been very insightful for me. I have clarity on things now what I keep hearing from my surroundings. Especially this toffee activity was very insightful. I have understood the gender peace concept. 

What we see, hear, we speak…

Whenever we hear sex, gender, we tend to interpret these terms in an aggressive way, but I did not see that approach in this workshop. The term gender peace, equality, what we talked about, truly reflected in this workshop as not a single time facilitator accused males for the situation of the women in the society, rather they tried to empathize the situation (what a man and woman both face in the society).”

Pratiti in Jaipur - The Closure Event!

6 months. 13 fellows. 5 organizations. 

The city of Jaipur served as an historic first for the PFP team, being the first location selected for the Pratiti Gender Fellowship's launch outside of Delhi. The Pratiti journey in Jaipur began in January 2016, with the selection of 13 young fellows working in different roles across 5 different organizations - Pravah Jaipur Initiative, Smile Foundation, Azad Foundation, Vishakha and Magic Bus.

With the Welcome Banner all set up

Held on Wednesday, 15th June 2016,  the closure event sought to celebrate the achievements and efforts of the fellows in intervening in different aspects of gender across diverse communities through a two-hour community event. Preceding the actual event was the final Pratiti Jaipur workshop, where the fellows would take part in their final set of activities and provide feedback on how the journey was. In the different sharing sessions, they explained about the significant development they were able to see in their own personalities through the fellowship and how it enhanced their ability to decipher the various instances of gender discrimination they routinely came across in their lives. Post sharing, the participants worked hard on properly conveying their work at the event, by planning games, activities and setting up the various charts and decorations that would adorn their stalls.

A view of Vishakha's beautifully decorated stall

By 4 in the evening, the closure activities were formally begun for the audience members who had begun to settle in. Visits to the stalls proved both informative for the audience and encouraging for the fellows who found a happy opportunity to share their stories.

Audience members visiting the various stalls

At the Magic Bus stall, the team explaining their work

The Pravah Jaipur team answering questions

Magic Bus volunteers collect signatures for their gender equality campaign

Apart from the stall presentations, the other events included a 'Nukkad Naatak' (Street Play) by the Magic Bus team and a Puppet Show by the Vishakha team. 

A glimpse from Vishakha's puppet show

The Magic Bus team enacting a scene from their nukkad naatak on gender

Pratiti Fellow and Magic Bus staffer Siddarth explaing about the theme of their play

Two women working as cab drivers, beneficiaries of the work done by Azad Foundation, shared their inspiring stories with the women and girls present, reminding them that no barrier was too high if they put their hearts and mind to overcoming it. Two senior women participants from the Smile Foundation also regaled the audience with a soulful rendition of songs calling for equality between genders. 

The melodious ladies from Smile Foundation

A prominent social worker and advocate who also served the previous Councillor for the area, Manju Sharma ji, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest.

Chief Guest for the day, Manju Sharma ji, gives her speech

A view from the back

The main success of the closure event lay in how it integrated a strong and unique community presence. The venue for the day was Mohan Nagar Community Hall of Nahargarh where Magic Bus has been working with children from vulnerable backgrounds for the past many years. Audience members included more than 80 plus men, women and children from the neighboring low-income communities along with heads and staff from the 5 participating organizations. 

Neetu from Vishakha encourages the audience to cheer

The event concluded with participants coming forth and sharing their respective personal stories of growth, followed by their felicitation and proud recognition as Pratiti Gender  Fellows. 

Proudly posing with their certificates

With promises made of guiding and mentoring the fellows further in their journeys towards understanding gender, we departed satisfied at the tremendous outcomes achieved in the first cycle and with the eager desire of launching the next cycle of Pratiti in Jaipur in the coming months.

---

With the successfully organized closure event, our blog on the first cycle of the Pratiti Jaipur journey now concludes! Much gratitude to all of you who supported and followed these 13 unique journeys over the past 6 months! We cannot wait to get back to Jaipur 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 - 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.

------

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

---

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

---

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! 

---