This fantastic journey of transformation called VolunTeaching has its roots back in April 2008. A lady – teaching at Saint Xavier’s Science College in Ahmedabad visited her ancestral village Paldi Kankaj in Dascroi taluka of Ahmedabad district, where her great grandparents were raised. She went and met her driver to talk about the car. The driver introduced her to his niece who was 4 years old and disliked going to school. Mr driver requested this young lady to tell a few words of wisdom to the not school going girl. The lady – determined to understand the education system and do her best to better it visited the school and was appalled by what she saw. The only solution she could think of to improve the system was to get involved and teach first hand rather than advising or litigating.Thus was born the concept of VolunTeaching on 5th April, 2008.
Like any other effort on grassroot level, VolunTeaching too had its own share of difficulties and motivations. There were people casting aspersions and there were unexpected helping hands appearing from nowhere like a pond in the desert. However bumpy it was, the ride was full of learnings about child psychology, community behaviour, rural values and of course self realization. With more and more people joining the movement, it soon became a weekly effort, wherein every Sunday would see Didis and Bhaiyas coming to Paldi Kankaj from Ahmedabad with hearts full of love and bags full of toys, games and stationery. Don’t mistake it for charity, it was empowerment through education.
Just when the effort firmed its foot, the Sarpanch (head of the village) requested the VolunTeachers to VolunTeach the entire village rather than just one community (that of Mr driver). With the base growing, a need of a mentor was realized and at the very same time coincidentally (yes, you can say that) some of the finest educationists came to know about this novel effort and spared their very precious time in taking the VolunTeachers through the mesmerizing journey called education. Enriched by the holistic understanding of education, character building and self sustainable rural empowerment, the VolunTeachers went a step further and started VolunTeaching thrice a week, viz. Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. The Wednesday sessions were about working with the system, i.e. VolunTeaching in government school (with due permission and prior discussion with the school teachers), the Saturday sessions were about creativity and the Sunday sessions were mainly about linguistic and arithmetic skill enhancement amidst the rural communities (VolunTeaching beneath a tree, in a temple, outside a house etc). In accordance with the functional efforts, there was a massive campaigning launched in Ahmedabad to reach out to more and more potential VolunTeachers on the tagline of Share Your Knowledge. Become VolunTeacher. It was a new trend, where the VTs (VolunTeachers) were asking people to share their time and knowledge as against conventional appeals of donating money. A neutral platform called All India Rural Empowerment Program (AIREP) was formed to popularize the concept of VolunTeaching.
VolunTeaching made way to the hearts of the kids and their parents in the form of an education enrichment pedagogy. 2009 to 2012 saw development of the stage 1 of the 3 stages of the VolunTeaching pedagogy, viz. आत्मशिक्षा. The 3 stages of VolunTeaching pedagogy are आत्मशिक्षा, आत्मशोध and आत्मविशेष. The same duration also saw the evolution of Annual Functions. The Annual functions are theme based functions organized every year, wherein children in numbers ranging upto hundreds participate in the various cultural events, while the anchor (also a VolunTeacher) interacts with the audience (almost the entire village) about the year gone by, the moments of gratitude and grievances. Since 2009, it has been a tradition to organize the Annual Function in January last week or February first week.
The year 2012 brought with it two major break – throughs for VolunTeaching. April 2012 saw the first ever आत्मरंजन शिविर being organized in Paldi Kankaj. An आत्मरंजन शिविर is an 8 days long summer workshop from 6:30 am to 7:00 pm with the children assessing the traits of character building in them and working towards improving them. What’s even more interesting about आत्मरंजन शिविर is that all these unbelievable objectives are accomplished in a fun way – without loooooong lectures. The आत्मरंजन शिविर is full of tasks and activities making the children work with the people of the village with the innovative tasks assigned to them and learn the values thereby. The 8 days long fun – filled activities render a child experience a paradigm shift in the way he / she perceives self, people, surroundings, village, nation and ultimately the world. This brilliant effort inspired the VolunTeachers to move a step further in VolunTeaching pedagogy, viz. आत्मशोध. आत्मरंजन शिविर is a buffer between आत्मशिक्षा and आत्मशोध. आत्मरंजन शिविर now became a routine every summer and each year passing by after 2012 saw AIREP organizing आत्मरंजन शिविर of different levels (i.e. one आत्मरंजन शिविर for the kids entering आत्मशोध from आत्मशिक्षा and the remaining ones for the subsequent growth of kids in आत्मशोध batch).
VOLUNTEACHING MOVEMENT
With the encouraging success of the आत्मरंजन शिविर the VolunTeachers were all set to expand this wonderful journey of transformation which doesn’t just transform the kids being taught but also the VolunTeacher who feels an inherent joy while VolunTeaching and keeps transforming himself / herself into a responsible and awakened individual. A casual meeting with the President of Ganpat University, Mehsana by 2 VolunTeachers in January 2012 turned into the seed of first ever replication of the concept of VolunTeaching and the birth of Institutional VolunTeaching Movement. After interacting with the authorities of Ganpat University, their faculty members and students a unique initiative called Ganpat VolunTeacher Movement (GVM) was launched in July – August 2012 and GVM started VolunTeaching in Mulsan village near Ganpat University on 16 September 2012. GVM is a platform encouraging, training, facilitating and mentoring the students of Ganpat University to VolunTeach in the nearby villages. GVTs (Ganpat VolunTeachers) were duly trained at Paldi Kankaj village before they took up VolunTeaching in order to preserve the essence of VolunTeaching throughout the geographic span.
GVM soon caught the attention of the students of Ganpat University and the news of GVM spread among the student community like a wildfire. Every semester saw new and new students aspiring to be GVTs and this facilitated the expansion of GVM to 6 more villages step by step. The total 7 villages, where GVM is functional (in chronological sequence of commencement) are: Mulsan, Gilosan, Nugar, Lanva, Dharpuri, Rampura and Dharusana with Lanva and Dharpuri being in Patan district and the rest in Mehsana district. GVTs conduct VolunTeaching sessions in these 7 villages every Sunday. With the passage of time GVM villages also started to organize Annual Functions and आत्मरंजन शिविर.
October 2013 saw commencement of another VolunTeaching Movement called Nirma VolunTeaching Movement (NVM) anchored by Institute of Technology, NIRMA University. After thorough discussions with the authorities of Institute of Technology, NIRMA University, students of the institute were appealed to join the movement and those who joined were first trained at Paldi Kankaj before they started VolunTeaching in Miroli village (neighbouring village of Paldi Kankaj) in Dascroi taluka of Ahmedabad district. Since October 2013, NVTs (Nirma VolunTeachers) have been VolunTeaching in Miroli every Saturday.
To facilitate initiation of any other VT Movement by any other institute, the VTs founded विद्यावंश – a VolunTeaching training center, which can guide an entire VT Movement right from conception to execution. विद्यावंश is situated at Ganpat University. However, विद्यावंश is yet to get started with the first training.
VOCATIONAL INITIATIVES
While VolunTeaching in Paldi Kankaj and other villages was increasingly becoming more and more grounded, AIREP VTs initiated their efforts in the direction of vocational initiatives in Paldi Kankaj. The first ever vocational initiative was Project Mahek, which employed women from different SHGs in the village for producing Incense Sticks on pedal operated machine. The increasing enthusiasm of the women involved saw Project Mahek being transformed in a producer company called Mahek Producers Company Limited (MPC) in 2012. MPC is a company owned by the women of Paldi Kankaj. Having begun to produce raw incense sticks, MPC soon launched its own brands of incense sticks in the surrounding villages and Ahmedabad while continuing to produce customized incense sticks for different customers based on their requirements. While the women residing near the production unit of MPC could reap its benefits, a lot of women staying far away could not be a part of it.
A unique initiative called Village Elegance was launched in 2013, which selected and trained women from different communities to make Smoked Designed Pillow Covers, Zori (Handmade eco friendly footwear) and Handmade lamps among many other products. All the women who are trained are given the raw materials at their doorstep and the finished item is collected from their doorstep enabling them to work in the comfort and convenience of their home while simultaneously earning a sufficient amount. Marketing of the items produced is taken care of by the VTs. (Village Elegance) believes in Bringing Work to Women rather than bringing Women to Work. Justifying its name, VE is also a conscious step in the direction of breaking the myth that items made in the village may be of substandard quality.
A VolunTeacher found out in 2011 that the drinking water in Paldi Kankaj reported dangerously higher amounts of TDS and could cause severe diseases of kidney and digestive as well as urinary system. An RO plant was established in the village, which was run on no profit no loss basis and offered pure drinking water to the people at 20 paise/ liter. The plant played a major role in creating awareness about purity of drinking water in the village for the duration over a year, while it was functional.
Higher studies for children from financially weaker section can always be a distant dream. e Gnan Rural BPO was a company formed on the lines of Earn while you Learn and Learn while you Earn. Boys and girls above 14 years of age were taught basis of computer and professional typing and data entry projects were taken up. The computer operators at BPO (boy and girls above 14 years of age) would study at school / college during the day and work at the BPO during evenings. Soon, all of them completed their academics and are now working full time in nearby industries. The BPO is now working as a computer training center, where the youth of the village teach basic computer to the kids.
Conclusively, VolunTeaching is a people’s movement, encouraging individuals, institutions and organizations to come forward and work for the betterment of villages of India on 3 pillars of livelihood, i.e. Education, Vocation and Healthcare. VolunTeaching not just empowers the villages, but also develops responsible citizenship among the VolunTeachers.