Project स्वावलम्बन: Reflections

'Project Swavlamban' was initiated as a 'Gesture of Gratefulness' to all 'Didis' (housekeeping staff)
for their sincere work and dedicated efforts.

Project स्वावलम्बन: Reflections

The one of many highlights of 'Project Swavlamban' was the wrap-up event when our women trainees showed a lot of confidence and had big smiles on their faces to display and sell their homemade products of different kinds.

'Project Swavlamban' was initiated as a 'Gesture of Gratefulness' to all 'Didis' (housekeeping staff) for their sincere work and dedicated efforts. As a matter of fact, Project Swavlamban would have not been possible with such preciseness and professionalism if we had not secured the grant support. 

We were able to successfully execute 72 hour long capacity building training only because we had all the essential resources in place. Whether it was about back-to-back skill training sessions or it was about helping them organize the wrap-up exhibition in order to sell their handmade art and craft products; it all turned out to be an accomplished project as we had financial support to provide these energetic and ready-to-learn groups of women with all the necessary mentoring and materials. 

The one of many highlights of 'Project Swavlamban' was the wrap-up event.

The one of many highlights of 'Project Swavlamban' was the wrap-up event when our women trainees showed a lot of confidence and had big smiles on their faces to display and sell their homemade products of different kinds. Also, the certificate distribution ceremony was the testinominal of the grand success of 'Project Swavlamban' that enabled these women to realize their true potential and all the credit goes to the support we received through the grant.

For all of us, 'Project Swavlamban' has been a great learning experience in various ways and means. Working with the housekeeping women staff has made us realize and learn the following important takeaways, 

1. These women are very much aspiring and have passion to make their mark, irrespective of their backgrounds and professions. 
2. They are keen to become self-dependent and want to support their families to the best of their abilities. 
3. What they needed was a bit of inspiration and a detailed set of guidance in order to make their aspirations come true. 
4. Some of these women showed extraordinary entrepreneurial skills and executed the assigned tasks and activities very well. 
5. Most of the women worked really well when they performed in a team setting. 
6. Many of these women took active part in the wrap-up exhibition and produced their best work. 
7. When encouraged and motivated, they willingly participated in opening their saving accounts and exhibited interest in various money saving banking schemes too. 
8. Almost all of them came from humble backgrounds and working full time as a housekeeping staff required them to dedicate more than 8 to 10 hours a day; yet they managed to attend more than 75% of training programs overall. 
9. Initially, they were a little shy and hesitant but overtime, they started showcasing their openness and readiness to learn and become confident with each passing day. 
10. Last but not the least, their attitude towards themselves changed for the better and they all were appreciated and acknowledged by the higher management of the university, by the end of the project.
    
    

    

    'Project Swavlamban' has been a great learning experience in various ways and means.

Keeping these takeaways in mind, the entire team of organizers and facilitators have felt fulfilled and satisfied with their contributions and have become determined to keep this spark of change and betterment alive, even during their informal interactions with these women. 

With working closely, we have developed more respect and a sense of belongingness to these groups of super-women and we hope to continue this chain of change in future as well.

The entire team of organizers and facilitators felt fulfilled and satisfied with their contributions to Project स्वावलम्बन.

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Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Classroom and Beyond

Teachers should find a variety of stories that challenge stereotypes and preconceptions.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion 

in Classroom and Beyond

A teacher's own actions and characteristics serve as the foundation for the magic of encouraging fairness, diversity, and inclusion in the classroom.

So, it was a 'dream-come-true-moment' for me when I received the news that 'Living Conversations' project has won Blackboard Catalyst Award, 2022 for being a highly innovative skill development course with adaption of new delivery, pedagogical models, and tools for positively influencing the educational experience of students. 

Eventually, my experiences as a course leader and course designer have taught me the following most crucial lessons as a teacher, 

• An excellent teacher is one who enhances the learning environment via amazing enthusiasm, a genuine interest in students, and excellent abilities in both (i) Course content and (ii) Pedagogy.
  
  
• Teachers should shift roles from lecturers to inspiring facilitators who provide tools, track student growth, and motivate them to solve challenges.
  
  
• Teachers should actively seek feedback and collaborate with others in an effort to improve student outcomes.
  
  
• Teachers ought to establish classroom standards that encourage inclusivity and openness among the students. Students should believe that their voices matter and are taken seriously.
  
  
• It is important to promote understanding of and appreciation for individual differences in the classroom. Group activities support inclusion in the learning process and encourage involvement from all students.
  
  
• Guest talks and masterclasses should be explored as forums for students to openly discuss issues related to equity and diversity.
  
  
• Teachers should find a variety of stories that challenge stereotypes and preconceptions.
  
  
• In order to ensure that classroom materials are available to all students and never discriminate against anybody, teachers should employ a range of instructional formats, even if this involves modifying materials for audio, big print, or video.
  
  
• Last but not least, a teacher's own actions and characteristics serve as the foundation for the magic of encouraging fairness, diversity, and inclusion in the classroom.

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Boot Camp for Life Skills: Learning By Choice

"When students get to make decisions about their learning, it can be powerfully motivating."

Boot Camp for Life Skills:
Learning By Choice

Student choice builds ownership in the learning and it leads to increased engagement and empowerment. Student choice creates an environment where students discover what they want to learn.

"When students get to make decisions about their learning, it can be powerfully motivating." - Stephen Merrill

Student choice builds ownership in the learning and it leads to increased engagement and empowerment. Student choice creates an environment where students discover what they want to learn.

And this is exactly what we experienced in the first boot camp of our award-winning life skills course 'Living Conversations'.

We witnessed almost a houseful show today. We had students from various MBA branches and batches to learn significant life skills like public speaking, interpersonal skills and so on.

What makes this entire event extremely remarkable is because of the following facts, 

1. Students showed up entirely 'by choice', not by any compulsion. 
   
   
2. Students already knew their participation would NOT earn them any 'credits', 'marks', or even 'attendance'. 
   
   
3. Students also knew they would be assigned various tasks and activities to perform, post their participation in the boot camp.

That is why we say “Learning happens the best when it's 'Learning By Choice' and that's what true educators believe in the most."

Employability & Education

The youth of India are facing a roadblock both in achieving the degrees on paper that
they want and the vocationalskills that they need.

Employability & Education

There is a need to ensure that India's youth is supported in completing higher education and also gaining the right skills to secure employment.

Do you know India needs 2.7 million skilled professionals by 2023?

The youth of India are facing a roadblock both in achieving the degrees on paper that they want and the vocationalskills that they need.

According to the World Economic Forum, of the 13 million people who join India’s workforce each year, only 1 in 4 MBAs, 1 in 5 engineers, and 1 in 10 graduates are employable.

The employability crisis of graduates in India is a strange conundrum because India is a powerhouse when it comes to the available workforce, 50% of the country’s population is below the age of 25.

The skillgap has been taken into account by the National Education Policy (NEP) released in 2020 which recommends training students in vocational skills right from school.

There is a need to ensure that India's youth is supported in completing higher education and also gaining the right skills to secure employment.

As per experts, we need more,
- Skill Training
- Internships
- Industry Projects
- Shop Floor Experiences
- Industry Mentoring
- Career Sessions
- Incubators

Fixing India’s employability crisis needs a multipronged approach that brings together adequate skill development measures right from the school-level, a booming industry-academic partnership that equips the youth with employability skills.

Gamification As A Training Tool

Gamification works because it triggers real, powerful human emotions such as happiness, intrigue, and accomplishment.

Gamification As A Training Tool

Educators and training & development professionals should not underestimate the potential of gamification in skill training. For professionals seeking to introduce or expand the use of gamification in their sessions, here are some simple approaches as a starting point to gamify the teaching and learning process.

Albert Einstein himself indicated that games are the most elevated form of investigation. Games promote situated learning and higher-order thinking skills.

Gamification uses positive reinforcement techniques to make learning an enjoyable experience and I have been practicing 'gamification' since the pandemic, to make my online classes more engaging and effective.

I continued with 'gamification' even in my hybrid as well as offline classes for facilitating life skills courses to university students.

On the top, you can see the leaderboard with stars (= points) earned by students for performing assigned tasks and activities during an entire semester.

It was quite exciting to notice how my students experienced an exponential growth in their leadership and teamskills.

Here you can see the feedback by one of my student cohorts post completion of a life skills course 'Leadership and Teamwork'.

It was quite exciting to notice how my students experienced an exponential growth in their leadership and teamskills.

Simply put, gamification is the use of game-design elements and game principals in non-game contexts.

Educators and traininganddevelopment professionals should not underestimate the potential of gamification in skilltraining.

For professionals seeking to introduce or expand the use of gamification in their sessions, here are some simple approaches as a starting point to gamify the teaching and learning process,

🎁 Award points or badges to students for meeting academic objectives.

🥊 Create missions for students using a fun theme.

⛳ Use levels, checkpoints, and other methods of progression.

✨ Maintain a progress bar to record students' advancement in learning.

🎳 Let students set their own goals, then track their own progress in a fun/visual/personal way.

🏆 Create leaderboards to gauge classroom progress and instill a sense of competition.

Remember, gamification works because it triggers real, powerful human emotions such as happiness, intrigue, excitement and accomplishment. 

Play on!

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Gaurav Misra 'Fulbright's gamification based framework 'Star Count System' won him Blackboard Award, 2021 at the Asia Pacific level, for being one of the most innovative teaching methdologies for studentengagement.

Student-feedback says it all.

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Project स्वावलम्बन: Success Story II

Recently, सविता दीदी has cracked a business deal with Naayra Farms for her product 'homemade ghee'.

Project स्वावलम्बन: Success Story II

She has been making 'homemade ghee' since ages but never felt confident enough to convert it into a business idea.

Meet सविता दीदी!

Just a few weeks ago, she was attending sessions on entrepreneurship under 'Project स्वावलम्बन' where she and other didis were learning 'financial empowerment' and 'small business'.

She has been making 'homemade ghee' since ages but never felt confident enough to convert it into a business idea.

We are glad that recently, सविता दीदी has cracked a business deal with Naayra Farms for her product 'homemade ghee'.

Her smiling face with her first small business income is pure joy for us. Please join us in congratulating her. Many more smiles to come :)

*'Project स्वावलम्बन' is a grant winning skill development project for socio-economic upliftment, financial empowerment and media literacy of the women housekeeping staff of UPES, supported by the U.S. Embassy India and Swechha India.

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Project स्वावलम्बन: Success Story

I requested Pinki didi for a picture and she confidently posed along with her
'self-earned' chocolate ice cream with a big winning smile :)

Project स्वावलम्बन: Success Story

Just a few weeks ago, she was attending sessions on digital literacy under 'Project स्वावलम्बन' where she and other didis were trying to play with their cell phones and learn a few tricks including how to use their cell phones for digital payments as well.

"भैया! आपको मैं Paytm पर पैसे भेज दूँ?"

 ...asked a familiar voice close behind me.

I turned and saw Pinki didi from our housekeeping staff.

It was quite impressive to see her getting ready to pay online with such confidence. Just a few weeks ago, she was attending sessions on digital literacy under 'Project स्वावलम्बन' where she and other didis were trying to play with their cell phones and learn a few tricks including how to use their cell phones for digital payments as well.

Even I sensed a 'surprised look' on Ashwani Baiya's face, behind the counter, who was perhaps not expecting an online transaction from her.

Though I could see Pinki didi struggling over her phone screen a little bit in the beginning, and my colleague guiding her with a few initial steps; in the meanwhile, Ashwani Baiya offered full discount on her purchase (one chocolate ice cream). 

Maybe he wanted to offer her a reward for her upgraded digital skills.

In a few seconds, we all heard Paytm machine announcing, "Payment received." ...and this announcement brought smiles to everyone's face as if we all witnessed something amazing.

I requested Pinki didi for a picture and she confidently posed along with her 'self-earned' chocolate ice cream with a big winning smile :) 

*'Project स्वावलम्बन' is a grant winning skill development project for socio-economic upliftment, financial empowerment and media literacy of the women housekeeping staff of UPES, supported by the U.S. Embassy India and Swechha India.

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