Saturday, November 26, 2016
Diwali celebration (29 Oct. 2016)
Diwali festival was celebrated on centers on 29th Oct. . Teachers told kids about the festival,
why it is celebrated and how it is celebrated. Kids were also told
inspirational stories. On occasion of Diwali, Laiya, Khilona, Gatta, Banana and
Sweets were distributed between kids. Kids took oath that they will not use
firecrackers on Diwali. Kids were also told how the smoke generated from
firecrackers pollute our environment.
Thursday, November 10, 2016
Child from Apna Skool - winner of inter -School competition (Oct. 2016)
Vanya Praani Saptah’16 was celebrated in Zoological Park, Kanpur. An inter-school competitions were organized, in which students of around 30 schools were participated. It was held on 3 October, 2016. Children of migrant workers from Apna Skool Education centre competed in the competition. A detail related to the result of Apna Skool Kids is given below:
· Alka & Roli - (8th) won first position in "Rangoli"
· Gudiya (5th) won first prize in "Painting"
Saturday, September 24, 2016
END Slavery in Brick Kilns in India
REQUEST FOR HELP
Dear All,
Two years ago when I visited a brick kiln near IIT Kanpur with Vijaya Didi, daughter of a former President of India who is running a one room school without the roof for the benefit of children of workers, I was appalled to first hand witness plight of these bonded laborers working in slave like conditions. I was moved. I decided that we need to do something.
We have launched a petition drive to address the problem. You can read more about the petition "END Slavery in Brick Kilns in India" and our suggestion to Prime Minister of India at https://www.change.org/p/end- slavery-in-brick-kilns-in- india
Please consider signing the petition to show your concern with the current situation and demand for change. Our goal is 1000 signatures. 513 Signatures are already on the petition.
PLEASE FORWARD THIS MAIL TO YOUR FRIENDS. SHARE PETITION ON FACEBOOK.
Thank You
Ashok Gupta
PS: India, according to 2016 Global Slavery Index, has the highest number of people in the world trapped in modern-day slavery with 18.35 million victims of forced/bonded labor. About 10 million of India’s “modern slaves” labor in appalling conditions in brick kilns. Entire families of men, women and children as bonded-laborers are working in these kilns for a pittance and in terrible conditions. They work 12 to 18 hours a day to pay off their undocumented debt in perpetuity, from generation to generation, to produce what is now termed as “blood-bricks” for the construction industry.
Two years ago when I visited a brick kiln near IIT Kanpur with Vijaya Didi, daughter of a former President of India who is running a one room school without the roof for the benefit of children of workers, I was appalled to first hand witness plight of these bonded laborers working in slave like conditions. I was moved. I decided that we need to do something.
We have launched a petition drive to address the problem. You can read more about the petition "END Slavery in Brick Kilns in India" and our suggestion to Prime Minister of India at https://www.change.org/p/end- slavery-in-brick-kilns-in- india
Please consider signing the petition to show your concern with the current situation and demand for change. Our goal is 1000 signatures. 513 Signatures are already on the petition.
PLEASE FORWARD THIS MAIL TO YOUR FRIENDS. SHARE PETITION ON FACEBOOK.
Thank You
Ashok Gupta
PS: India, according to 2016 Global Slavery Index, has the highest number of people in the world trapped in modern-day slavery with 18.35 million victims of forced/bonded labor. About 10 million of India’s “modern slaves” labor in appalling conditions in brick kilns. Entire families of men, women and children as bonded-laborers are working in these kilns for a pittance and in terrible conditions. They work 12 to 18 hours a day to pay off their undocumented debt in perpetuity, from generation to generation, to produce what is now termed as “blood-bricks” for the construction industry.
Monday, September 5, 2016
Saturday, June 25, 2016
Terracotta Sculpture Making Workshop(3rd June -9th June 2016)
Apnaskool project has been running non-formal education centers learning for the children of migrant workers in more than 25 brick kilns and construction sites all over Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh since the 1990s. Presently ApnaSkool lead center has also set up in the Apnaghar (a residential complex for boys of Apnaskool) premises where regular classes are held daily for these children uptothe 5th standard.
As a recent addition to these activities, Vijaya Ramachandran, founder member of Apna Skool on a personal initiative has started the Apna Kendra, which is a vocational training center for development of skill based knowledge for these students. Presently vocational training is provided for Tailoring and Computer Education. In addition, Apna Kendra has now initiated a new Arts programme for the children of the ApnaSkool and ApnaGhar to impart hands on training and knowledge about different process of Fine Arts, music, theater and other related cultural practices. The intension is to introduce the students to the minute details of the process of making art so that they can imbibe that knowledge in their everyday practice and also for possible future sustenance.
Terracotta sculpture making workshop
In this respect a Terracotta sculpture making workshop was organized for seven days in the campus of ApnaGhar premises, where Shri Amiya NimaiDhara, a reputed young sculptor from Santiniketan and also an academic staff of Kala Bhavana, Visva Bharati, Santniketan was invited to conduct a seven days workshop from 3rd to 9th June 2016. Amiya Nimai conducted an in-depth workshop on the method of terracotta sculpture and shared all the different techniques of terracotta sculpting, starting from clay preparation, to clay modelling, to relief work to direct carving on the bricks. He explained to the students the difference between the process of preparation of bricks and the process of preparation for a sculpture to the students. Students also learnt the process of making indigenous tools for sculpting from bamboo. Finally Amiya Nimai helped the students to prepare a terracotta firing kiln and students fired all their sculptures with their own hands.
This was a unique experience for the children who are habituated to work in the brick kilns to experience an alternative use of their skills as a creative process and apply them to make artworks from their own imaginations. Now both the young and senior students of ApnaSkool and ApnaGhar know the process of making terracotta sculptures. The success of this initiative will be achieved once the students continue to make more sculptures on their own initiative in the future and apply these experiences directly in their everyday life to imagine a lifestyle rich in both aesthetics value and sustenance.
Apna Kendra is dedicated to organize and invite many more upcoming artists from different disciplines who would share their experience and engage with these children to initiate them into a better understanding of social and cultural life so that they can develop a sustainable future for themselves and for their community.
Apna Kendra thanks all those who made the workshop a success, in particular Sanchayan Ghosh and who directed the workshop; Amiya NimaiDhara for accepting the invitation and conducting the workshop; Manoj Kumar, Mahesh Pandey , Laxmi Kant Shukla, B N Sharma, Ratnakar, Alok Gupta for organization; Mukesh Kumar, NiranjanManjhi, KalpanaNishad and other ApnaGhar & ApnaSkool students and teachers for active participation.
Terracotta sculpture making workshop
In this respect a Terracotta sculpture making workshop was organized for seven days in the campus of ApnaGhar premises, where Shri Amiya NimaiDhara, a reputed young sculptor from Santiniketan and also an academic staff of Kala Bhavana, Visva Bharati, Santniketan was invited to conduct a seven days workshop from 3rd to 9th June 2016. Amiya Nimai conducted an in-depth workshop on the method of terracotta sculpture and shared all the different techniques of terracotta sculpting, starting from clay preparation, to clay modelling, to relief work to direct carving on the bricks. He explained to the students the difference between the process of preparation of bricks and the process of preparation for a sculpture to the students. Students also learnt the process of making indigenous tools for sculpting from bamboo. Finally Amiya Nimai helped the students to prepare a terracotta firing kiln and students fired all their sculptures with their own hands.
This was a unique experience for the children who are habituated to work in the brick kilns to experience an alternative use of their skills as a creative process and apply them to make artworks from their own imaginations. Now both the young and senior students of ApnaSkool and ApnaGhar know the process of making terracotta sculptures. The success of this initiative will be achieved once the students continue to make more sculptures on their own initiative in the future and apply these experiences directly in their everyday life to imagine a lifestyle rich in both aesthetics value and sustenance.
Apna Kendra is dedicated to organize and invite many more upcoming artists from different disciplines who would share their experience and engage with these children to initiate them into a better understanding of social and cultural life so that they can develop a sustainable future for themselves and for their community.
Apna Kendra thanks all those who made the workshop a success, in particular Sanchayan Ghosh and who directed the workshop; Amiya NimaiDhara for accepting the invitation and conducting the workshop; Manoj Kumar, Mahesh Pandey , Laxmi Kant Shukla, B N Sharma, Ratnakar, Alok Gupta for organization; Mukesh Kumar, NiranjanManjhi, KalpanaNishad and other ApnaGhar & ApnaSkool students and teachers for active participation.
Thursday, May 12, 2016
Eye Camp(10 May 2016)
Apna Skool organized an eye camp with the help of Sankara Eye Hospital at Tatiyaganj Centre on 10th May 2016. Doctors checked eyes of 261 students of Apna Skool. 60 students were found to be treated. Some of them were advised to use glasses and others were for some medicines. Apna Skool will arrange for it.
Monday, May 9, 2016
Saturday, May 7, 2016
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Monday, April 18, 2016
Friday, April 1, 2016
Six ApnaSkool Centres and their linked Government Primary Schools(Feb. 2016)
We report the partial success in integrating the ApnaSkool children with the Government Primary School System. We succeeded in getting a formal order from the Kanpur Basic Sikshaadhikari allowing the enrolment of ApnaSkool children in the neighbouring Government Schools and permitting our teachers to accompany them to ensure that their learning continuity is maintained. Given in the accomapanying table are a listing that links various ApnaSkool centres, the Teachers in charge of them and the Government Primary School they have started attending.
Presently all
these children are making use of a classroom in the Government Primary School
and are instructrd by our teachers and provided with mid day hot meals that are
run by us. WE look forward to the future when they will become fully students
in Government system, with our teachers playing a useful supplementary role.
Friday, March 11, 2016
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