Inside this issue
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2 AFS India is 15! Gra tude for making a difference. It’s me to join the celebra on. How? Read inside! 3 AFS School Member Highlights School of the Month is Maria’s Public School, Guwaha . Learn how they have accomplished innumerable accolades, victories, successes, and much more. 4-5 In Schools Sec on, explore the Results of AFS India Calendar Ac vi es. Our member schools have been very busy by being engaged in the collage compe on, poster making compe on, essay wri ng compe on, etc. and much more than 1000+ students were part of these different events. Join us in congratula ng the winners and runner-ups. 6-9 Check out the Wall of Gra tude where you can check out the posters made by students as part of the Poster Making Compe on (Member School Calendar Ac vity). Cheers to the students who made this happen! 10 In our YES Impact Stories sec on, read the stories of Divya Ramavath and Neha Sharma. Divya says, "YES program changed me so much in one year” 11 In Hos ng Stories, experience the story of Elsa being hosted by the wonderful Indian family, Jyotsna Shah and Jitendra Shah of Ahmedabad Chapter 11 In the Joy of Volunteering, experience the Community Service conducted in the Anand Chapter. The idea behind the service was to help the underserved during the pandemic.
Page 02 | October 2020 | Newsle er | AFS India
between the 'local' and 'global'. Through the various projects that we have planned for them, over the past few years, the students were able to -
Maria's Public School, Guwahati Address: Birkuchi, Narengi, Guwaha – 781026, Assam, India Phone No. +91- 8383968702, +91- 9864068171 E-mail: principal@mariaspublicschool.org Website: h p://mariaspublicschool.org/ Over the years, Maria's Public School has accomplished innumerable accolades, victories, successes as well as healthy failures. One true reason that has contributed to this is the Marian Vision - 'Learning Beyond the Classroom' envisaged by the Founder Managing Trustee, Nellie Ahmed, ever since the school was established in 1988. This vision has not provided just one single pla orm but various other portals have opened up for the students and educators to demonstrate their academic, crea ve and co-scholas c capabili es. From the primary level, children get opportuni es to engage in real life learning experiences, adhering to a curriculum that balances academics and experien al learning. Ac vi es like Nature Walks, Biodiversity Awareness and Conserva on Educa on Programmes are organized each year. One par cular avenue that we always focus on and believe in providing value is the cultural exchange; every year we provide an opportunity to students as well as teachers to visit countries abroad, and contribute to the Interna onal Cultural Exchange Programmes. It has benefited our students tremendously to evolve as responsible and sensi ve individuals, with the same respect for other cultures as their own. It has also helped to foster a feeling of Global Competence and a sense of Global Ci zenship. The Marian Educa onal fraternity ac vely par cipates in songs, dramas and organizes street plays and skits which represent our true tradi on and history, which connects adheres students to their 'roots'. MPS now basks in the light of the learning outcomes through its affilia ons to various Na onal and Interna onal Organiza ons - AFS, Round Square, The Green Schools Alliance, TAISI, to name a few, which further enhances the learning modules, enabling the Students
- Learn firsthand about the impact of culture on values and the decisions they make - Gain the ability to be er see themselves through the eyes of others - Challenge assump ons - Broaden their views on stereotypes and global issues - Gain understanding on how to shi perspec ves effec vely, appropriately and authen cally - Create innova ve solu ons to resolve real-world challenges - Develop the prac cal 21st century skills, knowledge and understanding needed to become ac ve global ci zens There have been instances when our students, in true spirit of celebra ng our very own fes val 'Bihu', had visited the nearby Police sta on to not only honour the bravery of the people of the law enforcement, but also make them feel special. As part of the school's community outreach program, our students have visited mental health awareness centres and interacted with the most vulnerable and unique of our social strata. The experience helped the students to understand the nuances of social inclusion and the need for inclusivity and sustainable development that works for all, not just a few. Community connec on is imbibed in the curriculum and educa onal ac on plans of MPS and the students are connected to Local Communi es around the School, located in Birkuchi, Narengi, Guwaha , Assam. Resource sharing cons tutes most of the ac vi es, where the students explore a bond through lessons, artworks, cra and gardening. MPS has also been suppor ng communi es located in remote areas in the States of Meghalaya and Rajasthan, where the students have connected with fellow students coming from mountain and forest communi es. Through its own Conserva on Educa on and Community Interac on Camp located at Gailpur, Rajasthan - the Maria's Braveheart, the students explore Global Paradigms of Community Interac on and Service by a ending programmes twice every year. A latest addi on to our ventures took place in Sept, 2018 when we joined hands with AFS and became part of their extended family. We cannot hope to confront the climate emergency without the meaningful par cipa on of all stakeholders involved and to that effect, AFS is a truly wonderful pla orm to mobilize opinions for affirma ve ac on, and most importantly to design an organized, collabora ve student-teacher task force that would address Local and Global Problems, throw per nent ques ons to get the right answers and explore possibili es for collec ve solu on which is the need of the 21st century. Page 03 | October 2020 | Newsle er | AFS India
Essay Wri ng & Poster Making Compe
ons
Theme: Youth Skill Development for a Be er Tomorrow To mark the World Youth Skills Day 2020, the teenagers of AFS India Member Schools par cipated in the Essay Wri ng & Poster Making compe ons. The young par cipants in crea ve ways presented their perspec ves on the need to be equipped with the skills to successfully manage evolving challenges and the resilience to adapt to future disrup ons especially in the context of effects of COVID-19 pandemic.
Schools
Results of AFS India Calendar
ESSAY WRITING COMPETITION WINNERS POSITION
Ac vi es
NAME
First
Vipulav Batra
9th
Elpro Interna onal School, Pune
Pakhi Banerjee
10th
Delhi Public School, Indore
Third
Smi Gupta
11th
Rajkumar College, Raipur
Others in Top 9 (175 Total Valid Entries Received)
Third
Share a Collage Compe
SCHOOL
Second
Second
First
CLASS
on
Celebra ng the Global Day of Parents (1 June) can be as simple as le ng your parents or grandparents know how thankful you are for their love and commitment. This day encourages both the children and the parents to spend me with each other to create cherishable memories. In an effort to let our young genera on to express their gra tude by spending quality me with them and capture these in pictures. The students were asked create beau ful collages of the family pictures clicked during quaran ne and sending them as their entries for this compe on. Though all of them cannot be winners of this compe on, all the par cipants are winners for spreading the love for their parents or grandparents or both.
NAME
CLASS
SCHOOL
Reet Agarwal
12th
All Saint's College, Nainital
Meghal Jain
10th
Lakshmipat Singhania Academy, Kolkata
Aryan Gupta
9th
Delhi Public School, Indore
Tushar Daga
12th
Rajkumar College, Raipur
Eshita Singh
12th
Sunbeam School Varuna, Varanasi
Divina Rathor
10th
Mayo College Girls School, Ajmer
POSTER MAKING COMPETITION WINNERS POSITION
NAME
NAME
CLASS
SCHOOL
First
Esha Vidyarthi
12th
Delhi Public School, Bhopal
Second
Mann Agrawal
8th
Third
Shris Sharma
12th
SCHOOL
First
Aadrija Poddar
12th
Rajkumar College, Raipur
Second
Sudiksha Singh Rathore
12th
Sunbeam School Lahartara, Varanasi
Third
Caroline Smetacek
11th
All Saints' College, Nainital
COLLAGE COMPETITION WINNERS POSITION
CLASS
Others in Top 10 (96 Total Valid Entries Received)
NAME
CLASS
SCHOOL
Delhi Public School, Indore
Anushcka Joshi
11th
The Assam Valley School, Tezpur
Elpro Interna onal School, Pune
Abhishri Khaitan
10th
Mayo College Girls' School, Ajmer
Ayushi Negi
11th
Maa Anandmayee Memorial School, Dehradun
Sashreek Garg
12th
Pinegove School, Subatu, Himachal Pradesh
Others in Top 10 (213 Total Valid Entries Received)
NAME
CLASS
SCHOOL
Anagha Sriya Dontabhaktuni
The Hyderabad Public School, Ramanthapur
Siddhant Saxena
11th
Delhi Public School, Indore
9th
Chavda Rishi V
11th
Rosary High School, Rajkot
Janhvi Shrivastava
9th
Delhi Public School, Bhopal
Vidhi Sharma
12th
Delhi Public School, Indore
G. Rahul Chandan
9th
The Hyderabad Public School, Ramanthapur
Hunnardeep Kaur Virk
8th
Yadavindra Public School, Mohali
Adi Indrajit Pa l
9th
Sanjay Ghodawat Interna onal School, Kolhapur
Parth
10th
Sunbeam Suncity School, Varanasi
Archit
10th
Sunbeam Suncity School, Varanasi
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First
Second
Third
Judges of the Review Commi ee COLLAGE, ESSAY WRITING & POSTER COMPETITIONS
Ms. Priyanka Gharat Educator-Art & Cra Viraj Shri Ram Centennial School, Boisar
Mr. Anil Jayavant Shindepa l HOD Art Sanjay Ghodawat Interna onal School, Kolhapur
Mr. Nikunja Basumatary HOD Visual Art Mayo College Girls' School, Ajmer
Mr. Srikanta Goswami HOD Arts SelaQui Interna onal School, Dehradun
Mr. Sachin Desai Faculty & Coordinator (Ac vity & AFS) Viraj Shri Ram Centennial School, Boisar
Ms. Nivedita Sharma Art Educator Jodhamal Public School, Jammu
Ms. Gargee Das Faculty (English), In-charge Crea ve wri ng Society, School Magazine -Editor | Mayo College Girls' School, Ajmer
Ms. Naaz Hafiz Faculty (English), Coach & Adjudicator for WSDC (World schools Deba ng Championships), CAIE | Sanjay Ghodawat Interna onal School, Kolhapur
Dr. Sunil Rai Senior Master (Academics & Curriculum Development) SelaQui Interna onal School, Dehradun
JUDGES’ SPEAK While evalua ng the work of par cipants, it has been a learning experience for me having examined so many candidates on Na onal Level. I was amused as this was a revela on to me as it's not just their work but also reflec on of their thought process.’ - Nivedita Sharma, Art Educator, Jodhamal Public School, Jammu
Being exposed to so many fresh perspec ves has taken me on a journey of learning. It has reintroduced me to the feeling of amazement that one experiences while rearing and grooming the upcoming genera ons and gives me a huge sa sfac on to be a teacher.’ - Gargee Das, English Educator, Mayo College Girls’ School, Ajmer
Reviewing the entries helped me to be er understand young minds - their crea vity, new ideas, thought process and exposure. All the Best to the winners & par cipants.’
It was an amazing opportunity to explore the young talent and their intellect. Reading the essays itself was a wonderful experience. It is very easy to cri cize or find errors, s ll the judgment was very difficult and few close results were found.’
- Srikant Goswami, HOD ART, SelaQui Interna onal School, Dehradun
- Sachin M. Desai, Educator, Viraj Shri Ram Centennial School, Boisar Page 05 | October 2020 | Newsle er | AFS India
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"We Create GLOBAL Ci zens” Page 09 | October 2020 | Newsle er | AFS India
Voyage of Change By Neha Sharma, YES Alumna | Year of exchange – 2005-06 “Being a media graduate, social media and marke ng has been my profile for the longest me but the pressing social issues around India and around the world have always hovered my mind. I have worked relessly with NGOs around India but the itch to do something bigger has always been there. As a YES alumni, my perspec ve on issues has been global, I wanted to bring about a change (or atleast work towards it) so as to have a global reach. I had come to an understanding that all the issues in the world are the same, degree and magnitude varies. Issues like, poverty, water crisis, public health, women safety, biodiversity, crime against children, war and the biggest and the most pressing concern CLIMATE CHANGE. Climate change affects all of us. No ma er which country or which strata of economy one belongs to. Thanks to the YES exchange program, I was exposed to varying global perspec ves at an early age which engrained the philosophy of being a global ci zen and working towards protec ng the Earth and humanity. And, today I have made a film- Voyage For Change. A global documentary from the perspec ve of children on the issues of sustainability, solu ons and climate change. It has taken more than 3 years to bring this film together and it has travelled to France, Japan, India and California. The film is set to release in 2021.
My Exchange Experience By Divya Ramavath, YES Alumna, Hyderabad
YES Impact Stories
“Since my childhood, I have gone through a lot of challenges and I had to work hard for most of the things. I come from a middle-class agricultural family. I studied in my own local language un l 5th grade a er that I got admission to an English medium school. It was so hard for my family to pay my school fee. I worked hard and I completed my 10th grade. On weekends, I used to go to fieldwork to help my parents, and I s ll do that.
I am interested in sports. I love to play volleyball. My teachers saw how interested I am in volleyball and because of that, I got to play volleyball at the state level. I also really like to play kabaddi but as a girl, no one gave me permission to play kabaddi. My community doesn't approve of girls playing kabaddi. We have a lot of restric ons and limita ons, but I'm working towards overcoming the same. I completed my 10th grade and I got an opportunity to go abroad on the YES Program. This program created a posi ve impact on my life. When I was started my journey to par cipate in this pres gious program, each and every person was thinking that I won't be able to excel in this program and everyone discouraged me. But when I explained this YES program, the values and their mission, they understood and appreciated the same. YES program changed me so much in one year. There are lots of inspira onal stories. I appreciate the hard work of each and every person who is working for YES. I got freedom with this program. When I completed this program I got an iden ty in my society. I'm someone now. Currently, I am giving back what I learned from the program. I am giving mo va on to girls and their parents to come forward and let them become leaders of tomorrow. My goal is to become a police officer. For this, I am facing lots of challenges, but I am preparing myself to reach the goal. I am studying a lot of inspira onal stories of IAS and IPS officers. I have also joined civil classes and also training for police service. I don't know what will happen, but I know that am not gonna leave my goal and ambi on in my life. Thank you to YES Program for everything" Page 10 | October 2020 | Newsle er | AFS India
First me in the history of human civiliza on children have to strike and march all over the world to protect their future and the future of all life on Earth. “Voyage for Change” is part of this collec ve movement of children. This is not merely a film but also a film ac vism campaign aimed at transforming the current prevailing narra ve from “the world in crisis” to “solu ons for a sustainable world”. The documentary explores the challenges of today's world and the sustainable solu ons through the eyes of children from three con nents. In a subtle manner the film hopes for plan ng seeds of change in the minds of children and parents of the world. What makes the film a compelling viewing experience is the candid conversa ons between the children and commi ed and inspiring humans such as Shilpi Chhotray, Andrew, Luke Julia, Michale. Interrelated and intersec onality between the issues such as Climate Change, protec ng forests, sustainable energy, sustainable farming, sustainable food, sustainable architecture, sustainable travel, social injus ce, par cipa ve democracy, fake news and more fall under the umbrella of this project.”
ELSA - A BEAUTIFUL GIRL FROM FINLAND – HELSINKI By Jyotsna Shah and Jitendra Shah | Ahmedabad Chapter “Elsa, a girl aged 18 years from Helsinki – a Capital of Finland was with us for a shorter period of around two months i.e. August 2019 and September 2019.
Hosting Stories
To speak about Elsa, we all family members agree that she was a very nice girl who easily reached anyone's heart. She was regular in a ending school. She was neat and clean in her daily affairs. She was good at dressings.
We also learnt from her one word and that is: OK. She never ever complained about anything while she was with us. Whenever we used to ask for anything, maybe food, breakfast, household work etc. she gladly used to say OK. This is her best quality. During her period of stay with us, her Naming Ceremony (Finland culture) was falling on 15.10.2019 and we celebrated that day at our house by calling all Host students from USA, France, Japan etc. who were in Ahmedabad. It was an excellent experience for us too. She was with us during Navratri Fes val too and my younger daughter used to take her for GARBA at different venues. She had the privilege to a end one marriage of my younger daughter's friend. She observed all Indian marriage rituals quite minutely and
Community Service Helping The Needy By Jalpa Shah, Volunteer, Anand Chapter “I am glad to share that we have done two community services this last month. On the 2nd of September, we donated 35 kg of clothes to the poor and needy people. This idea was ini ated to help the people who are unable to afford to get clothes in this pandemic. This community service was conducted to fill up some bright colour to their lives. Mr. Vinod Shah from USA, my uncle, donated 140 pairs of clothes including pent, shirt, kur s, dress, coat, chaniyacholi, sherwani, saree, jewelry etc. Our AFS Anand Chapter's volunteers came together with full enthusiasm and donated clothes to support the cause.
thoroughly enjoyed the Indian—Gujara marriage. We took her to our family houses in Ahmedabad / Baroda for par es and to make her know our Indian and specifically Gujara culture of joint family in detail. Important observa on of her is worth men oning regarding all visits by her with us as she was nicely accepted in my family and friends. She enjoyed many family get-togethers. While she was with us and understood our Gujara culture of joint family systems very well while and she too organized her family get- together a er reaching back to Finland. In the same way, we, too, learnt the magical word “OK” from her in daily family communica on to smoothen the family conflicts /environment. We shall always love to welcome her again.... and again.”
ci zens in old age homes. Pandemic being a blessing in disguise, allowed us to try and cook new recipes and dishes. Senior ci zens at old age homes are not fortunate to cook new dishes most of the me, so the Anand Chapter decided to bring new flavors to the senior ci zens. It was a fun meal for them. As the senior ci zens are considered vulnerable, not all the volunteers are allowed to meet therefore, I and Dip Patel visited them. We observed, prac ced, and maintained social distancing at all mes while comple ng this community service.”
Because of the pandemic, it was challenging for us to meet and donate the clothes, but it's rightly said that when there is a will there's a way. Mr. Prashant Dandekar and Mrs. Ankita Dandekar who live in Mumbai and have been involved in conduc ng the same kind of community service in a pandemic situa on, came together to help in the distribu on in Mumbai a er we shipped all the collected clothes to them. On the 24th of September, we did another community service where we distributed sandwiches, biscuits, and ice cream to senior
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Adithi Kokonda from Hyderabad