Working for NGOs is a unique experience. Last 3 months I have been participating in a workshop for an NGO. It was on Waste Management. Reaching out to kids from different schools all over Mumbai was a wonderful experience.
Meeting students, hearing their ideas, thoughts, solutions made it interesting. Some very mischievous, naughty, few seriously thinking and few lost in their own world.
Most of the schools were different from each other, their way of disciplining kids, handling situations and participation of teachers reflected on how the Principal handled and controlled the school.
Schools where children felt free to express themselves with their teachers and yet showed discipline, manners displayed the children enjoyed school. Few schools where children only feared and followed rules were discipline is forced upon showed the incompetence of teachers and Principle to handle the responsibility.
Most of the schools the girls outsmarted boys, they were intelligent, disciplined and bold enough to talk and express themselves and ready to adapt the concept to make the world a better place to live which was interesting. Few schools the boys were interested in learning the ideas to change the situation, and understood that piling garbage is a hazard and separating into dry and wet waste is necessary.
Use of wet garbage as vermi compost and dry for recycling made it interesting. And the small token gift by sponsors was lucrative.
I had a great time, learnt a lot, met many students, teachers, principles. Remembered my school days.........
To make the world a better place it is easier to reach children, explain the concept and effects and they in turn can reach their parents to create an healthy environment..
eg. today every house has mobiles, computer games not because the parents want but because the children want it.
If the children understand the concept the next few generations will be able find solutions and make the world a better place with lesser and manageable problems.
