Youth Programs
Beginning with the Sabla Sanghs (empowered women’s forums) in the eighties, our work evolved to support adolescent girls in forums that encourage leadership, emphasize self-help models of learning, and promote skills that will catalyze long term sustainable action from the grassroots level. Our programmes enable adolescent girls to gain awareness of their rights through body knowledge, legal literacy workshops, and life skills training. With an emphasis on developing leadership skills, the forums open a space for girls on the brink of womanhood to articulate their hopes and fears, assert their own identity, and claim their individual space - to step out into the world with confidence.
Action India’s Youth Programmes:
Choti and Nanhi Sabla Forums
Action India recognizes that girls are just not women in waiting; they have their own needs and aspirations and hence require their own space to express and share their thoughts and feelings. As recognition of this need, Action India initiated the Choti Sabla Manch, a platform for 13-18 year olds to meet, interact, share information and learn to assert their own identity and claim their own space. A Nanhi Sabla for 9-12 year olds followed suit.
Youth Development Training Programme
Our Youth Development Training Programme initiated in 2000 is designed to meet the human development needs of adolescents and to equip them with life skills and competencies needed to participate in adolescent and adult life successfully.
- Health and reproductive rights
- Education and equal opportunities
- Law and discriminatory practices within the family
- The growing violence against women
- Vocational and livelihood skills
For effective outreach we visualized the “peer educator” strategy. The main objective of this programme has been to create a young leadership and to spearhead groups within the community. By selecting peer leaders and training them to train their peers, we emphasize youth-led programming. Issues such as gender, sexuality, HIV/AIDS, marriage and work are also discussed with them.
Girls Learn International Program with Chhoti Sabla
Girls Learn International Program is a non -profit service learning initiative involving American girls in the international effort for global girls education. Girls Learn International chapters are based in middle schools and high schools and high school in urban, suburban and rural communities. College students may participate as chapter facilitators as part of the Girls Learn International College Leadership Division.
Each Girls Learn International Chapter is paired with a “Partner Classroom” Providing quality education to girls in a community in which girls have traditionally been denied access to, or discouraged from commencing or completing, education.
As part of the Girls Learn International service learning Program, participants will engage in a variety of educational, communication, advocacy and outreach projects on behalf of the partner classrooms and global girls’ education, and will develop the critical thinking and problem solving skills essential to good leadership.
Through their participation in Girls Learn International, young women will help to bridge the gap in global girls’ education, increase their global knowledge and become empowered as agents of positive social change.
In India Chhoti Sabla is a chapter of Girls Learn International. Chhoti Sabla is a forum for adolescent girls to meet, share their dreams and aspirations. Chhoti Sabla creates a space to understand gender and sexuality without fear or shame.
Program
- Exploring human rights
- Gathering information
- Fostering global understanding
- Planning Effective Action
- Gaining Advocacy skills
- Going Public
- Sharing our Experiences
Scholarship and Academic Support
Our scholarship programme enables girls to complete high school, and enroll in vocational courses or undergraduate studies. The scholarship equips girls with skills and qualifications that put them on the fast track to self sufficiency. School drop-outs are encouraged to give their examinations through the National Open School or Distance Learning System. Regular coaching classes are held. Guidance regarding choice of subjects and careers is also provided.
One of the main objectives of Action India is to level the playing field for girls. As an outcome of globalization, English has become indispensable in our daily lives. Therefore, English classes are held to open a whole new spectrum of opportunities for the girls living in the resettlement colonies.
The WE CAN campaign
The “We Can” campaign is a six year, six nation campaign to end all violence against women. Seeking to create the same “multiplier” effect as the Peer Educator Programme, Action India as the Delhi Secretarait has mobilized more than 10,000 youths called Change Makers, who will continue to induct more Change Makers into the campaign in order to reach the goal of 5 million by 2011.
The campaign targets individuals especially youth to become catalysts for change. They not only facilitate discussions on issues like gender, violence, choice of life partner etc but are also role models for alternate behaviour. By bringing domestic violence, eve teasing etc into the public sphere, the campaign hopes to make the community responsible for such acts. The campaign aims to bring long term changes in society in order to create a positive environment for women.