Jashn- e- Jaipur: A Youth Jumbish 2011

Jashn- e- Jaipur: A Youth Jumbish 2011


Why Jaipur?


Our exchange with young people and organizations across the city of Jaipur led us to discover that while Rajasthan is known for its social activism across the world, the young people in Jaipur tend to be very disconnected from this legacy. The city is undergoing a number of changes which is resulting in a lot of turmoil. In terms of aspirations, the city is looking towards Delhi- malls, multi- storied buildings and call centers. Personality development, English speaking classes and tuitions for civil services among others are on the rise. Dealing with this fast paced urbanization while being rooted in the cultural tradition has created a tough situation for young people. In this fast-paced, competitive world, the locus has somewhere shifted from education for development of character and growing up to become an effective human being, to education that merely equips young adults to do well for themselves alone. This has led to a preoccupation of the young person with his/her own development in exclusion of the rest of society.




Why do we need to work with Young people?


We believe that young people can change the world today. We believe that the young people have great energy and passion which infuses young people with the potential to initiate, actualize and sustain positive change in the world. Every young person has a potential to be a change maker, all they need is an opportunity to discover that potential.


In a world where every day brings a new headline to add a sense of insecurity and fear, values like trust, love, peace and interdependence are fast giving way to cynicism, and a desire to focus on just self.


In this scenario, many young people who want to engage often hold back (willingly or unwillingly) for fear of being perceived as mad or being labeled as the odd one out. Often they are held back by their immediate families, who feel that this may take them away from their path towards success.


In this process the young people loose a great opportunity to develop as good human beings, who retain their individuality while valuing interdependence and hence connect their self with the larger society. The ability to think and analyze for one self, look beyond what exists, take stances and action, are all skills which are necessary skills for both career and in life and are learnt in the process of becoming an active citizen. Working with young people to inspire them to become change makers and active citizens is therefore imperative to the health of the entire world.


What is active citizenship?


The word citizenship is often viewed solely from the political lens. To many of us it defines the relationship of an individual vis a vis a state. However, we believe that a citizen is also a denizen of a city, a nation and a world. We have a responsibility as guardians of these common spaces, beyond our homes and institutions.


Citizenship is that, which makes us participative, proactive, and responsible towards society. This citizenship is boundary less, not defined by state, caste, religion, language.


An active citizen is someone who steps out of the comfort zone of complacency and acts for social change. Values of interdependence and ownership are at the core of active citizenship.

What is Jashn- e- Jaipur: A Youth Jumbish?


The Youth Jumbish is going to be a space to celebrate the young change makers, inspire young people to get engaged and see how the process will benefit both of them and the world at large. It will also give them concrete spaces to get involved through volunteering and other means, and put the focus on how it can be cool to be an active citizen. The Festival we hope will also help the society at large see active citizenship as an integral part of education of a young person.


We hope that the spirit of fun, celebration and hope, along with real examples will help inspire young people to embark on a journey of self to society, and start the process of creating a community of Youth active citizens who can create their own vision of what Jaipur should be like and act on it.


What will the Jashn- e- Jaipur: A Youth Jumbish do?


There are many young people wishing to create social change and becoming active citizens in Jaipur. However, they often find themselves in isolation and feel the need for a platform where they could connect with like minded peers, and discover and enhance their potential as change makers.


It is precisely this platform that we want to start building through the Jaipur Youth Festival. With this festival, young people will be inspired to become active citizens by creating their vision of Jaipur, celebrating the work of young active citizens and identifying ways in which they can get involved.


It will also create a case for how getting involved in society gives a space to learn many things including skills which help in developing a good responsible human being which will help in both career and life.


All this of course while having fun, and using interactive and creative methodologies like theatre, music, art, and craft among others.


Some questions that we hope the Jashn- e- Jaipur: A Youth Jumbish will raise:




- Can Citizenship be more than just a relationship of an individual and a state?




- What are our responsibilities to common spaces beyond our homes and institutions?




- How are our lives connected with those who we have never met?




- What can we do to make love, peace and respect universal values?




- Why is Active citizenship so important?




- How can we move from independence to interdependence?


Vision:


To inspire young people to become active citizens by promoting new thinking and imagination on the theme and recognizing citizenship work done by young people.


Objectives:


- To inspire young people to become active citizens by recognizing and celebrating existing youth citizenship work.


- To create a community of Young active citizens who can engage with social action by helping them identify ways in which they can make a difference through methods such as volunteering.


- To enable young people to make a connection between self and society and make a case for active citizenship as an integral part of an individuals’ education and life.


Possible Outcomes:


- 40 young people register to volunteer with different organizations.


- 30 people sign up for exposure trips


- A forum of young active citizens who meet once every month for sharing what they are doing towards the Jaipur that they want and have imagined and sessions by diff orgs as inputs for the same.


Target Group- 15- 25 years


Scope of Impact- Adolescents, Youth and Parents and the larger society.


How can different people/ groups / institutions get involved :


Schools:


- Send children on the day of the event to participate (sections 9 and 11 pref)


- Choose to create a group to perform on day of event- within which


Option a- To choose a theme and devise it on their own


Option b- they ask us to connect them with facilitators on issues and/ or skill


- Host a film screening followed by a session on an issue to engage people in dialogue.


- Hold an internal debates, discussions and sessions, to talk about what active citizenship is and why it is needed.


- Take the children for an exposure (with or without our help)


- Nominate groups/ individuals who have already been engaged in social action (groups who participated in Project Citizen)


- Ask children to create posters, write poetry, and create notice boards in this issue.


- Hold parents – children dialogue on this issue.


- Hold internal sessions on skill building on how to get engaged in society.


Colleges:


- All of the above


- Give us space to mobilize people and invite them to participate even outside of college if the college does not wish to engage directly.


- Nominate students as volunteers for the fest.


NGOs:


- Stalls during the event


- Facilitators for issues and skills- help facilitate the process


- Take on volunteers


- Facilitate exposures


- Volunteer as part of org team


- Share resources


- Help in outreach


- Help in identifying other facilitators and access to young people


- In case youth or adolescent oriented org then all the options as under schools and colleges.


- Developing creative interfaces between school and college students and the communities that they work with.


Artists- Theatre, painters, photography, musicians etc.: 

- Help facilitate the process with young people.


- Create pieces on social issues which can be exhibited during the event and even before and after to make people think


- Creative ways of communication through the festival


Media :


- Outreach


- Taking up the issue for public dialoguing


These are some of the ideas that we have on ways in which people can engage

Meet the 2010 Youth Changemakers

In celebrating the 2010 Jashn-e-Jaipur Youth Jumbish last week, we gave awards to 9 remarkable groups and individuals who have engaged in active citizenship and made contributions to social issues.

They are:

Jaiprakash Aajad
After regularly donating blood for the past three years, Jai established a youth group in his home village of Nila, in Jumba Rangand, and encouraged others to donate together. He also helps children from BPL families afford the cost of uniforms and books in pursuing education. He envisions a future where no one will suffer from a lack of blood in hospitals.

Aditi Chouhan
A B.A. student at Maharani College, Aditi works with the NGO Sidart to promote female empowerment and education. She has conducted awareness programs around women's rights and HIV/AIDS, and strives to help girls from BPL families get scholarships to attend school. Aditi says that she plans on continuously working for women and girls at every level of society.

Amaa Prith Kaur
Amaa works with Aadhar Parivar Seva to spread awareness of disease and education. After facing problems in her home life, she took responsibility by learning stitching, taking care of financial responsibilities, and inspiring others to get involved. She has assisted with the Badh Shiksha Samiti program on the issue of education.

Ashok Kumar Mahavar
Ashok also works with Aadhar Parivar Seva to spread awareness, by eradicating myths and misconceptions about HIV/AIDS. He established a theater group that travels to bastis and local communities to raise awareness around this issue.

G21
G21 stands for Grouped into One, and is a student group from MNIT. After coming together to actively address quality and hygiene in their canteen, they broadened the group's goals and started a tree-planting program, as well as a tricycle donation program to people with disabilities.

Dusra Dashak
Dusra Dashak's Pindwana Program was awarded for its exceptional work on controversial issues with tribal communities. Controversial rituals such as kheemch wedding selections, dhudhan, and dayan are the topics of education campaigns and other programs by this organization.

                                                         Rashmi Patel

Rashmi is a theater artist who uses this integral medium for addressing social welfare. She is associated with the Rajasthan School of Theater, and has worked on a mass awareness program using theater for the past five years. She brings the program to local communities and also performs at JKK.

Yagyatosh Bagriya
Yagya works with Help in Suffering to rescue injured and neglected animals, and has devoted his life to animal welfare. He frequently finds injured animals and delivers them to the NGO. He also aims to inform people about the importance of animal well-being.

Suresh Bairwa
After recieving life-skill training from Dusra Dashak and working on his own problems, Suresh has inspired many towards the goal of social welfare. He spreads awareness around topics such as health, education, and sanitation, and has also dealt with issues     such as illiteracy and alcoholism.

What A Jumbish!

PJI's annual Jashn-e-Jaipur Youth Jumbish this Saturday was an event to be remembered. Hundreds of students and young people came to participate in the events and take in a fantastic day of live music, theatre, empowerment, and active citizenship.

In the morning, the bands Makeshift and Zenith started with an amazing atmosphere in Krishnayan Theatre at JKK, and kept the level of energy going throughout the day. Out in the atrium and in Rangayan Theatre, our partner NGO Umang held presentations, games, and shows about the theme of disability, and on the national campaign Badhte Kadam, which promotes the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in society.

After the bands, the Kula Manch team performed a play that looked at a number of social issues: alcoholism, domestic abuse, government corruptions, police violence, blood donation, and child labor. The discussion afterward was about the role of active citizenship in these areas, and many members of the audience shared their views.

Plays, skits, dances, songs, and poetry by Zenith, groups from LBS College, MNIT, Maharai College, Dusra Dashak, Taabar, Help in Suffering, and Aadhar captivated the crowds in Krishnayam throughout the afternoon. Topics included road safety, gender, animal welfare, environment, alcoholism and drug abuse.

Towards the end, performances by Zenith and Makeshit, along with the classical-rap mix of MVC brought the Jumbish to a climax, with the crowds dancing and chanting for encores after each song. A huge number of youth had come to JKK and enjoyed the entertainment, energy, and passion towards active citizenship shown by all the performers. The festival was capped off by a slideshow of Pravah volunteers and everyone involved in planning the Jumbish.

Of course, the presentations of the 2010 Youth Changemaker Awards were some of the festival's biggest highlights. A remarkable batch of changemakers were honored with the award. They were: Jaiprakash Aajad, who has promoted blood donation and education in his village; Aditi Chaumaan, who works for the rights of women and young girls; Amanpreeth Kaur and Ashok Kumar Mahaavar, who work with the NGO Aadhar to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS and education; G21, a group from MNIT that has worked on tree-planting and disability campaigns, Dusra Dashak, an NGO that has worked to empower girls and eradicate controversial practices in tribal groups; Rashim Patel, who has used theater as a tool towards social welfare; Yagyatosh Bagaria, who works towards animal welfare and frequently brings injured animals to a shelter; and Suresh Bairwa, who has educated his community on issues such as health, education, and sanitation.

More to come in the upcoming days highlighting the award winners, the specific bands and acts, lots more photos, and all other info from the Jumbish!

4 Days Left!

Jitendre making some decorations

Sorting heaps of kabaad se jugaad

Volunteers from Fine Arts department working on a banner

Everybody's driving each other crazy!

Youth Jumbish Only 5 Days Away!

The Jashn-e-Jaipur Youth Jumbish Festival is only 5 days away! And the Kula Manch Team is getting ever closer to finalizing plans and having everything ready for the big day. We've already had some coverage in DNA, Dainik Bhaskar, and promotion on MyFM. And here are some pictures of the team discussing details, rehearsing performances, and making all the "kabaar se jugaar" favors to be included in each kit. Get ready.

Kula Manch Team learns as it plans Youth Festival

The Kula Manch team, while planning for and designing the upcoming Youth Jumbish Festival on November 20th, is also going through a process of learning and self-development about the topic of active citizenship.

Yesterday, the team rehearsed their plays and skits on a number of social issues: domestic violence, alcohol abuse, government corruptions, police violence, blood donation, and child labor. These will be performed at the festival to educate and provoke conversation. The group then discussed how the issues related to the concept of "active citizenship"--how exactly, in these situations, they could play a role as active citizens.

The discussion moved towards the idea that active citizenship can often mean something much bigger than typically thought--it can be much more than social service or working in the NGO sector. Oftentimes, being an active citizen is about self-development and becoming more aware of one's own actions. An example was mentioned: what about a teacher who pursues extra training and research about educational methods? He is developing his own skill set, but many felt that he is also an example of active citizenship.

 
The issue of child labor was also examined from both sides. It's very common, for example, many argue that it is wrong in all cases, but very few offer practical solutions. For many children, not working means not being able to eat. Just telling them to go to school doesn't lead to an actual resolution. So what is the next step? People offered a number of creative solutions--maybe it could be some sort of vocational training, which would enable kids to move on to a better life at some point without a formal education.

Later, others spoke about how active citizenship fits into their own personal conflicts. In many places, females are under pressure to marry and have children at a young age, when they still want to pursue education. How can they, along with their families, serve as active citizens in this situation? Similarly, many are pressured to choose a career that is high-paying, instead of following their passions in life. Conflict within personal relationships can be a significant part of being an active citizen via developing one's own self.

As they are finding out, planning the Youth Jumbish Festival is as much about the process as the result. For the Kula Manch team, teaching others about active citizenship requires for them to look inside and examine how they can be active citizens themselves.

Jumbish Youth Festival: Nov 20

PJI will be holding its annual Jumbish Youth Festival this November 20th!

The event will be held in collaboration with Umang, a local NGO that works as "an initiative towards rehabilitation of persons with disabilities," at Jawahar Kala Kendra. We welcome Pravah volunteers and anyone else interested to take part in this workshop celebration. The festival will focus on the potential of youth to engage in and lead social campaigns and movements, and we will felicitate youth who have successfully served as role models in this capacity during the past year. If you would like to nominate yourself or someone you know for an Active Citizenship Award, please complete this form and submit an electronic copy to jaipur@pravah.org or bring a hard copy to the Pravah office.

We have the ability to shape our society for the better, and we want to spread this message to young people by felicitating those who have sought to fulfill this potential. This one day celebration will be centered on the theme of Active Citizenship and Disability. Along with the felicitations, performances, skits, and other activities, we invite local youth music groups to perform songs on the theme of active citizenship. If you are interested in performing, please contact Richa at richa.sharma@pravah.org

Youth Jumbish '09

The month of November saw one main event dominating the goings on at the Pravah Jaipur Initiative. On a cool winters day on Saturday the 21st around five hundred young people descended on The Jawahar Kala Kendra in Jaipur to celebrate Jashn-e-Jaipur : A Youth Jumbish. The event was organized by ourselves and local NGO Muskaan, in collaboration with Taabar and Jawahar Kala Kendra. We were delighted to host our annual youth festival!

The event ran all day and was an opportunity to celebrate the aspirations, the power and possibilities of youth. The theme was one of social justice, equality and active citizenship. We witnessed many skits and performances which had been designed by young people from the participating schools, colleges and NGO’s. The performances were designed to highlight a whole spectrum of social issues. They included domestic violence, disability, women’s education, no to tobacco, rural migration and swine flu to name only a few. The methodologies used were equally varied. Songs, dancing, puppetry, theatre and poster making all played their part. The creative side of things was also balanced with much facilitated discussion amongst the audience as people shared their own experiences and understandings of various issues. A further dash of color was added as face panting activities took place outside lead by a friendly team of young volunteers.

The following schools and colleges were involved: Biryani College, Umang School, Taabar, Satya Sai College, Stani College, Bhawani Niketan, Maharani College, IGM College, LBS College. They were also complimented by a number of NGO’s and other organisations as well which included Taabar, Digantar, Adhar, Doosra Dashak and of course ourselves and Muskaan.

The Events of Youth Jumbish '09

As soon as the audience had amassed in the hall after being registered by our trusty team of volunteers in the foyer, Meenakshi gave an introductory speech and facilitated an ice breaking energizer to get them all in good voice. Without further ado, the newly formed band at Pravah went into ‘Tum Chalo, Hum Chalen”. The crowds enthusiastically clapped along although were perhaps a little perplexed seeing British volunteer Joe Spence singing in Hindi! Jitendra then played his phenomenal new song ‘Bariso Mega’ which he had recently penned in the run up to the festival. Bariso Mega is a song which explores the importance of rainfall for human beings and how it in some way connects us all, regardless of our way of life. It is also a stirring plea for people to come together in difficult times, to have respect nature and appreciate the beauty that exists on the planet.



It was then time for Pravah’s very own youth group, the Khulla Manch to take to the stage and perform their devised play ‘The Ideal Citizen’.

Active Citizenship Awards!!!

The Youth Jumbish is not only a time for performance and awareness raising, it is also a time whereby young people who have already shown outstanding contributions in the field of active citizenship can be formally recognized. Let us share a few examples which took place on the 21st...



Jitesh

Jitsesh is taking action by holding events in his village and also setting up a youth resource centre there. “I believe that this will bridge the gap between the environment outside the village and the environment inside the village. It will provide a platform to share information, build ones capacity as a leader and disseminate vital information about schemes policies which affect them. It will encourage and provide the means for people to get involved with the Gram Panchayat and make most of the provision that already exists. People’s voices need to be heard” says Jitesh. The multi faceted project has already seen a whole village take to the streets to clean away the litter. Amazing!


Dinesh

Dinesh works as a photographer for DNA newspaper. Recently he was covering the fire at a Jaipur Oil Depot when he was called into a very different kind of action. Upon reaching the blaze he came across a number of people who had been seriously wounded. Using his motorbike and the acquiring the help two other guys, Dinesh spent the following hours rushing people to a nearby hospital, saving seven lives in the process. It was a humbling act of bravery and the audience was completely taken aback as he retold the whole harrowing story. A huge achievement, well done Dinesh!


Bhavya

Bhavya Soni was disturbed by some of the actions and attitudes that were occurring towards females in his college. Eve teasing was a common place and Bhavya wasn’t prepared to let it go unchallenged. Bhavya inspired individuals from around the college to come together, openly discuss the issue of eve teasing and eventually form a group. From then on, those individuals would use their free time to make sure that nobody was being harassed and would intervene if they saw something untoward. This raised the profile of the issue in the college and lead to positive shifts in people’s awareness and behavior.

Memorable performances!!!

Umang kids were show stealers from the moment they entered. Sitting in the right-hand corner with their colors and their enthusiasm, they brought a certain life to a place. And that life tripled when the music started and they moved with energy and grace on the beats of ‘Chak De’. The audience reverberated with their spirit with the whistles and claps of adulation.



“They walk aimlessly. They sleep at city arcades; they are vulnerable for any type of exploitation by the adults and criminals. Their childhood turns into a shrouded childhood”. One of the partners who helped to organize the Youth Festival was TAABAR. The Jaipur based NGO advocates for the well being, protection and empowerment of street children.

A team of young people from TAABAR worked alongside a director to bring a powerful piece of live theatre to the occasion. The play told the harrowing story of how a young boy fled his home after being subjected to abuse, alcoholism and dire poverty at the hands of his family. It documented his journey. After being befriended on the street by a gang of local youths, the young boy became exposed to drugs, crime and exploitative labor. This story had a happy ending however when he was rescued and taken to an orphanage where he could be cared for. For so many other children though, the prospect of help still escapes them. People still slip through the cracks.



The news has been alive with news of fresh cases of swine flu in Rajasthan. For this reason, LBS College decided to make it the subject of an awareness raising skit. The play used theatre to explain to the audience about the various ways swine flu can be transmitted and explained some of precautionary measures people can take in order to avoid infection. In the days surrounding the main event, many of Jaipur’s schools had closed down so as to prevent the disease spreading amongst its pupils. This was a blow to the organizers of the Youth Jumbish as many of those schools would have otherwise been in attendance on the 21st.



Doosra Dashak came a long way to be with us at the festival, traveling all the way from a rural village in the heart of Rajasthan. We were particularly pleased that they could be there to represent Rajasthan’s rural communities. They performed a play on ‘superstition’ and how such false information can negatively impact people’s lives. In their play it showed how people can be diverted from seeking appropriate medical attention based on the old assumptions that spirits or demons are responsible for ill health.



‘ADHYATM’ is a new band, fronted by singer songwriter Jitendra Sharma alongside Vaibhav and Elwin on rhythm guitar and drums respectively. Amazingly this was their debut as live performers. They managed to bring the house down with their rousing rhythms and ear for a melody.

Youth Jumbish

Youth festival - Youth jumbish is a space to celebrate the young changemakers, inspire young people to get engaged and see how the process will benefit both them and the world at large. It will also give them concrete spaces to get involved through volunteering and other means, and put the focus on how it can be cool to be an active citizen. The Festival we hope will also help the society at large see active citizenship as an integral part of education of a young person.

We hope that the spirit of fun, celebration and hope, along with real examples will help inspire young people to embark on a journey of self to society, and start the process of creating a community of Youth active citizens who can create their own vision of what Jaipur should be like and act on it.

What will the Jashn- e- Jaipur: A Youth Jumbish do?
There are many young people wishing to create social change and becoming active citizens in Jaipur. However, they often find themselves in isolation and feel the need for a platform where they could connect with like minded peers, and discover and enhance their potential as change makers.

It is precisely this platform that we want to start building through the Jaipur Youth Festival. With this festival, young people will be inspired to become active citizens by creating their vision of Jaipur, celebrating the work of young active citizens and identifying ways in which they can get involved.

It will also create a case for how getting involved in society gives a space to learn many things including skills which help in developing a good responsible human being which will help in both career and life.

All this of course while having fun, and using interactive and creative methodologies like theatre, music, art, and craft among others.

Some questions that we hope the Youth festival will raise:
- Can Citizenship be more than just a relationship of an individual and a state?
- What are our responsibilities to common spaces beyond our homes and institutions?
- How are our lives connected with those who we have never met?
- What can we do to make love, peace and respect universal values?
- Why is Active citizenship so important?
- How can we move from independence to interdependence?