Arming the youth with attitude set for success

In just over a decade, a quarter of a billion people will be added to the working population of India. "Imagine the entire working population of the US being added to India's current labour pool by 2030! That's how many people we are talking about," says Dr Surinder Kapur from the Sona Group, which runs a successful skill development initiative with Magic Bus.

Magic Bus works on a model it calls ‘childhood to livelihood’

"The big worry here is this: Only 20% of Indian school-goers finish high school, many drop out because basics — food, clothes, the wherewithal to access available opportunities — are out of reach," he adds.

In India, without education, it's very tough for the extremely poor to find dignifiedemployment and move out of poverty. And a very large number are extremely poor: a third of Indians earn just $1.25 (about Rs79) per day today.

Magic Bus's answer to make them job-ready has been simple: the organisation works from within to change their behaviour and arm them with an attitude that is set for success. As behaviour change is not something that happens overnight, they invest early and for the long-term to make this happen, basing their inputs on what they call a 'childhood to livelihood' model.

And that's why, they say, partnerships are so important. "We can't do this on our own," says Matthew Spacie, Magic Bus's founder and chairperson. "Strategic, long-term partners, such as the Sona Group, OAGN and Cleartrip, help in implementing this by breaking down our goal into achievable targets so that children and youth have the learning and connections they need to be ready for the job markets of the future."

"The other important part of this is creating a group of supporters who will literally cheer children on this journey from childhood towards dignified livelihoods as adults," says Superna Motwane, who, along with samaritans Shreyasi Goenka, Samantha Nayar and Sunaina Murthy, helps organise one of Mumbai's best-known charity auction and dinner events for this cause. "Issues such as poverty and unemployment are so complex and specialised that the average interested donor is disengaged even before s/he can take the first step in being part of the change."

Motwane and her fellow committee members have taken upon themselves to create an engaging, attractive way in which major priviledged donors and corporate houses can be part of social change projects. "The Magic Bus Benefit Dinner and Auction that we hold every year is how we take a serious, development-related cause to the familiar turf of a high-end event so that people can understand the issue even while remaining within a context they are used to," she adds.

What makes such an engagement possible is the sheer variety of donors who pitch in, contributing a range of exclusive products and services that are expertly curated and bundled by the hand-picked committee to create auction lots that are a must-have.

"For instance, we thought of an auction lot that packs in a range of exclusive sports events that patrons can watch from their own VIP boxes with friends or family, complemented by five-star service and hotel stays," says Motwane.

Complementing the auction itself are sponsorships. The title sponsor Sona Group supports Magic Bus not just by picking up a large portion of the event costs but also by running a skill development programme for Magic Bus youth.

"What's most important is that each entity can be part of the change for India's youth," says Motwane. "Whether you are someone with time, money, or resources at your disposal, we can find creative ways to put whatever you can give to good use."

For the original article, read here.
Image source: DNA

Scripting Change

Read about a Magic Bus Youth Mentor, who overcame all odds to become a leader in her community, mentoring 813 children.

When 23-year-old Mamta opted to become Magic Bus’ Community Youth Leader at Sultanpuri in north-west Delhi, she was aware of the odds stacked against her. For starters, the community barely recognized her as a leader because she was a woman with a polio-affected leg.

But, battling against odds was nothing new to her.

 

Mamta handing out a prize to one of her session participants

At the young age of 2 years, Mamta was diagnosed with polio which paralysed her left leg. What it couldn’t affect was her zeal for sports. She was good with handball but did not get an opportunity to play. “Persistence pays off. I conduct handball sessions for children now whereas in school, I was never selected to be a part of any team“, she reflects.

At the age of 17, she lost her father to an accident and also the hope to pursue higher education. “I was married off when I was in the eleventh standard”, she laments. Mamta shifted to small village in Haryana after marriage. “I secretly filled the form for the twelfth standard examination and cleared it with a distinction”, she adds with pride. Within a year of marriage, Mamta had a son. However, due to frequent trouble with her in-laws, Mamta and her husband decided to shift to Delhi.  

“Shifting to Delhi was a blessing in disguise.I was introduced to Magic Bus and I enrolled myself in Delhi University’s School of Open Learning for higher studies”, she adds.

Mamta conducting a session

In 2013, Magic Bus began its sessions at Sultanpuri. “It was one of the most challenging spaces in Delhi. None of the families were willing to send their children, especially girls, because of the high incidence of crime and drug abuse in the locality,” remembers Jeebanjyoti, District Programme Officer at Magic Bus.

“Did I know I could, one day, be able to convince the community to send their children? No, I didn’t. I just knew that it was important for girls to step outdoors and play. I wanted these girls to overcome the fear of the outside world”, explains Mamta.

She managed to overcome the community’s resistance – initially 10 families send their children. Now, she leads a group of 813 children out of which 359 are girls.  

In an era where public spaces are becoming hotspots for violence against women, sports seems to open up possibilities for women and girls to reclaim spaces lost to them.

Would you like to see more girls like Mamta emerge as leaders within their community? Donate NOW

Out of Wed-lock: Savitri’s story of escaping child marriage

“I was just six months old when my father past away. I have seen my mother toil everyday to make ends meet”, says Savitri. 17-year-old Savitri lives in the by-lanes of Timarpur in north Delhi. Timarpur is the first government colony set up in independent India.  A rented one-bedroom house in a makeshift settlement narrates the sordid economic plight of her family.

Savitri lives with her mother in a dilapidated rented accommodation.

Savitri is a Community Youth Leader with Magic Bus from Timarpur. She has six siblings: five sisters and a brother. She comes from a family wherein child marriage is a normative practice. Two of her elder sisters were married at 15. They are both mothers and ‘happily’ married."I could have done anything to avoid this fate", says a vocally horrified Savitri. 

Her brother is employed with a private company in New Delhi. But, he does not financially support his mother. Savitri’s mother is a daily wage labourer with an average monthly income of Rs 5000/-. "My mother works very long and very hard. I want to study well and find a decent job for myself so that I can relieve my mother off her daily rut", shares Savitri.

Savitri vividly remembers the first time when Magic Bus came to her neighborhood. Arun, the Community Youth Leader, took a recee of Timarpur and spoke to the parents about Magic Bus. But, it was not easy to win support – there was a lot of resistance especially from parents who thought it was unsafe and morally unsavory to see their daughters stepping out of home and playing with boys. 

Their fears were strengthened by the fact that incidences of theft, physical and sexual assault was too common at Timarpur. "It was a difficult locality to work in. It took lots of meetings to convince parents to send their children for sessions", shares Arun.

The day when parents started sending their girls for Magic Bus sessions was a breakthrough moment in the community.

For Savitri, education is the only way to escape marriage and achieve ones dreams.

When Arun met Savitri for the first time she was visibly worried. "Her mother was searching for a groom for her. She was just 14 years then", he recollects. She begged Arun to convince her mother against this early marriage. When Arun spoke with her mother, Savitri's mother responded, "Beta (son), we can barely make ends meet. Education is not meant for us. I will marry her off and then let her new family decide if they want her to continue studying further or not’.

After weeks of regular interactions and meetings with Savitri’s mother, she agreed to send Savitri for Magic Bus sessions on a temporary basis. Savitri’s happiness knew no bounds. She knew that she could thwart all attempts to convince her to get married once she had stepped out of home.

As a Community Youth Leader, Savitri, encourages young girls and boys to join the Magic Bus programme. "Magic Bus gave me the confidence to stand up for myself and dismiss the idea of child marriage", she says with pride. She does not want girls to compromise on their dreams and helps them find a purpose to their lives.

“We are not born to be someone else’s wife!” she says emphatically.

Savitri is young and determined. She wants to become the voice of change for her community. She aspires to become a police officer, sensitive to the cause of women and girls.

To support more girls like Savitri, Donate NOW