Environmental And Upcycling Education At Government School, Bangalore
Education is one of the most powerful ways to reduce poverty and improve health, foster gender equality, peace and stability. Having this in mind, the Bangalore team on 16th July,2016, visited a government school at Kaggadaspura, Bangalore to educate the kids about various employment opportunities and also topics like social entrepreneurship, measures for improvising health of people by taking small steps and financial literacy which includes budgeting and how to make use of banks.
The Bangalore team conducted an Environmental awareness and upcycling program. It was an eventful morning and upon a request from the school’s principal, the team educated about a 100 children of classes 4th and 5th.
They gave information with the help of visuals regarding the usage of plastic, harmful effects of using asbestos sheets, health hazards of using firewood for cooking and upcycling waste paper to produce sustainable products.
Also, they were taught how to make simple baskets and paper bags following which they gave brief details on banking.
The session started off by asking questions to the kids pertaining to plastic and whether it was good or harmful to burn plastic. They asked what alternatives could be used for storing and serving food.
The team then educated the children on the harmful effects of using plastic containers and cups. They also taught how using asbestos roofing was harmful for their health. Some of the kids said that their houses did have asbestos roofs and that they would tell their parents about what they learnt in the session.
The children actively participated and responded with good enthusiasm; Also, they were patiently listening to what was being taught. The session lasted for almost an hour. The team then conducted a mini quiz with a few questions on what they learned in the session.
The team felt satisfied on having made a decision to educate the children and on receiving such an overwhelming response. The kids appreciated the team for the session by taking turns to talk to the team and shaking hands with the team after the session, which was delightful to see.
-Report by SriRanjani Srinivasan and Manisha Swaminathan, Photographs by school staff, Edited by Minnie Jaiswal