'Disha Darshan' is a program that is offered to school going children from 8th& 9th Standard and provides Life Skills Education Program to the underprivileged children. In 2014, we initiated a pilot program with 40 children. After a very positive outcome, we implemented the Disha Darshan program in three different Public schools (PMC) for 704 children. The DD8 curriculum has been developed by experts based on the guidelines given by the WHO. This year Disha Darshan 8 is being implemented in 6 schools for 1040 children. Also this year, we have developed a new curriculum for children in 9th Standard, we call it DD9 which is being implemented for 409 children.
Adolescence, a vital stage of growth and development, marks the period of transition from childhood to adulthood. It is characterised by rapid physiological changes and psychosocial maturation. It is also the stage when young people extend their relationships beyond parents and family. They are intensely influenced by their peers and the outside world in general. Children mature cognitively at this age; their mental process becomes more analytical and they develop an independent ideology.
Children at this age are very creative and they start idealising things while becoming more adventurous. They also like to experiment and take risks. There are very high chances that they may give into negative aspects of peer pressure. This stage is a turning point their life.
The objective of Disha Darshan project is to prepare children to deal effectively with day to day life’s challenges. The sessions are taught in an interactive and participatory way.
Impact till today
Developing an Identity & accepting others
Sessions on self-awareness helped students to understand themselves and establish their personal identities. They also learned that they have a lot of similarities and differences which they must accept and appreciate impartially.
Self-Management
Children learned ways of remaining healthy and safe. They learned about basic hygiene required in their day to day lives. A significant change was observed in their overall appearance. Students also learned how to be safe at home, school and public places. They were taught about healthy diets and importance of regular meals. Most importantly children understood the ill-effects of various addictions. They learned how to say NO if somebody forced them into any kind of addiction. Children are also inspired to introspect on their life goals.
Managing Emotions
Adolescents have frequent mood swings reflecting feelings of anger, sadness, happiness, fear, shame, guilt, and love. Very often, they are unable to understand the emotional turmoil. From the sessions, they learned how to manage these difficult emotions and handle their fears and insecurities.
Building Relationships
Inter-personal relations focus on how to express opinions, respectful behaviour, learning to listen and being assertive in life. Children redefined relationships with their parents, peers and members of the opposite sex from the social skills sessions which focused on building relationships. They understood the importance of mutual respect and socially defined boundaries from every relationship.
Disha Darshan offers many opportunities to volunteers, contact us at initiative@hopeforthechildrenfdn.org
