Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti (GSDS) and Jamghat (a group of street Children) jointly organized a Dhanak Rang Tarang Summer Workshop for street children was organized from June 11-30, 2018 in Gandhi Darshan. 21 street children from different areas of the capital city participated in the Workshop. Ms. Neha Garg, Ms. Himanshi, Ms. Sunita Bhatt, Ms. Shipra Rai and Mr. Anita Mahato were the facilitators.
The aim of the workshop was to develop values of democracy, peace, compassion, non-violence, Inclusive development, team building and nature education amongst participants.
The workshop included group activities such as ice breaking sessions to grab each child's attention and to encounter children’s hidden talent ; using a prop to hone Imaginative skills; played games as to connect them with real-life problems and persuaded to give the suggestions; tasks to channelize their anger in a positive direction without destruction or harm to others.
Discussions on Gandhian Values such as Truth, Violence, Ahimsa, Cooperation, Unity and Self Rule linking took place during the workshop. Further, nature walk around the nearby areas was organized and their learners were asked to observe and identify the different artifacts displayed and by using their senses (touch, sight, hearing) they were asked to analyze the elements of nature.
Further, the participants visited Gandhi Samadhi Rajghat, Gandhi Darshan museum and Gandhi Smriti, to familiarize children to the belongings of Gandhi.
Group songs, reflections from learners, stone paintings, sketching, clay modeling, etc were also conducted during the workshop. Shramdaan formed part of a major activity in the workshop and the children cleaned up the entire garden area during their visit to the Gandhi Darshan exhibition My Life is my Message.
The focus has also been to enable our children to imbibe the Gandhian ethics in their lives and apply those whenever required, for e.g. when they got into an argument or fight, sharing their belongings with others, eliminating personal comments and shaming, resolving the conflicts between their friends or if they have with anyone, respect for every individual, accepting others' viewpoint, etc.
“We worked upon helping children incorporate the values of Truth, peace, non-violence, unity, Cooperation and simplicity in their lives and hope that with the passage of time that it will definitely bring positive change in their behavior”, said Shipra Rai from Jamghat.
In the valedictory session, participants expressed their experiences and shared the token of appreciation. The students showcased their creativity through theatre, experience sharing session. An exhibition of their products made during the workshop was also showcased on the occasion.
