Blog.MagicBus

India and its youth: Maneuvering sports to empower

2012-02-27T11:06:00.000+05:30

Magic Bus volunteer and AIF Clinton fellow Ryan Ballard shares another story
In essence, it is easy to say that Magic Bus is a youth development organization. But, what is the importance of this in the NGO sector? This is something people always ask me. India is one the most populous countries in the world. Unlike other massive economic superpower rivals like China, one thing is very unique about the self-proclaimed 'largest democracy in the world': it is incredibly young. Almost half of the country is younger than 25. Magic Bus is one of so many organizations that is attempting to help serve these youth and assist them become active and aware members of Indian society.

Investment in youth issues is a primary concern for India. In Mumbai, half the city lives in neighborhoods that are unprotected and informal. This is where a majority of the youth in this city live – in cramped and unclean spaces with minimal and weak infrastructure, as well as limited access to social services. Mumbai is one city on the map, yet the reality is that most families who exist in poverty live in a whole other city that is isolated from the other sections that most people see as Mumbai. With so many youth living in these vulnerable neighborhoods, it is obvious that most lack the necessary resources to live a healthy life, while also encountering opportunities that will benefit their future.At Magic Bus, daily struggles that many of our youth are confronted with include child marriage, drug abuse, abusive or unsupportive parents, lack of access to education, poor hygiene and sanitation, poverty, malnutrition, exercise deprival, gender disparity – the list goes on. These are the problems that weigh heavy on these young people’s lives and keep them from attaining more. Proper social development of India’s youth and empowering them to be aware of their capacity should be a priority for India to progress socially and economically, but impossible without more support for these youth by Indian society.

From cramped spaces to Maidan (open playing grounds)

In the NGO space, Sports for Development (S4D) is a unique sort of blanket approach to dealing with a lot of the problems that keep these youth uninformed, unguided and without proper social or physical development. S4D uses sports as means to achieve important ends such as: awareness on health and body, facilitation of gender equality, breaking down social barriers in communities, proving guidance and mentor-ship and changing children’s ideas on traditions such as early marriage. This past month, I was able to attend the Maidan Summit – a conference put on by Magic Bus to bring together S4D organisations from all over India and even the international field to talk about this new phenomenon and create partnerships for strengthening their efficacy for work. The main message was that kids need to have spaces to play. They need to have spaces to be kids and become aware of things like acceptance for all and their rights.

Maidan Summit 2011

Since I started this fellowship with Magic Bus, I have been skeptical for sports to a priority over things like health or education. The promotion of soccer and cricket as a means for development did not seem exactly fit when children in these communities have trouble accessing healthy food, clothing, health care and schooling. However, after working with so many NGOs that do very specific technical work — from teaching kids how to wash their hands and providing families with water filters, to teaching women how to handle home births safely — the role of Magic Bus as a multi-faceted helping-hand to inspire and advise people at young ages of their power to confront the full scope of community development issues is just as effective. It follows the idea of 'teaching a man to fish' rather than just giving fish away. The thing with sports for development is that it is not just about sports. The sports is the medium that actually does something useful: it brings kids out of their homes and in contact with other kids; it helps children and people exercise and gain physical endurance that supports their mental well-being; its brings segregated communities together; it teaches participants leadership, discipline and self motivation; it helps kids talk to each other and approach their community issue together.

A Peer Leader programme session

The design of Magic Bus further accelerates it’s this utility is to include community members and mentors that kids and adolescents can relate to and look up to for advice and support. Without any action, many of these youth will fall victim to problems that prevent them from progressing toward better lives with great potential. Slowly, this S4D methodology is proving itself and hopefully it will be well recognized for its successes.

Sport session in the field - talking about health and nutrition

I continually see the value and sadness in forgotten and marginalized youth, from urban jungles like Oakland, California to Mumbai. It is disheartening to see so many held back by a system that does not favor them. There is magic in seeing what a young person can do for themselves if they just get a little push and inspiration to do so. So it is about time that India pay attention to their needs, because this massive part of their population will either be it’s greatest resource or it’s greatest burden.

Kick 4 Change - A campaign to promote awareness

The original article is available at AIF Clinton Fellowship Blog.

They're not just poor, they're kids

2012-02-24T13:17:00.003+05:30

William J Clinton fellow Ryan Ballard shares some of his experiences with Magic Bus from his American India Foundation year in India.
This past month was a really big shift in my role at work with my NGO, Magic Bus. October was filled with a lot of introductory sessions, field visits and attending fundraising events. It was through these activities that I came to know the several stakeholders at hand with our programs. After, I finally took a more practical role with participation in a quantitative data collection with the Monitoring and Evaluation staff in three urban slum neighborhoods of Mumbai where we work. Probably the most rewarding experience yet happened in the last week of October after Diwali, when I headed outside of Mumbai to conduct a peer leadership training camp for some of our youth from various slum communities.

Quantitative data collection at Dharavi

The camp was 5 days long and took place on an organic farm in Panchgani (one of the hometowns of Freddie Mercury, I later found out), a pristine rural hill station about five hours southeast from the busy mega-city of Mumbai. For most of the kids, it was the first they had ever left the city to go anywhere. We sat on the bus all together, blasting loud Hindi tunes and singing along as we ascended the hills and slowly escaped the noise, smells and concrete of Mumbai. For me, it was a good break from the office and from the urban sprawl of the seemingly never-ending cityscape that is Bombay. It was also a great platform to get to know our kids. For the kids though, it was an epic journey through a landscape of nature some of them had only seen in movies. It felt exciting to see their glowing faces and laughter as we were surrounded by green hills. They documented the ride on their mobile phone cameras and texted their families with updates.

Intro session at PL Camp

After developing content for the camp and helping put together the itinerary, I really did not know what to expect. I thought it would be a lot of sitting around watching as they conducted sessions in Hindi. Instead, I actually ended having a facilitation role in the camp. The moment I got there, they threw me into sessions and had me leading leadership discussions, warm-up activities and icebreakers – things I learned a lot of with my time with teenagers in Oakland at College Track. The kids were fascinated to meet me and other 20-something facilitators to hear about our lives. The entire time, I kept thinking how great it was that they get to escape their lives for a week – no family pressures, no work, no studies, no congested and polluted streets. It was a week of creatively getting to know themselves and other teens from other slums to exchange ideas and just have fun; boys and girls breaking down barriers, teens talking about the world and their opinions, games to learn something practical from. I also felt part of a team as we sat late at night going over feedback from the day, and how to make the next day even better.

Kids in the backyard, BPT slum

As much fun it was, it was also an emotionally taxing week. The whole idea was leadership through understand themselves, their community/world, and matching them up to understand their own roles in making change in their families, communities and society. One session, called “who am I?,” entailed us opening up on the biggest challenges in our lives. The stories of all of these adolescents reminded me that these same bright, outgoing, fun kids have some of the most challenging lives of any their age that I have met. Many expressed stories of abusive family members, almost being forced to be married before the age of 15, not being able to go to school, living on less than Rs. 10/a day (about $0.20), not having any clothes to wear, the death of close ones, and so on. A few of the stories opened a lot of emotional floodgates for some of the kids, and many of us sat in tears listening to each other. One boy that I became pretty close with told the story of who he is and could barely finish the story as he worked through pain. Although I did not understand most of the words he used in Hindi, the emotion he expressed was universal and I really felt his pain in his trembling voice. The space all of a sudden shifted in shape and feeling. It was not just a closed circle of people talking anymore, but an open and safe venue that was held together by a collective solidarity. Everyone supported each other with a strong sense of unity in struggle.

The entire week reinforced my issues with my own self-embodied privilege. It is a feeling that I carry very often in many contexts, but one that is often heightened here in India. With my job and in situations like this camp, I feel evermore aware of such privilege so much so that it almost disempowers my ability to relate to the kids. In the circle, for example, when it came time for me to share my story, I felt like it would not translate or be relevant for the kids given their stories. Until I realized that there was a common theme in all their stories that I did relate to. It was not the surface issues of child marriage and poverty, but rather it was a feeling of being lost, hopeless and unguided—feelings that have been all too familiar to myself and to many adolescents I have talked to. In many ways, talking to them reminded me of the troubled teenager I used to be–disappointment for the circumstances in my life, feeling lost and like I had no future; I remember I could not see past the immediate horizon of disasters, substances and hopelessness. So, I told them the truth about almost failing high school, not being able to apply to any colleges because of bad grades, little to no guidance, divorce and other family issues, my inferiority complex and most importantly, how I overcame those things and continue to fight new battles every day. I went from a random privileged foreigner to a peer that they could relate to, and most importantly, they actually reminded me something about life. I felt barriers break down. By the end, they admitted that they originally thought I was some fancy rich kid researcher sitting and not understanding their struggles at all.

Hanging out all together

Building these relationships will be the most important and most difficult part of this project this year. In order to get things done, gain the trust of my communities and work with these youth, I have to be very honest and transparent with them, another lesson I have previously learned from my marginalized teenagers from Oakland. Marginalization–be it through economic or gender disparity, or whether in ghettos of the US or in slums of Mumbai–is how our world functions and what we try hard to repair through this line of work. Being a practical part of such programs at Magic Bus, such as with this peer leader program, is what I hope for most to do the best I can to empower some young people to value their own power to make some change with the people around them. These experiences are ones that I value the most, and are the greatest ones I will walk away with from this fellowship. I also anticipate the reciprocal learning process from these communities. Coming to India, I tried to not take the typical spiritual journey of self-enlightenment that many foreigners take. After this camp however, I may have to reconsider that decision though, as I may have just found 40 new teenage gurus.

To read more details and photos on this experience, as well as a trip to Goa for THINKfest, check out my personal blog at Una Aventura Real.

The original article is available at AIF Clinton Fellowship Blog.

Cricket-ness, and more

2012-02-22T17:31:00.001+05:30

"Have you ever been smiled at by a random kid on the street, in a way that would brighten up not just one day but days? I was, by about 50 of them, together", says Rashi Jamuar as she puts up her first post on the Magic Bus blog. Pilelo!
In our Magic Bus t-shirts and donning sports shoes, we were at Shivaji Park for the finals of the Barclays Cricket Tournament. Suddenly, I wasn’t the face of Magic Bus, Magic Bus was my face. The teams who were all prepped for their final matches were being energized by one of the trainers. They looked determined and more so, happy. This was my first experience with these children at the event but they looked at me like they knew me in their growing years. Well, I’m a part of Magic Bus, so technically, it’s true.

After the initial round formalities, rules and introduction, the bugle called. The match began. The two finalist teams – Kalva and Navi Mumbai took their places. Kalva won the toss and decided to bat first. With a score of 42 runs in 20 balls in 5 overs, Kalva emerged as the clear winner of the tournament. Navi Mumbai displayed great team spirit and sportsmanship throughout the play. The kids’ enthusiasm was so contagious; our guests from Barclays cheered themselves hoarse.

“Aaraam se khel, out mat ho!" (Play carefully, don’t get out), shouted one of the team members of the Navi Mumbai community. “Ye mast khelti hai, aaj maloom nahi kya hua hai" (she usually plays a good game, there’s something wrong just today) quipped the little one when we asked if one of the only 3 girls were good players. This bowled me out (so much for my gender equality; the kid’s unbiased comment got me thinking if some of us needed their training sessions too). The spectators were amazed at the dignity with which the losing team accepted the result. And some of us were still trying to get the complex rules right, which the kids knew on their finger tips. I’m still wondering if I would ever be able to play cricket without fouls as per their regulations. The little ones were the dignified grown-ups and the grown-ups; the kids!

Barclays, the sponsors of the tournament, were all smiles at the prize distribution ceremony. When they gave away the medals, certificates and the trophies, there was pride in their eyes. As always, we were overwhelmed but the kids! Trust me, you had to be there to believe their dignity and poise while stepping up to receive the prizes. Some could easily out-do a b-town celebrity with their calmness, at having won the competition. The paparazzi or the weather didn’t make them nervous or tired, to add on.

Relishing every bit of the high-tea the players along with their cheering spectators boarded the Magic Bus, ready to take them back to their daily routines. It was just another day for them and an event for us.
So this 21st February 2012 afternoon couldn’t have been better, packed with energy, sports, aggressiveness, enthusiasm, entertainment, sportsmanship, team-spirit and fun!

And, by the way, did I mention? It might have stopped a lot of us from stepping out of our little comfort zones in homes or offices, but certainly couldn’t affect these kids in the least – it was the hottest day of February in Mumbai in the last 47 years!

More coming up soon.
For further information, please write to Rashi.

Dharavi girl sees a chance to London Olympics 2012

2012-02-13T16:09:00.005+05:30

Mumbai, India: All she needs is a few clicks from you andthose in your networks. Gulafsha, who has been on the Magic Busprogramme for a long time now, is participating in the Julie Foudy SportsLeadership Academy (JFSLA) contest.

The Chooseto Matter contest, driven by McDonald’s, the Century Council and Girl Talk, is an initiativethat would allow the winners to attend the London Olympics 2012 andmeet participating athletes and kids from around the world, in addition tosightseeing and visiting Olympics venues in UK.

Gulafsha, who has been already voted for by 1600+ people,comes from an extremely underprivileged background. However, the sportingspirit in her has taken her far ahead in the recent past, where she was one ofthe members of the soccer teams of girls selected to attend the a training campat JFSLA’s California campus. Returning home then, she said, “It’s aboutleadership qualities – how to communicate with other people? How to beconfident? It’s about how to stand up.”

Today, she has come to the contest with a goal of gettingevery girl from my community out of their houses and onto the playing field. “Iwould love to see each and every girl getting the opportunity to play and excelin any sport if they are capable”, she says. She initially faced with a lot ofopposition, but eventually managed to convince a few parents and elders to sendtheir daughters and granddaughters out to play in an organized environment.

Gulafsha also managed to get her family’s support forproject which brightly flashes ‘Empoweringgirls through the medium of sport in my home in Mumbai, India; getting girlsout of their community and giving them a chance to play’. She feelsthat she has definitely made a few people think and change their attitude andoutlook towards girls at least in my community.

The young footballer is very hopeful of making itto the London Games later this year. Magic Bus is supporting her in everypossible way and looking forward to her being there with the players for thebiggest event of the year!

To support Gulafsha, login tothe Choose to Matter contest website and cast your vote there.Please like / recommend and tweet for them through your Facebook and Twitteraccounts.

Bringing riches from poorest India is a video-story on ESPN telling more about the training camp at San Jose.

Photo courtesy: ESPN / JFSLA

Marks and Magic

2012-02-07T12:54:00.004+05:30

Magic Bus got rewarded as NDTV's Marks for Sports campaign came to a glorious close in New Delhi on Sunday
February 5, 2011, New Delhi: In a high-profile function held at ITC Maurya Sheraton on Sunday, Magic Bus India Foundation received an award from NDTV for helping underprivileged children blossom and bloom through sport. The award was presented by actor and activist Rahul Bose and former Olympic champion Milkha Singh, and received by Chief Operating Officer Pratik Kumar on Magic Bus' behalf.

The NDTV Nirmal Lifestyle Marks for Sports campaign was launched by NDTV last year, and has highlighted some of Magic Bus' work in New Delhi in it's initial months.

A video by NDTV on Magic Bus tells how how sports changed thousands of lives.

NDTV was also a part of Maidan, an initiative launched by Magic Bus in 2010 to bring together practitioners from across the world together and take sport for development (S4D) ahead in India. NDTV's Sonali Chander, one of the key persons behind the Marks for Sports campaign, put forward the media perspective on S4D at Maidan Summit 2011, held in December.

An event video and presentations made at Maidan Summit 2011 are available on our channel.

The Marks for Sports award function, which had an auspicious presence of veteran and budding sportspeople and enthusiasts from across the country, was hosted by actor Ranbir Kapoor, who is also the brand ambassador for the campaign, and supports Magic Bus.

Earlier during the day, Magic Bus also took part in the Fit India Day sports camp held at Shri Ram College of Commerce, University of Delhi, New Delhi. Young leaders from Magic Bus manned the stall at the event to spread awareness about sport for development. University of Delhi was a key partner of Magic Bus for the Maidan initiative in 2011.

See what Dr Devinder Kumar Kansal, who heads the Sports Department at the University feels about sport for development in our detailed compendium of proceedings of the three-day Maidan Summit 2011.

Later during the day, our youngsters also got a chance to meet Ranbir Kapoor, Rahul Bose, Sunil Chhetri and other sporting enthusiasts who support Marks for Sports, and learn finer aspects of the games from them.

Magic Bus shared the prestigious award and stage with, among others, Leander Paes, Bhaichung Bhutia, late Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, Vijender Singh, Karun Chandok, Pankaj Advani, Mary Kom, Saina Nehwal, Virat Kohli, Rahul Bose, Milind Soman, Bipasha Basu, Fauza Singh, and Milkha Singh. Many young and budding players got rewarded for their early accomplishments in life, too.

The awards were given away in presence of NDTV's Prannoy Roy, Dharmesh Jain and Sonali Chander prominent ministers BS Hooda, Kapil Sibal and Sachin Pilot, who praised the initiative and put sports in an extremely positive light.

More information is available on the official page of NDTV Marks for Sports.

Magic Bus is proud to be a part of this wonderful campaign, and thankful to NDTV for initiating a movement to build up a fit India, and create a healthy sporting environment in the country.

Magic Bus tame Desperadoes in MDFA league

2012-01-16T13:31:00.001+05:30

A quick one from the Mumbai District Football Association of Maharashtra, we bring you the latest development at the four-year old Magic Bus Football Team (MBFT) this time.

MUMBAI, January 4, 2012: Magic Bus proved to be quite a dominant lot as they tamed Desperadoes 3-1 in a Division-I match of the Mumbai District Football Association (MDFA) league, played at the Mumbai Port Trust Ground, Reay Road, on Tuesday.

Making their intentions clear from the outset, Magic Bus hit the target three times in the first half to put themselves in a commanding position against their opponents who were struggling to find their footing.

Sushant Rajkar fired Magic Bus in front with a strike in the 15th minute, before Yogesh Kadam doubled the lead in the 20th minute.

Seven Minutes later, Charles Fernandes added his name to the Magic Bus scoresheet by scoring the third goal of the match seven minutes later.

Fighting a losing battle, Desperadoes managed to pull one back finally through the efforts of Avinash Pineiro who scored in the 47th minute.

Results:
Div-I-C: Magic Bus 3 (S Rajkar, Y Kadam, C Fernandes) beat Desperadoes 1 (A Pinerho)

Magic Bus created a specialised team about 4 years ago that received support from the Indian Advisory Partners in its early days. The MBFT has gone on to move up the MDFA League and has been sponsored by Barclays. MBFT comes across – for children and youth from all Magic Bus programmes – as an opportunity to take part in competitive sport.

Know more about the Magic Bus Football Team (MBFT) and the Mumbai Programme of Magic Bus.

The original article is available at the Times of India.

Haryana forms committee to set up NIS-style sports centre

2012-01-02T12:37:00.000+05:30

At the beginning of 2012, we are happy to share a recent development as the Government of Haryana moves another step towards sport for all.
Chandigarh, December 13, 2011: Haryana government on Tuesday decided to constitute a committee to recommend the measures required for setting up of a sports centre in the state on the pattern of National Institute of Sports, Patiala and implementation of 'Right to Play'.

The government also decided to set up village level Sports Councils in the state to manage rural stadia. These decisions were taken at a meeting presided over by Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Tuesday, an official release said. Hooda decided to hand over the Rajiv Gandhirural sports stadia to the village level Sports Councils. The government would provide grant-in-aid to the panchayats for the same.

It may be recalled that 133 rural stadia have been completed out of 209 such stadia being set up in different villages of the state.

Hooda directed for completion of different sports projects being undertaken in rural and urban areas of the state. He also asked for expediting the process of recruitment of ground managers and groundsmen for the rural stadia, which is being done by District Sports Councils.

The chief minister suggested that renowned players' availability should be ensured at sports stadia of the state so that the young and budding players could get inspiration and motivation from them.

--
The article was originally published in The Times of India on December 13, 2011. Link to the story: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/others/Haryana-forms-committee-to-set-up-NIS-style-sports-centre/articleshow/11097839.cms

Magic Bus promotes the right to play for every child and youth in the country as one of it's main area of advocacy.

Education and Values

2011-12-28T17:02:00.002+05:30

The failure in academic learning is closely linked to the failure to nurture values and sensitivity to others and nature. This time, we bring to you an expert's view, as we repost an article by Venu Narayan in the LiveMint.

Everyone would agree that schools should nurture good values and attitudes in students. This general concern has influenced the school curriculum. The student, as a result, often receives massive doses of “moral science” and informal advice on “how to be good” from teachers and parents.

The Quality Education Study (QES) conducted in India’s “top schools” by Educational Initiatives and Wipro Applying Thought in Schools gives us reason to pause. Alas, our curricula are less than effective in value education. A large proportion of students seem to harbour attitudes and beliefs about crucial areas of social and personal life that show a bias and ignorance. Gender and sectarian bias, insensitivity to disability, and misconceptions about civic responsibility and ecological challenges are rife. For example, nearly 43% of students in classes 4, 6 and 8 felt that education for a girl is less important than for boys. Nearly half of the students had strong preconceptions about people of other religions and believe that religious differences matter and should be violently defended. It is sobering that the progressive values articulated in the founding document of our republic, the Constitution, have still not found wide acceptance in our schools.

Could it be that our top schools focus exclusively on academics and examinations, and less on values and attitudes of the students? A matter of poor balance, perhaps? Unfortunately, that consolation is not available to us. The study reports that students in “top schools” depend more on rote learning and less on understanding. These students fare poorly also in international comparisons of academic learning. It appears that they study too much and learn little. Let us also remind ourselves that we are talking about elite English-medium schools in our big cities and about students from well-to-do households.

I would like to argue that the failure in academic learning is closely linked to the failure to nurture values and sensitivity to others and nature. What links these two crucial failures in our schools is the fundamental weakness of our ideas about learning and how to bring it about. Educational psychologists have long been aware of the phenomenon of “inert” knowledge. Knowledge acquired as isolated chunks of information often does very little. True learning happens when the student builds, often gradually, coherent conceptual schemes about how the world works and is able to use these concepts to understand, explain and act in unfamiliar situations. Such learning is rarely ever a product of rote. It is, more often than not, a result of learning to cooperate, think critically, and experiment with diverse situations. Our schools, even the elite ones, have a long way to go in making this transition.

What does all this have to do with values? As I hinted earlier, values are not inert beliefs to be memorized. Nor are they just rules to be followed. Just like inert knowledge of physics is no knowledge at all, values that are learnt by rote have little use. And are often dangerous. My gender and religious bias is very likely to influence my thoughts and actions. It is clear, therefore, that values, if they have to add to personal and social well-being, must help students think and judge sensitively and help them understand and respond to novel challenges. When we confront bias and prejudice in ourselves (and in others), our values and attitudes should be robust enough to force us to stop and reflect, and choose our actions carefully.

Some people protest that values are a private matter and that the approach I have suggested assumes that some values are more true than others. Let us take these two claims and examine them. Are my values just my private business? It is clear that my values develop in a social setting. Young children emulate others and pick up dominant values from their peers and elders. Therefore, while values are often privately held, they are public entities and are socially significant. What about the claim that there are so many possible values that none of them can be true in any absolute sense? This argument is misleading. It notes the obvious fact that there is a diversity of values and jumps to the mistaken conclusion that they are all equally right or equally wrong.

It is this state of affairs that education must correct. Learning about values is not a matter of teaching the good ones. It is about helping students explore and understand the consequences of holding particular values. Discovering the consequences of bias and prejudice must be part of our curriculum. The Constitution urges us to respect others’ rights, and to participate peacefully in the democratic process. These civic values need to be discovered and nurtured.

What are the tools and methods that schools have to nurture values and attitudes that are alive in this sense? Critical thinking, empathy and dialogue are key aspects of such a learning process. Our schools and teachers need to become adept at encouraging students to question the conventional and to discover the meaning of the personal and civic values that promote well-being. As in the case of academic subjects, questioning and understanding values and the learning that results are crucial for our children’s future. The future of our society, too, depends on it.

Venu Narayan is one of the founders of Centre For Learning, Bangalore and is currently a member of the faculty of Azim Premji University.

Link to the article: http://www.livemint.com/2011/12/13004439/Education-and-values.html

Respond to this column at feedback@livemint.com.

Magic Bus works towards inculcating life skills and values in children and youth by using the medium of sport, and works in the areas of education, gender, health, leadership, livelihood and right to play. Know more about our impact.

Workshop on Sport for Development and Peace

2011-12-06T10:43:00.001+05:30

The Youth Affairs Division of the Commonwealth Secretariat, London in collaboration with Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports and the Commonwealth Youth Programme Asia Centre organized the Commonwealth Asia Regional Consultation and Capacity Building Workshop on Sport for Development & Peace (SDP).

New Delhi: The workshop organized between October 17-20 at the Connaught was attended by senior officials in-charge of youth and sports from seven Commonwealth countries of Asia namely Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, India, Maldives, Malaysia, Singapore and Sri Lanka; senior officials from the Commonwealth Secretariat and the CYP Asia Centre; youth active in sports promotion throught NGOs; the Indian Olympic Association; Magic Bus; British Council and Confederation of Indian Industries (CII).

The workshop consisted of all country presentations, presentations from British Council, CII and Magic Bus. Pratik Kumar, Chief Operating Officer, Magic Bus presented on SDP Methodologies and Approaches. This was followed by an exhaustive field visit to one of the Magic Bus’ project sites.

The delegates thoroughly enjoyed the field visit and were impressed by the Magic Bus model and approach. It was heartening to receive an overwhelming positive response from them, who had a first-time exposure to Magic Bus.

A special mention of Dhiraj and his team of South Delhi would be evident as he and his team strived hard in arranging the field visit for the delegates with their perseverance and true spirit. The presentation and the field visit had such a strong impact that delegates were inquisitive to know more about Magic Bus and how it could be started in their respective countries.

Yet another feather was added on the MB cap.

Indeed Magic Bus is magical!

For further information, please get in touch with Rekha Dey or Deepika Srivastava.

My first Magical Bus ride

2011-11-23T13:01:00.006+05:30

Magic Bus intern Binni Rawat thoroughly enjoyed the company of the young children as she attended her first Magic Bus session. Read ahead to live through her lovely experience.

The winter of mid-November made the afternoon less heated up as a soft cold breeze was making its way. I, along with three of my friends went two kilometers into the Lal Kuan area where we attended our first session of Magic Bus. After a week full of office work, an outdoor session like this was much needed. We were in South Delhi, ‘the place of riches’. However, there was a contrasting image which I could see there in the shanty homes, congested streets and improper sanitation facilities. As we walked further, we entered a big ground where about 50 kids were playing various games. The sight of these happy kids playing made me forget the unpleasant walk that I had to reach this destination. Seeing the cheerful environment of the ground, I felt glad to be there. The children were playing small games which not only made them have fun but also educated them directly or indirectly. I couldn’t help myself from joining the clan and I, too, started playing with the kids hand in hand. There were no regrets since we were thoroughly enjoying all the sweet little things the children did. All of them were under the age of 14 and fortunately the barrier of gender bias didn’t exist in the Magic Bus session since all the boys and girls played together. This was only possible after they were introduced to the organization. There was so much excitement in the children that all of them wait for the entire week restlessly for this two-hour session.

Kids spending magical moments at the session

Despite the limited sources and luxuries the kids had, they were happy, satisfied and Magic Bus helped them retain their happiness. Apart from going to school and gaining mainstream education, the children are taught to develop as individuals. Magic Bus has not only developed these children but also the volunteers. Being from the same society, they understood the mentality and had ideas to overcome the hurdles for the same. Magic Bus has helped them grow on a personal level as well as helped them in becoming more confident. This is the magic that Magic Bus has spread among all of them.

Volunteers engaged in activities

Thus Elizabeth Lawrence has rightly said, “There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again”.

The new alchemy – walking down the Magic Bus boulevard

2011-11-23T12:15:00.008+05:30

Priyanka Swami shares her experience of the first Magic Bus session she attended as she went Pilelo-Ho. Read on to know more.
“Our time here is magic! It's the only space you have to realize whatever it is that is beautiful, whatever is true, whatever is great, whatever is potential, whatever is rare, whatever is unique, in. It's the only space.” These beautiful lines by Ben Okri were magic to my ears when I saw little kids jumping to 'pilelo-ho' in exuberance. As I walked down the streets of Lal Kuan, the open drains, stuffed structures and an unpleasant picturesque created a filthy aura around me.

Nonetheless, a ground caught my eyes after a while of walking through that street. It appeared to me like an oasis in a long lost desert. Little angel faces with wide smiles made it a valuable path. The scene quite captivated me when I saw young lads and lasses roaring “ho” when the volunteering Didis and Bhaiyas yelled “Pilelo”.

I wasn’t really clear about the term “sport for development” in a sense more than its literal meaning. But this session unclouded my ambiguity as it helped me relate to its application. The purpose of sport to make the little ones learn good habits, manners, etiquettes, etc. was incomparable to many other social tools. Moreover, it also helped them develop as individuals by boosting their confidence and skills.

Small games with bizarre names such as “Taar, Tapaal aur Telephone” and “Bauna, Chudail aur Rakshas” were the highlight of the session where the children through the medium of these games were helped in enhancing their listening and observation skills thus making them more active and vigilant.

Magic Bus does not only make the lives of the little children better but also benefits the volunteers working with the organization. All the members and the volunteers present at the session were glad about working for Magic Bus and this was apparent by the sparkle I could see in their eyes.

Viva la Magic Bus

“There is no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.”
This beautiful line by Ruskin Bond could really make me feel the magic this bus had done to many. It transformed many lives into bigger and better ones.

Twinge in the beginning, bliss at the end.

Coming aboard Magic Bus

2011-10-27T12:17:00.003+05:30

On her first visit to a Magic Bus session in Delhi, Bidisha Fouzdar shares her experience with the kids and the team.
Eight-year-old Kunalis the first to yell “Ho!” to Akash Bhaiya’s call “Pillelo?”. It’s hard tobelieve when you see the child’s excited face, but Kunal’s family are amongthose the Planning Commission has recently declared to be below the officialpoverty line. His father, the single earner for the family of five, makes ameasly Rs 4000 per month – which roughly translates into Rs 26 to be spentper day per family member. Experts avow it takes double of this to actuallylive at the official poverty line.

Kunaland his family all go outside for their daily toilet, a practice that makesthem all – as well as their neighbours – vulnerable to vector-borne diseases.The neighbourhood they share with 2000 other families like there is calledSanjay Camp. It shares an approach road with an open-wood crematorium – amongthe worst ways of disposing the dead in today’s air-pollution ridden cities.

Butfor four hours every week, Kunal forgets the extremely challenging environmenthe calls home and focuses instead on the possible - along with a motley group ofthirty 7 to 15 year olds, he learns the basics of hygiene and its link toliving a healthy life.

Kunalis part of Magic Bus’ Dakshinpuri programme. He is one of 63,000 children theprogramme has in Delhi / NCR alone, and is learning that a change in his ownagency and a connect with the opportunities existing in his surroundings, canmake a world of difference to his childhood.

"Weuse more than 200 games – broken into a small activity, a main activity and areview, in which children are encouraged to change attitudes and behaviortowards better health", says Yashpal, the Training and Monitoring Officer incharge of the area’s programmes. People like Yashpal deliver the trainingnecessary to focus on development goals.

Kunal’s12 years old brother, Rahul, is mentally challenged and is not accessing anyeducation at all. In a neighbourhood where everyone forgets the needs ofchildren like Rahul, the Magic Bus curriculum is an avenue that integrates himseamlessly into the growing and learning experience.

Thisgames-based curriculum – carefully researched and developed from popular gamessuch as Football, is at the cutting edge of behavior-change communicationtargeted at children. Magic Bus' Chief Operating Officer, Pratik Kumar, says, "What we have tooffer is a model of empowerment that starts with the self. In that, it amongthe strongest approaches known towards poverty reduction."

Thusfor children like Kunal, the fun and excitement is just part of the means. Theendgame is poverty reduction.

International Literacy Day celebration

2011-10-03T15:19:00.001+05:30

Literacy is not a luxury; it is a right and a responsibility. If our world is to meet the challenges of twenty first century, we must harness the energy and creativity of all our citizens.
Bill Clinton, Former US President.
Education is the most important element for growth and prosperity of a nation. India is in the process of transforming itself into a developed nation. Towards this, Magic Bus too, through nurturing one of its impact areas – promoting education among the vulnerable children and communities – is striving to contribute to the nation’s progress. The seeds we sow today will become the rich fruit bearing trees of tomorrow. The intervention programmes of Magic Bus embody the philosophy of 3Es – Education, Employment and Empowerment – where the programmes don't stop just at enrolment or retention, but address quality and sustainability via community ownership, leading to an empowered population.

Magic Bus Kurnool on this occasion organized several interesting activities for the children and the community. The activities included Awareness Rallies, Essay Writing, Fun Games, Quiz Competition, Painting Competition etc. It was an absolute pleasure to see that more than 1500 children came forward and actively participated in 27 different activities. All the programmes were solely supported by local people / communities for conducting activities and distributing prizes to the children.

Thus, a beautiful day came to an end leaving an impression of beautiful and colorful memories in our heart.

Change does not necessarily assure progress but progress implacably requires change. Education is essential to change, for education creates both new wants and the ability to satisfy them.

Henry Steele Commager

September 8 was proclaimed International Literacy Day by UNESCO on November 17, 1965. Its aim is to highlight the importance of literacy to individuals, communities and societies, to spread awareness and to educate more and more people around the world. On International Literacy Day each year, UNESCO reminds the international community of the status of literacy. Celebrations take place around the world.

Footfalls to footballs - with shoes or without

2011-09-28T12:25:00.001+05:30

The first-ever Football tournament in Parigi catalyzes change through fun (and sports).What’s more, the team from the rural town stands the winner, with shoes or without.
Parigi is essentially a small town located in Ranga Reddy district, 85 kilometers away from the capital city of Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. For a remote location however, the Government High School was bright and happening on September 18, 2011. Football it was – the town hosted its first ever Football Tournament at the divisional level. Even amidst a warm, sunny weather, the heat of joy and love for the game drove more than 150 youngsters all the way from their homes in nearby areas, out in the school ground to play.

The toss

Sporting blue jerseys, the Magic Bus team of Youth Mentors (YMs) and Training and Monitoring Officers (TMOs) came forward for all the miscellaneous jobs like erecting tents, installing flags, and also, keeping notes. Toss happened, and the first kick of the tournament sent the ball flying and crowds cheering.

All for the game, all for the team

Promoting rural sports and participation for all, the game began. The Physical Education Teacher from the school was chosen to be the referee. The community sports coaches were divided into 6 teams based on their area. The youths cheered for their teams. It was sheer pleasure to watch the members in tees, shorts and track pants playing football. While some of them sported football shoes too, many played bare-foot but with equal enthusiasm and vigor. The local youth mentors adorned.

Dr TRM Reddy giving winners shield to Parigi team

Interestingly, the local Parigi team stood winner in the tournament. Dr T Ram Mohan Reddy, an educationist-cum-philanthropist distributed the prizes to the winning team members. There was a huge applause. Magic Bus too, was appreciated by guests and media for organizing events in the rural areas involving the youth members. The guests also expressed that they would like Magic Bus to organize similar events in the neighboring areas.

The day full of fun and joy comes to an end

The event was sponsored by TRR trust. From footfalls to footballs, it was a memorable day for the community sports coaches/youths, participating in a divisional level tournament.

Magic Bus is reaching out to 2500 children through 116 Community Sports Coaches (CSCs) and 6 Youth Mentors in Parigi through its Sports for development (S4D) programme.

School chalein hum

2011-09-02T16:07:00.001+05:30

While successful enrolment of 83 kids from a resettlement colony in North Delhi into a Government school makes Magic Bus proud, Deepika Srivastava takes extra joy in posting her first post on the blog. Welcome aboard!
Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another - GK Chesterson. More often, a strong desire to change the world strikes many of us. But, only seldom does it as an effective action-oriented move.

In an attempt to build a better society, we took forward an initiative in the form of enrolling some kids in one of the schools of Bhalaswa. Being a resettlement colony, Bhalaswa has been thriving abode to people since 2000. The colony is a blend of migrants from central and southern parts of Delhi. However, this diversity is entangled in the clutches of rampant poverty and deteriorating living conditions as many of them have lost their source of income and houses due to shifting. Thus, day to day life has become a struggle for the people.

The degrading atmosphere of the area was evidently seen influencing the mindset of children. To our dismay, children were spotted doing rag picking and wandering aimlessly and not going to school as school was far from the colony. People not sending their kids to school became a trend due to various reasons.

Challenging this, the North Delhi team worked splendidly in generating the much-needed awareness among people, eventually succeeding at motivating them about the importance of education. The task, no doubt, was mighty challenging, but then, where there is a will, there is a way.

A special mention of TMO Santosh would be evident as he along with his team of youth mentors strived hard in enrolling the kids in school after a detailed research. Team Magic Bus with their perseverance and true spirit, managed to enroll 83 kids in school from nursery to grade 11, including 18 child labors and 30 girls.

It was heartening to receive an overwhelming positive response from people who were way too ignorant sometime back. The drive has such a strong impact on children and youth that a boy named Guddu, with an intense dream of pursuing higher studies, approached a CSC and was helped in getting admission in the one of the correspondence courses of Delhi University. Indeed Magic Bus is magical.

The drive was instituted in the month of April followed by two months summer vacation where the MB team verified that all 83 kids would rejoin the school without any drop out. Thus, it was a matter of great pride and ecstasy that no one dropped out.

Yet another feather was added on the MB cap where education has finally set its mark on minds and excitement to learn more clearly shines. This whole experience forced me to recall the saying that I truly believe: Tell me and I'll forget; show me, and I may not remember; involve me, and I'll understand.

Three cheers to Team North Delhi!

Transforming through Sport

2011-08-17T10:48:00.001+05:30

Saumya Bhasin and Shireen Saxena share a story from the rurals of Andhra Pradesh, India.
There could be nothing better than a pleasant, breezy morning to give you a headstart for the kind of work Magic Bus undertook on February 28 in Uttalloor, a village in Medak district of Andhra Pradesh. Although, a thickening cloud cover was present throughout our session, threatening to ‘dampen’ our jovial spirit anytime.

Magic Bus volunteers interact with the villagers

Soon after reaching our destination, we proceeded towards our work. With a vigilant eye, we went about hunting for a decent open field. Not finding anything to our satisfaction, we decided to make do with what was conveniently available, without wasting more time. Spotting a strip of land lying waste and barren, save the overwhelming growth of dried grass and a sporadic vegetation of weeds, we decided to use it for our session after getting the space cleared.

The unproductive land that we could find.

Next, we went from one household to another asking people to attend the community meeting scheduled for later that evening. It was a pleasant surprise to see most of the villagers enthusiastic regarding our proposal, when, on further enquiry from their side, we told them as to what the meeting will be about. Shyam, a farmer, seemed particularly keen on helping us through and even spoke to many villagers on our behalf in the local dialect even convinced a few to attend it.

In the interim, our team members set about preparing banners and posters on the importance of sports and education.

Preparing posters for the rally

Immediately after completing this task, we started talking to the village children to have their views on education. It was interesting to observe how many children acknowledged the importance of Education and considered it to be their key to a better life. With the children, we proceeded with organizing a rally, making them hold the banners we made. Waving posters and shouting slogans and thereby changing the whole village atmosphere, we walked 6km within the village, spreading the message on Education.

Young boys and girls from the village took active part in the rally.

After our rally, the community meeting took place in the evening. The place was seething with people as an unexpected 300 turned up. However, it went well with the Sarpanch and Panchayat members acceding to most of our proposals. The community leaders and village youth volunteered to knuckle down, clear the land and convert it into a befitting place to hold sessions. Together, we also chalked out extensive plans regarding the same. By setting up a slide show for the villagers, we succeeded in elucidating what Magic Bus plans to do in its forthcoming session. It was heartening to observe all eyes firmly riveted on the slide and some even overcoming their inhibitions to ask queries.

The day ended with an engaging presentation.

On the whole, I would say, a day’s visit to Uttalloor has been truly successful and productive. Sitting among the villagers, talking to them, listening to their grievances and making sincere efforts to address a few critical issues endemic to such neglected villages, is an experience which will go down the memory lane.

GoogleServe at Magic Bus

2011-08-03T13:14:00.036+05:30

What happens when you Google for fun? Pure magic! Here's an example of how Google spent a day with us for their 4th GoogleServe, the search giant's annual philanthropic initiative.
The warm (which eventually only got hot) Friday morning could not deter their spirit. Googlers, Magic Bus riders and of course, our kids and youth – together, around 200 of us had an absolutely fantastic time on June 17 at our Tughlaqabad location. We involved in around half-a-day of really interesting stuff – right from ice-breakers to team-building activities, all-involving games to challenge-tasks, and a tug-of-war between the community and Google to a football tournament between mixed teams.

The activities were conducted in three groups – Google, Magic Bus staff and volunteers, and the kids formed teams within those groups. Encouraging and ensuring participation for all, this also made a visual delight. It was good to see action, team-play, challenge and accomplishment, fun – all at one place in all the directions.

Some glimpses:

Moving mountains – together, we did: One of the activities at the group involved lifting and throwing away a huge, imaginary mountain that needed to be cleared to make room for further activities. With each other’s support, Google and Magic Bus were able to move it in their third attempt. Accomplishment!

Friendship, above all: In yet another activity, we had to move right, left, in, out and whatever direction possible – the only condition being that we could not let our friends’ hands go. We stretched when we moved away, adjusted when came too close, and kept a look on when we moved right and left. Good team-building exercise – seen here, all of us moving in together. What’s more, the Mentors soon added a good dose of signals to pick up – so, while ‘river’ meant ‘move’, 'ice' implied ‘hold-on’!

The ball, everybody’s friend: Nothing engages a group of 40 like a football. We had an interesting game of handball with mixed teams. Interestingly, one of the Googlers contributed to the other team’s points by scoring a goal against his own!

Who can act, you? So can I: Here was another interesting activity – we saw some very amusing faces in this elimination game. Clicking our friends in these unusual poses was equally fun.

The event concluded with prize distribution and a few words by some kids, volunteers and team Google. Said Abhishek, from Google, “we have been engaging with a lot of organizations over this week for various causes. Here, it was different. We’ve felt good, like happens with most organizations we touch during GoogleServe. But coming to Magic Bus has made us feel happy as well. It was good fun!”. Abhishek is very fond of kids, and the kids made friends with this ‘cap-waale-bhaiya’ in no time.

The event was very well designed and conducted by team Tughlakabad – cheers to them! This happens to be a location where we have a very good girl-participation from the community, and has been recently featured by NDTV Marks for Sports campaign. Read on to learn how sports changed thousands of lives.

Strive and thrive. It's a Magic Bus session!

2011-07-20T17:17:00.006+05:30

Ira Bhadoria shares an interesting experience, the Meethi Taali way.
"They say just living is not enough. You need little sunshine, few raindrops and a tinge of freedom to experience life in a life itself."

July 15 was a day of a kind. My first visit to a Magic Bus session, and a day when I jumped (in the air) after a good, long stretch of seven years (the last time was at my school's sports meet, sack race!). Khadda Colony in Bhalaswa, North Delhi reflected quite a many aspects of Delhi, and probably every city, which most of us miss out exploring. It’s more like a universal law of binary opposites, always at play. Unkempt lanes are latent hubs of the strongest hearts; barren land-patches stand matchless with frolicking children; frowning lines precede undying laughter; and hope exudes survival of the weakest. To strengthen the same, refreshing rain followed the bright sunny morning that day.

While waiting for the session to begin, I took a momentary plunge to observe the preparation time for the same. Motion in every little corner charged up the air. Clad in blue uniform, the Team (comprising the Youth Mentor and Community Sports Coaches) offered an assuring signal to young minds treading towards the site. Reena, the Youth Mentor, highlighted few significant features of the session for me. Usually, the session schedule includes a triplet of tasks. This time, however, it was a warm-up session followed by a Football match and Damroo-daud. Sheer energy shone in the participation and even I was prompted to join the jumping activities back-to-back. There was a unique exuberance in their very spirit to relax, completely let loose. I observed a bustling lot of young guys who greeted each other, and of course me, in their unique Meethi Taali style. Oblivious up then what it was all about, what today stays crystal clear in my mind is a glowing picture of many fluttering fingers in the air, and countless flashing bright smile - no sound at its play, yet so rhythmic and absolutely divine!

To each one of us, Meethi Taali is warm welcome, a kind of healthy handshake that invokes a sudden rush of joy and instant radiating smiles. Popular among kids as Pyaar ki Taali or the Clap of Love, it was originally coined by children at Magic Bus, Mumbai. To everyone who’s good, it is an acknowledgement, a cheerful booster. To those who are new, it is a warm invitation, a lasting promise. To children, among themselves, it is an understood code of conduct, just like Pilelo-Ho, an expression of get-going, cooperation and love. Hustling chirpy fingers and twinkling bright eyes, and that’s Meethi Taali which lets the spark glowing. A near-about scientific perspective that fed my curiosity, “It saves a lot of energy, you see, no noise, just silent playful greeting”, to which I probed upon later but could not respond. Yes, no doubt it saves a lot of energy, but only to fuel extra charged energies into everyone. For it is so ‘meethi’ that you are bound to feel special. Garnering extra love, appreciation and wholeheartedness, it keeps you going like never before!

The second event in the row was a Football match. Being the morning slot, this session included only boys and so, Football! As the boys chased the ball, I chose to chase their strokes, enthusiasm and the spirit to play. And believe me, nothing could be more unifying at that moment- togetherness and competition went hand-in-hand. The critical turn of the match was exciting to watch and it did yield, but no winners, just thunder showers!

As the rain slushed, the kids turned more jubilant and playful. The match continued, with intermittent splashing of mud, bouncy dance moves and extra gaiety and vigor. Damroo-daud, which was omitted because of the rain, sufficed to evoke joy by its very name. It was interesting to note the punctuality chords of the children. At the right time, they receded towards their homes to join the afternoon school schedule, and thus, the session concluded - one complete circle from hasty morning steps to responsible step-ahead towards education. And nowhere, in between, the sync dwindled. The session began with an impetus and that too, with no limits.

Through with the session, I was fortunate enough to get a community visit. It offered me an insight to the lives of many marginalized people, who are not just surviving, but living all joyfully in the toughest of situations.

All in all, it was a new day, in every possible sense. Sports session coupled with interaction to many sporty heart. I returned renewed and energized.

Meethi Taali - the language we know

Just boarded!

2011-07-13T19:04:00.001+05:30

Two things happened, two months ago.
We were at the Centre for a residential induction (fortunately, it was my first exposure to Magic Bus and it was only after those 10-days of absolute fun and friendships that I went through the regular (though interesting) PowerPoint slides back here. Experiential learning, what we believe in here, came to me right from the first days. And trust me, it has made a difference. So yes, the induction happened, I’m family now, and kind of exploring and understanding things around.

The first good thing: It’s like a universal language here. Some say, “It came from Andhra Pradesh”. Others think, “It is just there, no meaning or origin in particular”. Yet others feel that it means ‘children’ in some language. So, I got infected by the words on the football grounds of the Centre on May 9, day one of the training. Pilelo was something that everybody understood and responded to with a Ho. Sure, there’s a reason why this blog is called so. I was taken back to younger years. “Feedback”, my teachers would say, “completes a communication”, and I’d wonder. They certainly had a tough time trying to gather our volatile attention in all possible ways ranging from “Hey, here’s something interesting for you today” to “Guys, please listen. It’s important. Promise, we’ll break in another five minutes” and everything in between.

However, things were different in this far-away land (coincidentally, I’ve just completed a document on the Centre today). Everybody connected with just these two words. You throw a Pilelo right in the air, and echoes back a Ho from all directions – boundaries of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh or Delhi dissolve; Marathi, Telugu and Hindi become one. Pilelo had that instant command, Ho was that immediate support. Back home, I realize that it’s the same across the Magic Bus family. And it’s a hit! Children understand, like and do it. The mentors know, use and adapt it! We see it in sessions, over lunch tables, among kids on their own, our staff when they need that small break from work, and every time when we think of it – with its various forms ranging from subtle to loud, sung to shouted, and requested to told. As a family, it’s our own language; and sure enough, I’ve grown pretty fond of it!

The second: Meethi Taali, for I doubt there’s a sweeter expression for it.

This, coming soon!

Till then, Pilelo!