Constituency Served

children, 10-15 years; community

Details of Work

Bala Janaagraha is a 'Practical Civics' programmes for children. It helps them understand and participate in local governance. It connects children with their local community members though activities for the development of their own ward. Bala Janaagraha's pilot programme in 5 schools was held in Padmanabhnagar in early 2003 for 170 students. Based on its success, the annual Bala Janaagraha is being conducted as an after- school programme in 24 schools throughout Bangalore with 1300 children from Std 5-9. The children meet twice a month for 3 hours on Saturday afternoon. There are 13 sessions between June and January. There are four modules in the programme . The survey module involves data collection for ward planning. The leadership training module involves children in activities that address team building, conflict-resolution, communication skills, and decision making. The field trips help children understand how the infrastructure needs of the city are being met by the various facilities and the community projects mobilise residents of the ward for participation. The projects include street theatre, photo exhibits by children, 3-D modelling and budgeting. The programme will end in January with a city-level convention for all children.