STORY PREVIEW

2021

Soch Ki IndraDhanushi Udaan...Update your Thinking

Centre Point School Katol Road

Maharashtra

MENTOR

Kshama Yadav

Step 1 FEEL

List the challenges or problems in your surroundings (school,neighbourhood etc.) that bothered you.

The challenges which bothered us during these difficult times were- 1. Lack of continuity in the education of children during the COVID times. 2. Job losses by numerous people affected their livelihood. 3. As the lockdown curbs were being eased and people started to move more freely, it was noticed that there was an upsurge in the number of transgenders begging on in the streets and at crossroads. What have been the problems and difficulties of the transgender community especially during lockdown times? How can these problems be addressed?

State the problem chosen to work and why.

Out of the issues listed above, it was decided unanimously that it was most appropriate and relevant to work for the cause of the transgender community. Empowering the community members and helping them become self-reliant is a more logical solution to mitigate the woes of the LGBTQ+ community. The reasons for focussing on this issue are- 1. The community has faced severe discrimination and harassment in various aspects of life as they have been subjected to unfair treatment like verbal abuse, physical and sexual violence; denied admission to educational institutions; and victimization in multiple settings like family, workplace, health care institutions, and public spaces. 2. The community needs not only awareness about their rights but more importantly needs empathy and support from the rest of the society for their upliftment and inclusion. They should get a chance to live a life of dignity and equality. 3. If the status of the LGBTQ+ community has to be changed, timely proactive steps need to be taken to transform the mindset of all, especially the younger generations as they will become the citizens of tomorrow.

Who were the people affected by the problem? What were their primary concerns?

The people directly affected are- Members of the LGBTQ+ community, especially the transgenders. The primary concern has been that the low literacy rate and social exclusion limits the employment and livelihood opportunities for the transgender community. As a result, many community members depend on begging in the streets for their livelihood. This by itself is below human dignity. Moreover, pandemic related lockdowns worsened the situation of the TGs. Everything came to a halt, even their livelihood means were compromised. Not many social organisations came forward to help via charity drives for them or in any form. There was an absolute lack of a consistent source of income for them. Secondly, a hostile environment that fails to understand trans people's needs, threatens their safety and is ill-equipped to offer sensitive health and social services.

Step 2 IMAGINE

List ALL the different solutions you came up with.

The members of the LGBTQ+ community, especially the TG community has long been looked at as 'criminals' and the mistrust of transgenders has continued over the years. The solution against discrimination of the TGs and to mobilise their inclusion in the mainstream has to be dealt with at two levels. I. Firstly, the mainstream population needs to be sensitised about the social, emotional and psychological distress of the community members. The feeling of transphobia needs to be seriously dealt with. This is possible only when society is educated about who transgenders are. Though there are laws to protect the human rights of the community, the reality is quite far removed. For trans people, the change must begin with the most fundamental element – an acknowledgement of their gender identity. To realise the above goal, it is most appropriate to a) Break the myths and misconceptions by providing correct knowledge and information about the community. b) Subsequently understand the difficulties faced by them in terms of the means of livelihood, harassment and discrimination faced. c) Understand the employability of the community members by mapping their skills. d) Knowing their interests and imparting vocational skills to suit their interests and requirements. e) Holding basic health check-up camps to make them feel included in society. f) Making them feel accepted, loved and supported. II. Secondly, the community members also need to be guided and encouraged for fuller civic participation. It is important to motivate them to adopt a more optimistic and positive approach and a belief in themselves. To draw power from quotes like, "Passion drives your strata of success, nothing and nothing else does". "Being different does not mean being limited". Making them understand the importance of being 'Atmanirbhar' (self-reliant). This goal can be accomplished by- a) Holding motivational and life skills talk by counsellors b) Conducting workshops to prepare them mentally for vocational training by experts with an assurance of placement. This indeed could be a concrete step that will ensure their social integration, economic advancement, and acknowledgement of their dignity and human worth.

Which solution from those listed above did you choose to implement and why?

We chose to implement all the solutions mentioned above. The reasons being- a) To address the issue it is essential to adopt a multi-pronged approach that supports the affirmation of trans equality. The involvement of sensitised mainstream people is crucial to realise the change. b) The solutions listed above are all non-overlapping. They all aim for a common goal which is, empowering the community in a non-stigmatizing, non-discriminatory, and informed environment. A positive change is possible, although this must be implemented in a phase-wise manner. After each step review and assessment should be quantified to have a significant impact.

Step 3DO

Describe very briefly the process of implementing your solution(s).

To address the problem and implement the solutions we carried out the following steps- 1. In the initial phase of the project, a few representatives of the LGBTQ+ community were invited to the school, to know more about the community and understand their issues. The session proved to be very fruitful and was an eye-opener. Some of the stories shared were absolutely heart-wrenching. The representatives were very glad to see that school children have taken such a bold initiative of coming forward and have planned to support the TGs, in terms of helping their voice to be heard and providing vocational/ skill training. 2. After a lot of groundwork and planning, in the second week of December a four-day programme was chalked out. 3. On the first day about 12 members of the LGBTQ+ community were invited to the school. In their presence, an 'Acceptance Survey' was conducted at the school. The target population of the survey was Grade 11 students. The survey was conducted by putting up a question for each child at the time of the thermal scan. The question being, "I am a member of the Pride Community, do you accept me as I am?' They were free to express their opinion as Yes/no/maybe. However, the result was very encouraging as more than 95% of students gave yes as their answer. 4. On the same day, motivational and vocational training related talks were conducted by experts. Mrs Sonali Mishra, Project Officer, MITCON Consultancy and Engineering Services who has 17 + years of experience in skill development and Women Empowerment gave a very motivational talk. The session soon became very interactive. She explained the importance of being Atmanirbhar. She put forward some very inspirational quotes also, such as, "Equality pe Nahin Equity pe Kaam Karenge". Motivating the community members further, she added, "It is time to move out of complaining zone and move forward with what we have". "Problems exist in every individual's life, but it is the solution which you choose matters". She mentioned targeting the correct pockets for employment. Not only did she motivate the community members to be self-reliant, but she also gave assurance of providing placement in the textile cluster around Nagpur and also at some of the factories in Butibori industrial area. She suggested a few small occupations also which are much in demand and the members would not face discrimination by adopting them. 5. This was followed by a life skill talk by Mrs Aditi Deshmukh, our school counsellor. 6. On day two, 14 members from the LGBTQ+ community visited our school. A training session was taken up by Mr Amol Khaperde, the computer faculty at CPS KR. Basic features of MS Office were mentioned and a few more which are required for the job of data entry were discussed in detail. 7. On day three, an art and craft skill workshop was organised and conducted by Mrs Sujata Giri a senior faculty at CPR KR. The community members were taught how to make paper envelopes and bags. These paper bags are in demand in the market, especially at pharmacies and small groceries shops. 8. A talk by Mr Nikunj Joshi, CEO Sarthi Trust was organised during Rotary's weekly meeting to sensitize the public and to break the myths and misconceptions about the community members.

What was the result or impact of your project?

The impact of the initiative taken by the Centre Point School, Katol Road students for the empowerment of TGs has been very encouraging. These can be enlisted as- 1. For the first time in the history of the Rotary Club of Nagpur, RI District 3030, Club ID 15587, a representative of the LGBTQ+ community Mr Nikunj Joshi got a chance to speak about the community. The session was attended by appx. 68 members and the information shared left the club members in a trance. The session helped to break some of the myths and misconceptions about the community. According to the report published in their weekly magazine, Golden Orange- "Rotarians felt enlightened after the talk and all and sundry promised to look on this topic with more inclusiveness." 2. Mrs Neeru Kapai, a very senior Rotarian and a well-known educationist of the city volunteered and conducted meetings for the skill mapping of TGs in the city. Two of the TGs (one MtF and the other one FtM) have been offered jobs, based on their qualification. Another member of the LGBTQ+ community, who is good with culinary art has been given assurance that he will be given an opportunity to showcase his skills soon.

How many people were impacted by your solution(s)?

200

What did the impacted people have to say about your project? Provide 2 quotes or testimonials:

The response from the community members have been overwhelming 1. Miss Mohini (Mohit) Sharma was too happy to share her feelings and said,"the staff of the school and students were all very friendly and accepted us as we are". Her face gleamed with joy when she specifically mentioned, "I liked when students addressed me as Didi and Madam". She further added that she has a friend who was already supplying paper envelopes to a pharmacy and earning Rs 50 per 100 envelopes. Miss Mohini shared the technique of making paper envelopes, which in her words was "better", with her friend. Now she has also started making paper envelopes after her office hours. She has contacted a few more shopkeepers for providing them with paper envelopes. With her collaboration with her neighbour and the skill learnt she has started earning Rs 40-50 as additional income every day. 2. Miss Anchal Verma, a community member was overwhelmed while giving her feedback and she said," if the school children at such a tender age are accepting us as we are without any inhibition then why should we look back. School children are the next generation and the empathy demonstrated by them is a clear indication of the transformation in the mindset which is in process". 3. Mr Nikunj Joshi, CEO Sarthi Trust and a self-identified Pride member very affirmatively said an individual starts discovering his/her sexual identity right from the school level. He went on to praise the efforts of CPS KR students as the project will not only directly impact the TGs but also help create awareness among students, their parents and their friends about the social inclusion of the community members. This perhaps in the long run will help the community members to gain better support from the mainstream population. He also eloquently mentioned that because of the initiative taken by DFC CPS, KR volunteers the community would be able to come out of begging and lead a life of dignity and equality.

What challenges did you encounter while implementing your project, and how did you overcome them?

The major challenges which we faced were- 1. The schools were still not opened completely and a few COVID related curbs were still being followed. This did not allow free intermingling of the community members with students, other than DFC volunteers. 2. The deep-seated transphobia also became an obstacle and it became a challenge to find a competent resource person, who could provide vocational/skill training or coordinate for the same. 3. Project duration overlapped with Class 10 and 12 CBSE Term 1 Examination. In spite of the challenges, the motivation and morale of the students never dipped. Though there were challenges, the zeal and enthusiasm of the students did not deter. They demonstrated a problem-solving approach and put up the following solutions: a. Students took up the responsibility of spreading the word about the project with other school students through social media. b. Further research helped the students to identify and get in touch with Mrs Sonali Mishra, a very senior Project Officer with MITCON. She was a boon to the project. A master trainer for approximately two decades, she has been working in the field of Skill Development and Women Empowerment. She took up this new task with great enthusiasm and held a very inspiring and motivating session with the community. c. Students worked as a team and took up duties and responsibilities based on their skills and availability of time. They worked in turns.

How long did it take to implement your solution?

MORE THAN 30 DAYS

Which global goals does your story align with?

Gender Equality

Please explain briefly why do you think so?

Can we categorize people only as 'male' or 'female'? We live in a society that is deeply structured by gender. A gender that is not aligned with the set thinking pattern of the society is not accepted. The consequence is those sexual orientations that are beyond the two categories face severe discrimination and harassment in all respects and are subjected to unfair treatments. Indian pre-colonial heritage recognized and celebrated gender diversity in temple sculptures, mythology and religious treatizes. Human rights violations against transgender people are prevalent at large. Affirmative actions are needed to wipe out the stigma and discrimination associated with the community. The rights of trans people have been protected by a range of international and regional mechanisms. Yet, transgender people's experience globally is an extreme social exclusion that translates into increased vulnerability to HIV, other diseases, including mental health conditions, limited access to education and employment, and loss of economic and social advancement opportunities. In addition, hatred and aggression towards a group of individuals who do not conform to social norms around gender manifest infrequent episodes of extreme violence towards transgender people. If society has to progress, it should be inclusive and free from discrimination. The concept of gender comes secondary, the first being that all should be treated as humans.

Step 4 SHARE

How did you share your project with your school and community? Who did you share your project with? What was their response?

The project idea was shared with the school through- 1. WhatsApp messages in various class groups. 2. Posters were put up at strategic locations in the school premises to let teachers and students know about the project. 3. The idea was shared with the Rotary Club of Nagpur. This has proved to be the most beneficial collaboration, as the Rotary Club platform has a greater resource pool in terms of imparting soft skills, vocational training skills and providing job openings. Names of a few Rotarians worth mentioning are -President Dr Jerestine Watchmaker, Mrs Neeru Kapai, Mrs Urvashi Yashroy, Mr Sanjay Singh, Mr Rahul Chaudhary. 4. The idea of empowerment, inclusion and right to health of TGs was shared with Dr Varuna Pathak, Gynaecologist and Obstetrician and ex-professor of Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal. She in turn has been in touch with Mr Majid Khan, chief coordinator of 'The Hamsafar Trust' for providing free medical help and counselling to the community members. 5. The project idea was also shared with Mr Sandeep Rathore, creative head at Radiocity FM 91.1 Nagpur. Not only was the idea appreciated by these people, but they also offered their support in any future endeavours.

Approximately how many people did you share your story of change with?

More than 100

Briefly share your plan to sustain the impact of your project?

We at DFC CPS KR, believe that the system should be mobilised and external help should be rendered in order to empower the beneficiary. Finally, the job placement of an individual should be in accordance with the qualification. The best way to do this is through imparting education and vocational training. To sustain this idea, we will- 1. Hold regular camps and workshops to impart new skills. 2. It is important to ensure that the school dropout rate of the community members is minimised. Constant counselling of the 'Gurus' is essential and would be done so that they permit their 'Chelas' to pursue their dreams and become self-reliant. 3. It is very important to gain the confidence of the community members, Hence regular visits and expressing our love, empathy and acceptance of the community will help to sustain a long term bonding with them. To summarize we can say- 'We all are humans and all of us deserve the dignity of living a life of respect and our choice. Let us respect each other's choices.'

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