This report has been given by Divya Charnalia, an Award Leader who attended IAYP’s Training Workshop in Delhi. She narrates her personal experience of attending the workshop, while also voicing the experience of other Award Leaders.
On 14th and 15th September 2018 a training workshop was conducted at NAA Office, Delhi by the IAYP team comprising Mr Kapil Bhalla – the National Director, Mr Bivujit Mukhoty – the Programme Manager and Ms Pallavi Gill – the Programme Officer. It was essentially one of those sessions where you’re guided through the episode by being given a firsthand experience of the tasks and activities that the Award Participants would undertake.
The workshop commenced with an icebreaking session that addressed its purpose. We introduced ourselves, narrated our goals and expectations and formulated a motto. Following this, Mr Bhalla introduced the Programme and reiterated its ideology and philosophy. While highlighting the benefits of the Programme, Mr Bhalla also listed our responsibilities as Award leaders. What followed next was an elaborate session explaining the various facets of the Award Programme.
The second day started with a Physical Recreation activity of playing games like dodgeball and the sports alphabet. This way we became active witnesses to the fact that sports inculcate in us a spirit of teamwork, coordination and the will to better ourselves with each passing moment. Tripping and getting up with the same motivation and vigour, we were reluctant to leave the field. Similarly, the objective of the activity of the Skills section was to embolden us to own our skills and to celebrate them. Expressing our exhilaration at being able to showcase our unique talents, we couldn’t help but define the activity as ‘going back to our childhood’. The Residential Project for the Gold Award Participants with its central idea of an ‘unfamiliar environment’ and an ‘unusual companion’ was also explained. Another important aspect of the session was a discussion about the risks involved in the Adventurous Journey and the response mechanisms to deal with them. By narrating personal experiences, Mr Bivujit reiterated the dynamics of the Award Programme.
These two days were a roller-coaster ride, packed with fun activities and lessons to cherish for a lifetime. The aim of these activities was to enable us to step into the shoes of the Award Participants so that our relations with them could be more personal. The workshop stressed the important role that Award Leaders play as counterparts to the Award Participants in their journey.
‘Engage. Equip. Empower. Reward.’ We went like plain sheets of paper to the workshop and these words seemed to have been printed in everlasting ink on us! Workshop pictures can be seen here.
