Learning Opportunities
Theme of Learning Opportunities
The objective of this theme is to increase access to formal and non-formal learning opportunities. We have two ongoing projects, namely Project “Special Stars” for differently abled children and Project “Stars of Tomorrow” which works with children of economically disadvantaged backgrounds to supplement their school education with life skills and communication skills, specially through classes in Spoken English and other confidence building activities.
Project “Special Stars.”
Learning opportunities for the differently abled are not available very easily in India. SI, Bangalore aims to increase these opportunities through the Special Stars program and works with partners like Brindavan Trust and MitraJyoti for the same.
We have supported the education of two dyslexic girls Prashamya and Sanya at BrindavanTrust with the help of our friendship Link club SI Widnes. This project was showcased at the SIGBI Gateshead Conference 2013. We have also sponsored a partially visually challenged girl Geetha N residing at MitraJyothi , an institution for the visually impaired. Geetha is studying music at Maharani College. We are also associating with MitraJyothi for other key initiatives that we can help them with.
We are constantly on the lookout for other NGOs and other organizations working with differently abled children who can benefit from our association with them.
Project “Stars of Tomorrow”
It was in 2009, that one of our members being a retired school teacher herself envisaged the idea of promoting the English language among the lesser privileged government school children. She, accordingly, contacted the management of the Gopal Ram Narayan School at Sanjay Nagar, Bangalore. Since then our team of Soroptimists along with college graduate volunteers have been teaching the children of classes 4th to 8th English, Moral science and Hygiene. The children who barely know the alphabets when they join our classes have become fluent in written Language and even conversing with some fluency by the time they graduate. We celebrate the graduation with more skits, giving prizes and a little tea party.
We are now starting the second phase of this program in the same school and have also identified another school in Convent Road to rollout this program.