B. Padmavati, Class VIII student of Zilla Parishad High School, Machilipatnam, says she and her classmates are witnessing a positive change in school environment after they have become a part of the CRY’s (Child Rights and You) children collective.
She said every month those associated with the children collective meet and discuss challenges they come across not just in classrooms but also beyond the school campus. Padmavati said her team’s consistent efforts to unearth the institution’s lacunae by meeting the sarpanch finally paid off as today the school she studies has all the necessary infrastructure and sufficient staff. Like Padmavati, students, who have come from Chittoor, Krishna, East Godavari, Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts, shared with The Hindu what it means to them to be associated with CRY’s children collective. A three-day-long child mela hosted by CRY offered a common ground to the participants to celebrate, listen to experts’ lectures and share their ideas.
K.M. Naveen, student of Hope Municipal High School, Madanapalle, says 16 school dropouts have been motivated to get back on track as members of children collective had spent considerable time convincing the school dropouts and their parents.
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Holistic approach
“The focus is more on holistic approach to bring in positive change among communities and in the process we also acquire leadership skills,” he said.
Lakshmi Tirupatamma, Class X student from Machilipatnam, said her maiden trip to Visakhapatnam turned out to be eventful as the city has beautiful stretches of beach and greenery.
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She said such melas help them in exploring new destinations and connect with members of other groups.
Associate General Manager- Development Support of CRY Peter Suneel said the idea to host the mela was to bring children from five districts together, make them understand their rights, exhibit their creative expertise and expand their network.
A string of cultural performances will also form part of the mela that concludes on Wednesday. Representatives of Child Welfare Committee speak on UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, gender equality, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, among other topics at YMCA.