Dream big & aim high

Students interact with motivational speakers and entrepreneurs during Changemaker Fest organised by Ashoka —India’s Youth venture and Tribune Model School, Sector 29, Chandigarh

Gurnaaz Kaur

There is a lot that needs change in the society. We all talk about it, but how many of us are ready to be that change? This forms a pertinent question of which Tribune Model School is finding an answer. It organised Changemaker Fest today where 10 schools from tricity, including Strawberry Fields School, Yadavindra Public School, Saupin’s School, Guru Nanak Public School, AKSIPS Smart School, Aurobindo School, Banyan Tree, Ankur School, participated. “Our school believes that change begins from inner transformation. Any change we want to see in the outside world has to first be initiated in our own lives. Through this event we aim to empower students by co-creating a community of co-learners in Chandigarh. Students of various schools who have participated in the event are deeply pained by certain issues. They have ideas to bring about a change and we have provided them with a platform to collaborate and find ways to implement those ideas,” says school principal Vandana Saxena.

Eminent speakers, who have brought about a positive change in the community, interacted with around 150 students. They made these students aware about changemaker skills like empathy, collaboration, problem-solving ability and teamwork. Co-created with Ashoka Youth Venture, the fest aimed to initiate an ecosystem for the students that values and supports young people’s participation and help them advance towards a world, where every young person can apply these skills. 

There was an open discussion on some pressing social problems and students presented their change-maker ideas on issues such as child abuse, menstrual hygiene, cyber crime, old age, illiteracy. These weren’t just ideas but narratives of what they have experienced and how they are bringing about a change. 

One of the speakers George Abraham, who organised the World Blind Cricket Council and organised the first-ever World Cup Cricket for the blind, encouraged the students to dream big. Visually impaired himself, he sensitised them about the life of a visually impaired person. “I want these kids to look at the blind as not blind but as people. There is so much that a visually impaired individual can offer, you have to provide him with an enabling environment,” he said. 

For George, this was one-of-a-kind fest. He says, “There are fests of art, culture, dance that happen all the time. A fest to promote changemaking, to aim at making it a better society is a fantastic initiative. Such interactions should be a regular part of schools.”

Saral Maghan, CEO at Jugnoo and Click Labs, and Inderpreet Singh, founder of I Responsible Amritsar, gave an insight into the world of entrepreneurs and volunteer services, respectively. These young speakers think, “We have to find ways to inspire students towards a better tomorrow. If our stories can be the means, we are only happy to share them.”