congratulations to a great project. Your entry reads very concise and I have the impression that you already know very well where this should be going. Since you mentioned having to deal with often conservative family backgrounds, you might find this German soccer project for girls from migrant backgrounds interesting:
http://www.changemakers.net/en-us/node/4192
Good luck!
Jasper Nicolaisen
Free University Berlin
University Challenge
Dear Kalyani,
I think your project is really great and I very much enjoyed reading your entry and seeing the video! I am very happy to find you at Changemakers since we share a similar vision to empower girls and women through sport- and since both the names of our organizations explicitly link women/girls and sport. Last year I started an international fund, Women Win, that supports women's empowerment through sport. Like you, we believe that sport is a very powerful medium to bring confidence, power and leadership to girls and women.
Please see our entry at http://www.changemakers.net/en-us/node/3456
We support similar organizations to yours at an international level and are looking for interesting partners.
I am interested in hearing more about how you include the communities with the sport and try to include them in one way or another. Also, how do you monitor and evaluate success. I hope to stay connected and read more about your work.
Astrid Aafjes
Women Win
www.womenwin.org
Thank you so much for the comments. Your entry is inspiring and I am keen on knowing more about your International Women's sports day and the programme you have for people involved in sport for development work. I wonder if you remember meeting me at the Next Step conference at Windhoek.
When we designed the GOAL programme we kept monitoring and evaluation in mind and since the inception we have been monitoring the programme using a tool called SPRS( Substance Project Reporting System)developed by a company called Substance.( www.substance.coop). We are able to monitor the attendance of the particpants,track changes in engagement, record one on one sessions. It is a wonderful tool.
I will write to you at length about the programme. I would also like to get more information on your international fellowship program.
Yes, of course I remember meeting you! I am glad you are interested in the fellowship program. Please visit our website and email directly so I can send you the information on the fellowship and you can tell me about your monitoring experiences. Good to be in touch! Warmly,
Astrid
First of all congratulations on this fantastic programme. It sounds from your proposal, as though this is well-planned concept that combines sport with social change.
I'm from Australia and have just spent a bit of time in Europe and it's amazing how many people don't know what the game of netball is just because they don't play it in their country. Maybe you could give a brief outline of the game of netball for people reading your changemakers entry that might not have heard of it before...
Have you come across many girls with a disability that could also benefit from this fantastic programme? Including people with a disability in sport and development projects is another way to unite the community and break down the barriers that prevent people of all abilities participation in sport.
I've been involved in some projects in Australia that provide great services and opportunities for people with a disability to get involved in netball. Netball Victoria are one of the leaders in this area and would have some useful resources that you could access. Here is a link to their site http://www.netballvic.com.au/play_disability.htm
With the Commonwealth Games coming to India in 2010, this is great opportunity to bring attention to the needs of your community and the challenges you face in this sport and development innovation.
Good luck with the second year of your project!
Best regards,
Jackie Lauff
Free University Berlin
University Challenge
Thanks for those warm comments. Yes, a lot of brainstorming,intense discussions and planning has gone into the devlopment of our programme proposal. Since the concept of Sports for Devlopement is new to India we had to be clear about what we wanted to deliver and achieve. Also, sports for women is still a struggle in many parts of my country. Thus we had to clearly work out our strategy.
Thanks a lot for the link to Netball Victoria it will definitely help us to get more informed and build on the game.
We are looking forward to the Common Wealth Games of which netball is one of the games. It will help in popularising the game in India where most of the people do not know about netball and your suggestion of writing about netball or providing links to sites about netball is really good.
This is such a fascinating project and after meeting you and one of the coaches and a participant in Windhoek at the Next Step Conference. Your genuine enthusiasm and willingness to get involved with all which was available at the conference was inspiring.
The whole attitude around the project gives it a great persona of being well organised and isn’t complicated, which I feel is a really important part of any Sport Development projects.
I am also very close to securing funding for myself to book the flight out to India and I am extremely excited about coming and working with the project in May 08. It will be a real eye opener for me and it’s great to have a project specifically working with empowering women. I look forward to immersing myself in the culture and learning as much as I can.
We are excited about your internship!I am sure that with your positve energy and enthusiasm you will be able to make a meaningful contribution to Goal. It is wonderful that this programme has the platforms to bring youth from advantaged and disadvantaged backgrounds together, providing opportunities for them to learn from each other.
We are excited about your internship!I am sure that with your positve energy and enthusiasm you will be able to make a meaningful contribution to Goal. It is wonderful that this programme has the platforms to bring youth from advantaged and disadvantaged backgrounds together, providing opportunities for them to learn from each other.
Congratulations to you and your team, Kalyani!!
This is indeed a very innovative way of building confidence, team spirit and social awareness!!
I have a question though, what is the average level of eduction of all these women? Do they have a basic level of education? If not, would you be doing something on that front as the next step to this initiative.
Kalyani, I am sure that you and your team have made a difference in the lives of many young women and I thank all of you for your time and efforts. Please keep up the good work.
Good luck!!!
regards
Kiran
Thanks! This program was designed to provide opportunities to girls who miss activities conducted at school. The girls from only one of our three sites are going to school. Most of the rest are school dropouts: girls who have studied until class IV or V and dropped out because of financial difficulties, household responsibilities and as they were unable to keep up with the studies without support at home. A very small number is illiterate.It has been quite challenging to adapt the curriculum to the various levels. All the exercises in our modules have been very participatory and skills based.
After attending the training workshops we have girls who are now keen on completing their basic level of education. The local community NGO is also motivating and coaching the girls to complete school.
Thanks! This program was designed to provide opportunities to girls who miss activities conducted at school. The girls from only one of our three sites are going to school. Most of the rest are school dropouts: girls who have studied until class IV or V and dropped out because of financial difficulties, household responsibilities and as they were unable to keep up with the studies without support at home. A very small number is illiterate.It has been quite challenging to adapt the curriculum to the various levels. All the exercises in our modules have been very participatory and skills based.
After attending the training workshops we have girls who are now keen on completing their basic level of education. The local community NGO is also motivating and coaching the girls to complete school.
The "Goal" of "Creating community platforms through netball to bring positive change by providing young women space, skills and opportunity for personal growth and leadership development" is quite an ambitious one and Kalyani Subramanyam has netted the goal quite well.
Apart from its focus on building physical fitness of the participating girls, it also serves as a feeder to their self confidence.The interactive training workshops would help prepare the participants better to face the outside world.
The initiative truly outlines the importance of sports as a medium of change.
Many thanks to Kalyani Subramanyam, the NAZ foundation and Standard Chartered Bank for this wonderful initiative.
Keep up the good work !
Regards
Bellur Mohan
Project Manager
Robert Bosch India Limited
Bangalore
Thanks for all the praise.Yes, netball truly has served as a platform for development. I agree with you that Standard Chartered Bank must be commended for the initiative.
I also appreciate your constant encouragement and support.
International Netball are proud of this initiative and Congratulate Kalyani and NAZ for all the wonderful work they have done to bring this program to fruition.
We see Netball as being a powerful tool for the empowerment of Women and and are working toward both developing the sport of Netball and empowering women in tangent with one another.
Keep up the good work NAZ and I look forward to the next phase in the program.
I have discussed this issue with Kalyani and I am of the opinion that there is no better way to build the spirit of teamwork and network communities as well as empower individuals than the medium of sport. And more so in empowering young women from the slum clusters, who are twice as deprived as their male counterparts. And the initiative of Naz Foundation in choosing a sport like netball, which is not very popular in India has got a very good reasoning. The young women can play the sport without really getting noticed, which is necessary to improve oneself and develop a spirit of teamwork.
I am sure this unconventional initiative will go a long way in empowering the young women who have chosen to play this sport and as the initiative expands to cover more communities, this sport will form an importance bridge in networking various communities across the country. Wishing Kalyani and Naz Foundation the very best in this initiative!
Thanks for all the warm words and wishes. Yes, netball was a very good choice for our programme. It being a 'Women's sport' ensured that our community girls need not compete with their brothers to play! Girls have to fight for their rights and space all the time and net ball gives them an exclusive and safe space.
Hi Kalyani,
The work you done is excellent and the initiative is priceless. I feel I don’t even have the rights to point out this compared to you. Please take it as my humble suggestion.
But despite of this I strongly disagree to the below comment --
"It being a 'Women's sport' ensured that our community girls need not compete with their brothers to play! Girls have to fight for their rights and space all the time and net ball gives them an exclusive and safe space."
1. This sentence is misleading, as it is sounding like you are defining barriers to women’s capabilities
2. In the current competitive world, who is fighting for the opportunities wins, whether it is a boy or girl.
Thanks for taking time out to read my work and posting a comment!
I agree with what you said: “In the current competitive world, who is fighting for the opportunities wins, whether it is a boy or girl”, but we need to understand that the backgrounds that u and I come from are very different from the ones these girls belong. We have the freedom and power to exercise our rights but these girls come from places where their rights are not paid much heed. Their lives are governed by the decisions made by their fathers, husbands or even sons. The male counterparts are given priority over them.
Moreover, In a country like India where a majority of the population does not think very highly of sports, the involvement of girls in sports would not have appeased the parents had it not been an “all women sport”.
The approach taken by Kalyani's goal program is different from the usual methods of enpowering women by financial means. I graetly appreciate their approach to inculcate confidence and leadership qualities in young women through the medium of the game. The game not only stimulates the body and the brain, but also infuses a spirit of fun, leadership and confidence. It binds the girls together and helps them overcome their inhibitions and makes them prepare better for life. I congratulate Kalyani and her team's effort for this initiative and feel proud of her.
Kalyani you have touched many lives and made a difference!! Keep it up and the Goal project go on and on
Usha Malik
Senior Patent Analyst
Intellevate
India
Thanks for warm words. I truly appreciate your constant support and motivation.
Through the training the girls have definitely become more confident and strong. Many of them play netball quite well. Infact, as i am posting this comment one of our girls is participating in the ' Under 19 National School Netball tournament' as a part of the Delhi team! These are proud moments for Goal.
I would like you all to read about Goal and give me your feedback. We have very few ' Sports for Development' programs in India and look forward to getting inputs to improve our inititiave.
Hi Kalyani,
congratulations to a great project. Your entry reads very concise and I have the impression that you already know very well where this should be going. Since you mentioned having to deal with often conservative family backgrounds, you might find this German soccer project for girls from migrant backgrounds interesting:
http://www.changemakers.net/en-us/node/4192
Good luck!
Jasper Nicolaisen
Free University Berlin
University Challenge
Dear Kalyani,
I think your project is really great and I very much enjoyed reading your entry and seeing the video! I am very happy to find you at Changemakers since we share a similar vision to empower girls and women through sport- and since both the names of our organizations explicitly link women/girls and sport. Last year I started an international fund, Women Win, that supports women's empowerment through sport. Like you, we believe that sport is a very powerful medium to bring confidence, power and leadership to girls and women.
Please see our entry at http://www.changemakers.net/en-us/node/3456
We support similar organizations to yours at an international level and are looking for interesting partners.
I am interested in hearing more about how you include the communities with the sport and try to include them in one way or another. Also, how do you monitor and evaluate success. I hope to stay connected and read more about your work.
Astrid Aafjes
Women Win
www.womenwin.org
Dear Astrid,
Thank you so much for the comments. Your entry is inspiring and I am keen on knowing more about your International Women's sports day and the programme you have for people involved in sport for development work. I wonder if you remember meeting me at the Next Step conference at Windhoek.
When we designed the GOAL programme we kept monitoring and evaluation in mind and since the inception we have been monitoring the programme using a tool called SPRS( Substance Project Reporting System)developed by a company called Substance.( www.substance.coop). We are able to monitor the attendance of the particpants,track changes in engagement, record one on one sessions. It is a wonderful tool.
I will write to you at length about the programme. I would also like to get more information on your international fellowship program.
Regards,
Kalyani
Yes, of course I remember meeting you! I am glad you are interested in the fellowship program. Please visit our website and email directly so I can send you the information on the fellowship and you can tell me about your monitoring experiences. Good to be in touch! Warmly,
Astrid
Hi Kalyani,
First of all congratulations on this fantastic programme. It sounds from your proposal, as though this is well-planned concept that combines sport with social change.
I'm from Australia and have just spent a bit of time in Europe and it's amazing how many people don't know what the game of netball is just because they don't play it in their country. Maybe you could give a brief outline of the game of netball for people reading your changemakers entry that might not have heard of it before...
Have you come across many girls with a disability that could also benefit from this fantastic programme? Including people with a disability in sport and development projects is another way to unite the community and break down the barriers that prevent people of all abilities participation in sport.
I've been involved in some projects in Australia that provide great services and opportunities for people with a disability to get involved in netball. Netball Victoria are one of the leaders in this area and would have some useful resources that you could access. Here is a link to their site http://www.netballvic.com.au/play_disability.htm
With the Commonwealth Games coming to India in 2010, this is great opportunity to bring attention to the needs of your community and the challenges you face in this sport and development innovation.
Good luck with the second year of your project!
Best regards,
Jackie Lauff
Free University Berlin
University Challenge
Hi Jackie,
Thanks for those warm comments. Yes, a lot of brainstorming,intense discussions and planning has gone into the devlopment of our programme proposal. Since the concept of Sports for Devlopement is new to India we had to be clear about what we wanted to deliver and achieve. Also, sports for women is still a struggle in many parts of my country. Thus we had to clearly work out our strategy.
Thanks a lot for the link to Netball Victoria it will definitely help us to get more informed and build on the game.
We are looking forward to the Common Wealth Games of which netball is one of the games. It will help in popularising the game in India where most of the people do not know about netball and your suggestion of writing about netball or providing links to sites about netball is really good.
Regards,
Kalyani
Three cheers to you and your Team on reaching the heights of success.
Jaya
Dear Kalyani
This is such a fascinating project and after meeting you and one of the coaches and a participant in Windhoek at the Next Step Conference. Your genuine enthusiasm and willingness to get involved with all which was available at the conference was inspiring.
The whole attitude around the project gives it a great persona of being well organised and isn’t complicated, which I feel is a really important part of any Sport Development projects.
I am also very close to securing funding for myself to book the flight out to India and I am extremely excited about coming and working with the project in May 08. It will be a real eye opener for me and it’s great to have a project specifically working with empowering women. I look forward to immersing myself in the culture and learning as much as I can.
Keep up the fantastic work.
Cheers
Peter
Dear Peter,
Thanks for all those kind words.
We are excited about your internship!I am sure that with your positve energy and enthusiasm you will be able to make a meaningful contribution to Goal. It is wonderful that this programme has the platforms to bring youth from advantaged and disadvantaged backgrounds together, providing opportunities for them to learn from each other.
Regards,
Kalyani
Dear Peter,
Thanks for all those kind words.
We are excited about your internship!I am sure that with your positve energy and enthusiasm you will be able to make a meaningful contribution to Goal. It is wonderful that this programme has the platforms to bring youth from advantaged and disadvantaged backgrounds together, providing opportunities for them to learn from each other.
Regards,
Kalyani
Congratulations to you and your team, Kalyani!!
This is indeed a very innovative way of building confidence, team spirit and social awareness!!
I have a question though, what is the average level of eduction of all these women? Do they have a basic level of education? If not, would you be doing something on that front as the next step to this initiative.
Kalyani, I am sure that you and your team have made a difference in the lives of many young women and I thank all of you for your time and efforts. Please keep up the good work.
Good luck!!!
regards
Kiran
B P Kiran
Pune
Dear Kiran,
Thanks! This program was designed to provide opportunities to girls who miss activities conducted at school. The girls from only one of our three sites are going to school. Most of the rest are school dropouts: girls who have studied until class IV or V and dropped out because of financial difficulties, household responsibilities and as they were unable to keep up with the studies without support at home. A very small number is illiterate.It has been quite challenging to adapt the curriculum to the various levels. All the exercises in our modules have been very participatory and skills based.
After attending the training workshops we have girls who are now keen on completing their basic level of education. The local community NGO is also motivating and coaching the girls to complete school.
Kalyani
Dear Kiran,
Thanks! This program was designed to provide opportunities to girls who miss activities conducted at school. The girls from only one of our three sites are going to school. Most of the rest are school dropouts: girls who have studied until class IV or V and dropped out because of financial difficulties, household responsibilities and as they were unable to keep up with the studies without support at home. A very small number is illiterate.It has been quite challenging to adapt the curriculum to the various levels. All the exercises in our modules have been very participatory and skills based.
After attending the training workshops we have girls who are now keen on completing their basic level of education. The local community NGO is also motivating and coaching the girls to complete school.
Kalyani
The "Goal" of "Creating community platforms through netball to bring positive change by providing young women space, skills and opportunity for personal growth and leadership development" is quite an ambitious one and Kalyani Subramanyam has netted the goal quite well.
Apart from its focus on building physical fitness of the participating girls, it also serves as a feeder to their self confidence.The interactive training workshops would help prepare the participants better to face the outside world.
The initiative truly outlines the importance of sports as a medium of change.
Many thanks to Kalyani Subramanyam, the NAZ foundation and Standard Chartered Bank for this wonderful initiative.
Keep up the good work !
Regards
Bellur Mohan
Project Manager
Robert Bosch India Limited
Bangalore
Mr. Mohan,
it is highly commendable on part of Kalyani to have a such a successful programme in just a year.
Jaya
Dear Mohan,
Thanks for all the praise.Yes, netball truly has served as a platform for development. I agree with you that Standard Chartered Bank must be commended for the initiative.
I also appreciate your constant encouragement and support.
Kalyani
International Netball are proud of this initiative and Congratulate Kalyani and NAZ for all the wonderful work they have done to bring this program to fruition.
We see Netball as being a powerful tool for the empowerment of Women and and are working toward both developing the sport of Netball and empowering women in tangent with one another.
Keep up the good work NAZ and I look forward to the next phase in the program.
Great work, Kalyani. More importantly it is a very innovative way of building confidence, team spirit and most imporatantly social awareness!!
Hi Biju,
Thanks for taking out the time to read about my work. The warm words are very motivating.
Regards,
Kalyani
Hi Biju,
Thanks for taking out the time to read about my work. The warm words are very motivating.
Regards,
Kalyani
Hi Biju,
Thanks for taking out the time to read about my work. The warm words are very motivating.
Regards,
Kalyani
I have discussed this issue with Kalyani and I am of the opinion that there is no better way to build the spirit of teamwork and network communities as well as empower individuals than the medium of sport. And more so in empowering young women from the slum clusters, who are twice as deprived as their male counterparts. And the initiative of Naz Foundation in choosing a sport like netball, which is not very popular in India has got a very good reasoning. The young women can play the sport without really getting noticed, which is necessary to improve oneself and develop a spirit of teamwork.
I am sure this unconventional initiative will go a long way in empowering the young women who have chosen to play this sport and as the initiative expands to cover more communities, this sport will form an importance bridge in networking various communities across the country. Wishing Kalyani and Naz Foundation the very best in this initiative!
Ananth
Dear Ananth,
Thanks for all the warm words and wishes. Yes, netball was a very good choice for our programme. It being a 'Women's sport' ensured that our community girls need not compete with their brothers to play! Girls have to fight for their rights and space all the time and net ball gives them an exclusive and safe space.
Kalyani
Hi Kalyani,
The work you done is excellent and the initiative is priceless. I feel I don’t even have the rights to point out this compared to you. Please take it as my humble suggestion.
But despite of this I strongly disagree to the below comment --
"It being a 'Women's sport' ensured that our community girls need not compete with their brothers to play! Girls have to fight for their rights and space all the time and net ball gives them an exclusive and safe space."
1. This sentence is misleading, as it is sounding like you are defining barriers to women’s capabilities
2. In the current competitive world, who is fighting for the opportunities wins, whether it is a boy or girl.
Keep goin on and on..... For a better world
Dear Vineesh,
Thanks for taking time out to read my work and posting a comment!
I agree with what you said: “In the current competitive world, who is fighting for the opportunities wins, whether it is a boy or girl”, but we need to understand that the backgrounds that u and I come from are very different from the ones these girls belong. We have the freedom and power to exercise our rights but these girls come from places where their rights are not paid much heed. Their lives are governed by the decisions made by their fathers, husbands or even sons. The male counterparts are given priority over them.
Moreover, In a country like India where a majority of the population does not think very highly of sports, the involvement of girls in sports would not have appeased the parents had it not been an “all women sport”.
Regards
Neha
The approach taken by Kalyani's goal program is different from the usual methods of enpowering women by financial means. I graetly appreciate their approach to inculcate confidence and leadership qualities in young women through the medium of the game. The game not only stimulates the body and the brain, but also infuses a spirit of fun, leadership and confidence. It binds the girls together and helps them overcome their inhibitions and makes them prepare better for life. I congratulate Kalyani and her team's effort for this initiative and feel proud of her.
Kalyani you have touched many lives and made a difference!! Keep it up and the Goal project go on and on
Usha Malik
Senior Patent Analyst
Intellevate
India
Dear usha,
Thanks for warm words. I truly appreciate your constant support and motivation.
Through the training the girls have definitely become more confident and strong. Many of them play netball quite well. Infact, as i am posting this comment one of our girls is participating in the ' Under 19 National School Netball tournament' as a part of the Delhi team! These are proud moments for Goal.
Regards,
Kalyani
Dear Friends,
I would like you all to read about Goal and give me your feedback. We have very few ' Sports for Development' programs in India and look forward to getting inputs to improve our inititiave.
kalyani