Children and youth have been the first to be restricted since the pandemic started last year. Schools and colleges were the first to be shut down almost 18 months ago. Anubhuti has been providing on ground and community based counselling, regular teaching of school/college subjects and different experiences so that youth continue to engage socially when other options are limited.
Both the youth and the volunteers who are teaching them have given feedback that our on ground activities are needed and very well received.
We have to send the youth back home to attend their online classes because they find the study support classes at the community center more useful. Some have said this is the only place they have learnt any of their portion, because online learning is too difficult.
A volunteer teacher
Youth also expressed how much they need to simply get out, spend time in the open, see the outside world. We realized how such an outing is important for their healthy mental balance. We therefore organized a Nature Walk, with experts to guide us in seeing and understanding the different plants, animals and birds all around us. These youth are anyway very close to nature – they are from NT-DNT, Adivasi, rural and other Bahujan communities who live in, and nurture nature. The youth spent a refreshing day at the ‘Van Paryatan Kendra’ (Forest Tourism Centre) in Badlapur, Thane District.