Avvaiyar Resource Center

Project Brief: This will be a community resource center that will help create a model school, experimental workshop to promote good methods, value education, income generating activities and networking.
Project Type: Resource Centers (description)
Primary Focus: creating resources (description)

Secondary Focus: other

Area: Rural
Supporting Chapter Contact: Seattle
Status: completed - requirements ended
Project Steward: Jayashree Janardhan
Project Partner(s):
Other Contacts:
Project Address: , 184/14C, IIIrd Cross St, Jaya Nagar,,Thiruvallur District,
TAMIL NADU  602001
Tel:
Stewarding Chapter: Seattle

Asha Stars, if any:

Jayashree Janardhan

Apr 2003SeattleUSD 4200

Total = $4200

Overall Objectives:

1. Model school with child-centred learning to equip the children to think independently and creatively. The school will serve the underprivileged community.
2. Value based education to nurture good qualities in the children so that they grow up as peace-loving, cooperative, responsible human beings
3. Experimental workshop to develop and utilise innovative methods of teaching and learning.
4. To help in quality improvement of nearby government and private schools.
5. Promote income generating activities for rural youth
6. Networking with individuals and resource groups with similar objectives

Objectives for the first six months:
1. Identifying and finalising the location of resource centre
2. Pilot Survey in the nearest two villages
3. Begin networking with educationists, resource groups, innovative schools,etc.
4. Build a library of books, toys and other learning materials
5. Curriculum and Syllabus preparation for the model school
6. Preliminary Teacher training

Activities for the first six months :

Land Identification and pre-viewing possible sites: Land sites for locating the resource centre need to
pre-viewed. The soil quality and availability of water needs to be tested. Interaction with the community
to get their general willingness to participate in the long term plans and activities of the resource centre.

Pilot Survey of nearest 2 villages : A questionnaire will be prepared to identify available human resources, physical resources and geographical resources. After finalising the site, a pilot survey of nearest 2 villages (approx 1000 households) will be done, the data analysed and a detailed internal report will be prepared. This will form the basis for planning out the future income generation activities, identifying
rural resource people, underprivileged community,etc.

Teacher Training for one month period : After the pilot survey, teachers for working in the resource
Centre will be identified and will be given a preliminary training by resource persons.

Until we move to actual site, we will be using Bharati Trust office space for meetings, teacher training, storage of library, documentation materials. In parallel, all core members of the resource centre, Nirmala, Shyamala, Siddamma, Shanmuga and Vishala will be involved in the following activities. These will be ongoing activities and will continue even after the initial six months period.

Library : Purchase of new books, toys, games,etc. for the resource centre. Appeal to donors and collect used learning material.

Networking and Documentation : Contacting teachers, educationists, skilled persons,etc. as well as education resource groups, innovative or alternative schools to build a relation with them, to learn and
document their work with view to future collaborative work.

Curriculum and Syllabus Preparation : Framing the curriculum, preparing teaching materials to be used in the model school.

Main Activities after six months:

After the landsite has been identified and the pilot survey is done, we will prepare full proposal for purchase of land, construction of school, training centre and other structures. The immediate work
will be to start the model school, identifying and training enough teachers for the school, equiping
the laboratory, building the workshop for making teaching and crafts materials, conducting the full
survey of neighbouring 10 villages, laying ground work for initiating income generating activities
for the rural youth, bringing in resource persons to work in the centre, developing the library and
curriculum further.

In the medium term, the resource centre will focus on outreach activities so that nearby government and
private schools can benefit from teaching training and workshop, and on initiating activities towards self-reliance of the centre.
This is an effort involving Bharati trust