Story of Change: Overcoming Difficulties and Solving Problems

Dream Adventure Camp - Honemaradu, Phase II NGO Partner: Round Table School Class – X, Age: 14 to 16 years.

In 2006, nearly 6000 students (figure form a ‘goodparenting’ press release) commDream Adventure Camp - Honemaradu, Phase II NGO Partner: Round Table School Class – X, Age: 14 to 16 years.

In 2006, nearly 6000 students (figure form a ‘goodparenting’ press release) committed suicides and four years later; the numbers have only grown further. Exams and exam related stress, peer pressure, parental problems and family issues have been the reasons for this rampant increase in the number of adolescents and young adults committing suicides. It is therefore important for every parent and every school to ask what really goes on in the adolescent mind before it decides to take that final fatal step? How does one offer support and help a child tackle exam pressure and the choices that wait for him as he embarks on a new journey? The relevance of developing life skills in a child is further highlighted in the above case. Every child needs to understand that the attempt is more important than the achievement and if life does not go as planned it is not the end. Life skills such as overcoming difficulties, problem solving, managing conflict, confidence and self esteem play a very important role in a child’s overall development.

This year’s first Dream Adventure Phase II camp was held from May 25^th to May 28^th at Honemaradu, Shimoga District for our NGO partner – the Round Table School. With 46 kids and 7 volunteers and 3 key facilitators, the camp run smoothly and involved two demanding activities like route finding and a long island challenge. Divided into two groups with an adult child ratio of 5:23, one group was asked to plan an entire camp out and had to trace their route to a village called Kalchor. The second group had to find a village temple on the other side of the reservoir. These challenges did not just offer physical challenges of hiking a tough route & paddling 8 Kms, it also required group co-ordination & planning the entire expedition including equipment, supplies & grocery and individual roles & responsibilities.

Group I – Destination: Kalchor Village, Hiking & route finding On the day of the challenge, the group on the hike took the wrong route. Responsibilities were now becoming a burden with some members crumbling under pressure & exhaustion. However, the group decided to continue on the wrong route determined to find the village. The juicy cashew fruits we plucked on the way added to some excitement. By 5PM, after many discussions & disagreements on the way, the group arrived at the right village & located the village home we were to stay at night.

Group II –Village Temple, Paddle across the reservoir The second group that had to paddle across the reservoir to find the village temple got lost & reached the wrong island. To add to the groups woes, the power of wind forced the coracles in the wrong direction. The group was tired & had lost confidence to continue. The leaders now had to step in to draw the correct map on the mud & encouraged them to give it one last shot. It must be the magic peanuts & jaggery that got the group to agree & finish the challenge. After 4 hours of paddling, cutting through the reservoir, the group made it to the shore and hiked another 10 minutes with their supplies.

The Celebration Both groups were tired but jubilant on arriving at their destinations, cooked their meals, sat together for dinner under a beautiful moonlight. Surprisingly, no one complained of body ache or exhaustion. The pain had now become the pleasure.

The Circle Time – Geetha,”I realised I was never unhappy cooking for the group. I only wanted everyone to get food to eat on time after so much hard work. I don’t know if I would do this at home.”

Lepakasha, “In my coracle, two people didn’t know how to paddle and the third member was very exhausted. I was the one to paddle throughout & I was angry. My arms were aching but I didn’t want us to be left behind. So I decided to keep paddling because eventually we would reach our destination.”

Yeshoda, “I realised it is important to have a goal, as it gives you a sense of direction.”

Manja adds to Yeshoda’s comment, “I agree we need to have a goal. But we should always have another plan. If I don’t score what I want in my Xth exams, I should look for another option and not think it’s the end.” Anand, Head, Round Table School, “I wanted to bring the entire Xth class together in the beginning of the year including the key teachers who will be taking your classes. I am very glad to see that none of you gave up no matter how difficult things got. Keep this camp in mind whenever you face tough times in the year ahead.” We believe, through the experience these children have had at the Dream Adventure Program, they will be much better equipped  to deal with challenges in their daily lives. Shalini Menon Associate Manager | Dream A Dream