SPF Observes World Environment Day June 5, 2011
Raj Bhowmik 281
June 5th was a unique day at the Soulbath Peace Foundation Centre to pay a Tribute to Mother Earth from the Essence of Our Founder Sri Raj Bhowmik. Joining us were 21 children and teenagers from a nearby gated community Purva Riviera.
The gathering was a mixed group of children brainstorming together about some innovative ways to spread the use of Simple cloth bags through the RB-PFP Movement. However Our Founder Sri Raj Bhowmik has always set examples about understanding and Being in action rather than bookish knowledge. So, subtly woven into the program was a deep Gratitude to Mother Earth and how can we keep it clean in our own capacities.
Children brought into the meeting their unique skills that they identified and realized towards the end of the program how essential these skills put together as collaborative could impact a vision and action. Some of the skills and emotions in their own words were creativity, voice, Connectedness, enthusiasm, motivation, reasoning, progress, growth, help in making choices, mobilizing resources, action and sustained effort. Looking at each of these carefully one begins to recognize that all the aspects in a sustained manner with the right strategies brings a huge impact.
The children were here at the SPF Centre through the SPF platform setting out to do the same. Children understood closely the lifecycle of a polythene bag, biodegradable plastic and its conditions in India right now. It is important to educate children about how media can play a very powerful role in creating an impact. How a word can be used as a branding strategy to lure customers to create an image about the brand and how it is so important to know the entire cycle of biodegradable plastics and the different ways it is being used in today’s market especially in India.
To be taken seriously, children then designed a brief action plan looking at all the stakeholders in their community who needed to be addressed. Often when our enthusiasm is high, we get upset if people are not agreeing with our philosophy when we are here to make a difference. However children were given a rational, logical exposure following the CORPORitual philosophy of using corporate strategies but following one’s heart to look at statistics and what needs to be a realistic target mass group that constitutes a change.
Hearing everybody’s voices is equally important when they are fresh minds, pure and creative. To get their magical inputs, children experienced a facilitated discussion in different groups talking about different topics ranging from catchy captions for posters, common reactions from people to expect and identifying people aligned to the goal, power of the internet, how could the Association participate and our unique brand by which people will take the message across.
Children changed groups in a given span and the transition was so smooth that it could put some rigidity in adults to shame. They were carefully reading the inputs generated by others with such open mind and focusing on what to add from their side. One of the adult participants commented that “I forgot to read through till the kids reminded me that the points were already there. I understood that they were so open in their hearts and carefully reading.”
Outcome was a presentation of collating voices together and adding inputs through discussions.
There was a quiet contemplation about all the things we have received from the Earth and how it is important in our own little ways to retain what we as individuals and a collaborative can do.
We then lit candles on an Earth Cake – Mud compressed that looked like cake as a tribute to Mother Earth, Natural, baked in Her Oven. One by one children lit candles & felt loads of Gratitude in our heart while lighting the Flame Of Peace and dynamic action.
The candle remained lit through the few minutes and then melted. One of the children then commented –“There were so many different colours and now all are melted and has become one around the centred candle. There is no difference”
Along the same lines asking Dipti, 8 year old what did you learn together, she quietly commented “Togetherness”. Now that was not discussed but an outcome and a realization. It was highlighted in a short span of 2 hours with a mixed age group where everybody felt included as the child remarked “We felt like one.”
Akhil, 16 years remarked that “I am carrying back Hope. Hope that there can be a change and we can be a part of it.”
Weaving their skills towards the concluding part of the workshop was the most important where children realized that for a vision to be successful everybody can do their bit in their own way and that everybody was important.
On their way back home, Vinayak was very particular in the way the bag was carried. He said “Give it the Respect.” It just shows that children had internalized their learning and understanding as it became an Identity for them.
On reaching home, one of the parents remarked that “I can see my son really happy. So much that I have not prodded to find out what happened. I have never seen him this way. I know that he has found a new meaning. I know he is in safe hands.”
Another Mom asked that “The kids are into something so beautiful. Can we also be a part of it?”
Kirti from the Community remarked that the interaction at Soulbath Peace Foundation Centre has changed the whole dynamics of the group. Earlier there would be leg pulling, silly jokes but today everybody was in the engagement 100%, involved. There was immense sharing, more attentive to the needs of others, ready to help each other which otherwise didn’t exist. I felt that SPF has created a welcoming ambience for us today. I am thankful to Sri Raj Bhowmik and Soulbath Peace Foundation Platform.
The Rebags Team in Chennai who have been inspired and guided by Our Founder Sri Raj Bhowmik have set an inspirational benchmark in what can be achieved together in the youth. Children understood the generous compassion centre of Our Founder Sri Raj Bhowmik who is ready to give everything way if one begins to take steps towards a cause that supports humanity in the most genuine way.
Children realized what the educated literate could potentially do to create awareness in the grassroots by using the RB-PFP bags and helping them create a demand that would be sustainable livelihood option for them that would work towards creating a Cleaner planet. The Raj Bhowmik Platform is indeed an innovative platform that bridges the masses and creates a platform where everybody can work together for each other.
The gathering was a mixed group of children brainstorming together about some innovative ways to spread the use of Simple cloth bags through the RB-PFP Movement. However Our Founder Sri Raj Bhowmik has always set examples about understanding and Being in action rather than bookish knowledge. So, subtly woven into the program was a deep Gratitude to Mother Earth and how can we keep it clean in our own capacities.
Children brought into the meeting their unique skills that they identified and realized towards the end of the program how essential these skills put together as collaborative could impact a vision and action. Some of the skills and emotions in their own words were creativity, voice, Connectedness, enthusiasm, motivation, reasoning, progress, growth, help in making choices, mobilizing resources, action and sustained effort. Looking at each of these carefully one begins to recognize that all the aspects in a sustained manner with the right strategies brings a huge impact.
The children were here at the SPF Centre through the SPF platform setting out to do the same. Children understood closely the lifecycle of a polythene bag, biodegradable plastic and its conditions in India right now. It is important to educate children about how media can play a very powerful role in creating an impact. How a word can be used as a branding strategy to lure customers to create an image about the brand and how it is so important to know the entire cycle of biodegradable plastics and the different ways it is being used in today’s market especially in India.
To be taken seriously, children then designed a brief action plan looking at all the stakeholders in their community who needed to be addressed. Often when our enthusiasm is high, we get upset if people are not agreeing with our philosophy when we are here to make a difference. However children were given a rational, logical exposure following the CORPORitual philosophy of using corporate strategies but following one’s heart to look at statistics and what needs to be a realistic target mass group that constitutes a change.
Hearing everybody’s voices is equally important when they are fresh minds, pure and creative. To get their magical inputs, children experienced a facilitated discussion in different groups talking about different topics ranging from catchy captions for posters, common reactions from people to expect and identifying people aligned to the goal, power of the internet, how could the Association participate and our unique brand by which people will take the message across.
Children changed groups in a given span and the transition was so smooth that it could put some rigidity in adults to shame. They were carefully reading the inputs generated by others with such open mind and focusing on what to add from their side. One of the adult participants commented that “I forgot to read through till the kids reminded me that the points were already there. I understood that they were so open in their hearts and carefully reading.”
Outcome was a presentation of collating voices together and adding inputs through discussions.
There was a quiet contemplation about all the things we have received from the Earth and how it is important in our own little ways to retain what we as individuals and a collaborative can do.
We then lit candles on an Earth Cake – Mud compressed that looked like cake as a tribute to Mother Earth, Natural, baked in Her Oven. One by one children lit candles & felt loads of Gratitude in our heart while lighting the Flame Of Peace and dynamic action.
The candle remained lit through the few minutes and then melted. One of the children then commented –“There were so many different colours and now all are melted and has become one around the centred candle. There is no difference”
Along the same lines asking Dipti, 8 year old what did you learn together, she quietly commented “Togetherness”. Now that was not discussed but an outcome and a realization. It was highlighted in a short span of 2 hours with a mixed age group where everybody felt included as the child remarked “We felt like one.”
Akhil, 16 years remarked that “I am carrying back Hope. Hope that there can be a change and we can be a part of it.”
Weaving their skills towards the concluding part of the workshop was the most important where children realized that for a vision to be successful everybody can do their bit in their own way and that everybody was important.
On their way back home, Vinayak was very particular in the way the bag was carried. He said “Give it the Respect.” It just shows that children had internalized their learning and understanding as it became an Identity for them.
On reaching home, one of the parents remarked that “I can see my son really happy. So much that I have not prodded to find out what happened. I have never seen him this way. I know that he has found a new meaning. I know he is in safe hands.”
Another Mom asked that “The kids are into something so beautiful. Can we also be a part of it?”
Kirti from the Community remarked that the interaction at Soulbath Peace Foundation Centre has changed the whole dynamics of the group. Earlier there would be leg pulling, silly jokes but today everybody was in the engagement 100%, involved. There was immense sharing, more attentive to the needs of others, ready to help each other which otherwise didn’t exist. I felt that SPF has created a welcoming ambience for us today. I am thankful to Sri Raj Bhowmik and Soulbath Peace Foundation Platform.
The Rebags Team in Chennai who have been inspired and guided by Our Founder Sri Raj Bhowmik have set an inspirational benchmark in what can be achieved together in the youth. Children understood the generous compassion centre of Our Founder Sri Raj Bhowmik who is ready to give everything way if one begins to take steps towards a cause that supports humanity in the most genuine way.
Children realized what the educated literate could potentially do to create awareness in the grassroots by using the RB-PFP bags and helping them create a demand that would be sustainable livelihood option for them that would work towards creating a Cleaner planet. The Raj Bhowmik Platform is indeed an innovative platform that bridges the masses and creates a platform where everybody can work together for each other.