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Hello all,
We are Prayas community center also known as KLVS champions, a Teach For India classrooms (5th, 6th, 7th) from Pune Yerwada. We started our journey with Didi and bhaiya in the midst of the pandemic( Covid-19)
As schools were closed and there was no data available, our new teachers had to locate us by going into the communities and making sure we were connected with them While our didi and bhaiya were very much involved in locating our peers, They came across a small place, and today it is known as our community center. It was a tough call for them to take on whether to utilize this space or not, as we faced multiple issues back then. One of the major concerns was the COVID-19 virus and they didn't want any of our peers nor their families to be in trouble but decided to run the center by making sure precautions were taken at regular intervals. Understanding the loss of learning and trauma we faced during the pandemic and there was a massive learning gap, too, They wanted to make sure that we students would relive the moments of joy, fun, and learning again.
As schools were closed and there was no data available, our new teachers had to locate us by going into the communities and making sure we were connected with them While our didi and bhaiya were very much involved in locating our peers, They came across a small place, and today it is known as our community center. It was a tough call for them to take on whether to utilize this space or not, as we faced multiple issues back then. One of the major concerns was the COVID-19 virus and they didn't want any of our peers nor their families to be in trouble but decided to run the center by making sure precautions were taken at regular intervals. Understanding the loss of learning and trauma we faced during the pandemic and there was a massive learning gap, too, They wanted to make sure that we students would relive the moments of joy, fun, and learning again.Even though schools were closed and our school was being converted to a covid centre as needs arose, we managed to build bonds and share stories with our teachers and peers through our community centre. Three months down the line, we started taking ownership of our learning. It helped us in achieving the goals we decided in mastering content.
While we celebrated our success and learning became fun for us, we ended up being pushed back again because of the deadly third wave of COVID-19. We again had to switch to online learning and seeing through those small windows of our devices. We couldn't touch each other, hold our hands together, see each other fall and learn through it. This phase was the most difficult time of our journey. From making sure we focused on learning to hope to see each other again. Fortunately, we crossed that challenge, and a new beginning was waiting for us. 
Our schools reopened, and the COVID center was shifted from our school premises. With new hopes and dreams, we entered the dusty classes which were closed for the past two years. The joy and nervousness for all of us helped us create a strong bond with each other. While we ended our first academic year and the data for our class saw some massive shifts where 85% of us managed to progress 1-2 levels from our year starting levels, Our community center played a significant role in helping us reach over here and now we want to work, on a common co-created vision (involving peers, parents, and our communities). We want to empower our communities through our community center.
- Vision
.
Goals- For us as a team
1. At the end of the year, we will have 20 student and parent facilitators running the community centre
2. Bridge the gap between students in the high-risk category and help them attain a respectable Reading comprehension level by the end of March 2023.
3. Create a resource bank of 100 RC learning objectives by January 2023 so that it can be used by our younger friends and other community members.
4. Establish teams for cricket and football consisting of both girls and boys by the end of January and organize sports tournaments.
5. 100% of stakeholders know and are registered for all the free government health schemes by the end of the year.
To meet all of these goals and keep our community center running and sustainable for the long run, we need funds of around 95,000 Indian rupees. The following funds will be utilized to
- Purchase resources ( Stationary, Sports equipment, Projectors, Computers and sounds)
- Organize sports tournaments for our peers around Pune city.
- Administrative work and renovation of our centre ( Construction of a washroom, painting, plumbing and building barricades
Help in any form is welcomed. You can also volunteer for our community centre every weekday 2-4 pm if you're around Pune.
For more information contact
Abhijeet Waghmare- 8149482974
abhijeet.waghmare2021@teachforindia.org
Dhruv Kalita-+91 86982 36580
dhruv.kalita2021@teachforinida.org
Rushikesh Kokare-+91 97640 52645
rushikesh.kokare2022@teachforindia.orgIsha Nautyial-7906447112
isha.nautyial@teachforindia.org
