Colorss Foundation Develops Children’s Personality

Fun Facts  :  Colorss Foundation Develops Children’s Personality

In today’s Fun Facts, we focus on the efforts Colorss Foundation is taking to help children develop their personalities to become future leaders of the next generation. 

 Why Develop Personality?

As compared to other social problems in India such as illiteracy and health concerns, the lack of personality development seems hardly pressing.

Yet, Colorss Foundation has realised the long-term implications of an under-developed personality, which can lead to low self-confidence and an absence of self-image within a child. India’s social strata today has little place for a female child that shies away from social situations.

Although women participation in India’s entrepreneurial field is increasing at a considerable rate, there remains much room for them to achieve an equality of opportunity with their male counterparts. With the women sector occupying nearly 45% of India’s population, the next generation of women in India needs to be better equipped in skill and personality development to make an impact.

How Does Colorss Develop Personality?

Colorss Foundation nips this problem in the bud by encouraging its students to be more expressive and confident at a young age. In its workshops, Colorss students are pushed to express their thoughts and feelings in their own words. These thoughts are then presented to the rest of the class through a short play.

          Colorss Foundation places a strong premium on respecting children’s thoughts. Their opinions are highly valued and are taken into consideration while activities are being conducted.

An example is when students were introduced to the “Sudoku” puzzle matrix. While they were being taught the rules behind solving the puzzle, the moderators were aware of how many children were able to grasp the concepts and how many were not. Students were also challenged to come forward and help solve the puzzle on the blackboard. Their enthusiasm and eagerness to express their thoughts to the entire class caught the moderators by surprise. Towards the end of the exercise, the students did not hesitate to express their growing weariness with the exercise.

Confident and Intelligent

By taking into consideration the feelings of the students while providing them with knowledge, Colorss Foundation cultivates children that are intelligent and yet confident enough in expressing their thoughts and feelings to others.

With this continued effort, Colorss Foundation hopes to develop children with positive emotionality and sociability. In the short-term, this will lead to peer acceptance, social achievement and psychological well-being. In the long-term, children at an older age will be confident enough to address the education, health and gender inequality problems within India’s society.

By Asyura Salleh

#STUDENTSKILLS - A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed

#StudentSkills : A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed

          

Colors of Life students have once again brought creativity to their education! Recently, students from the 5^th to 9^th grade gathered to showcase the importance of compassion and helping others. In their short theatrical sketch, the children acted out short five-minute story-lines that centered on this theme. Their imagination got the better of them, as within only 20 minutes, the children were able to create characters, set out a script and rehearse their upcoming show.

        

Out of all the acts, two theatrical sketches were particularly successful in demonstrating that a friend in need is definitely a friend indeed. The first act opens with the scene of two friends that are walking alongside one another. Suddenly, one of them gets into an accident. Unnerved and not sure of what to do next, the boy that is unharmed leaves his friend and rushes home. The accident eventually attracts a commotion and the injured child is taken care of by a group of people. Soon enough, a roadside shopkeeper demonstrates compassion and takes serious care of the child. The scene then shifts to the unharmed boy, who approaches the shopkeeper to ask about his friend. Quite rightly so, the shopkeeper scolds him and explains that he should not have ran away but should have instead stayed by his injured friend and taken care of him.

            

The second entertaining act takes place in a zoo and includes animal attacks. It begins with four friends who decide to go for an outing to the zoo. They soon enjoy themselves and become distracted in talking to one another. Suddenly, a lion jumps out and attacks them. One of the boys tries to distract the lion by throwing an object at him. Yet, the lion continues its attack and targets the second boy. Shocked and afraid, the first boy runs away and leaves the scene. The two girls in the group then come to the rescue and manage to save the attacked boy from the lion. As they bring him to the doctor to tend to his lion-attacked-wounds, the injured boy confides in the doctor as he realizes who his true friends are.

By: Asyura Salleh

Underprivileged children from slums take tour of nature park - Times Of India | Colorss Foundation

Media coverage in 'Times of India'

The Colorss Foundation had recently organized an event for 25 underprivileged children and 5 women, from Sanjaynagar slums at the nature park in Sindhrot, on the outskirts of the city. The event was organized by Nielsen, Vadodara to celebrate its global day celebrations. The activities included cartoon strip competition, trekking and the launch of E-zine. E-zine is the output of a Colorss Foundation project - Colors of Life

click the link below to read more about it on Times of India
Underprivileged children from slums take tour of nature park - Times Of India

Nielsen Baroda [on NGID 13th June] Launches the E-zine written by disadvantaged children, Baroda | Colorss Foundation

Nielsen is a leading global information and measurement company, provides market research, insights & data about what people watch & what people buy.

As a part of their 'Global Day Celebrations ' Nielsen (Baroda, Gujarat, India) has partnered with Colorss Foundation to involve 25 disadvantaged children and 5 women from the Sanjaynagar slum area at Nature Park, Sindhrot, Baroda – Gujarat.

Colorss Foundation strives to build a better future for the disadvantaged children and women. The foundation aspires to build a family of like-minded people whose motive would be to empower socially deprived children and women with qualities like self-confidence, responsibility, and self-esteem, at the same time ensuring that the disadvantaged children complete their school education. Colorss has been working towards its vision, thus contributing in whatsoever manner possible to strengthen the deprived communities and get them in closer proximity to what may seem alien or new to them. It has also been striving hard to inspire and transform individuals and volunteers to take action and serve the society and in turn give back to the communities where we belong.

Launch of E-zine created by the children from disadvantaged community

On 13th June 2013 we launched the E-zine - created by the children from disadvantaged community - Baroda, Gujarat. E-zine is the output of a Colorss Foundation project - ‘Colors of Life’. ‘Colors of Life’ uses technology for lowering school dropouts. Children write essays on specially chosen topics that trigger brain stimulation and create curiosity. These topics are published to E-zine, this significantly increases their self-esteem. You can click the link to read the E-zine.

Namrata 

Namrata sharing about her experience about the event, she says,’ I really enjoyed my journey to the Nature Park. The surroundings, nature and ‘Neel Guy’ that we saw were a great moment. When the E-zine was launched it thrilled me thoroughly and when I saw my photograph in the E-zine I was very very happy. That particular moment is very precious and I can’t explain it. When the cartoon strip competition started I was little scared, unsure about my performance. However, when we got the topic ‘Environment’ I was able to understand what I will put in the cartoon strip. It’s a thoroughly great experience that we had. I am very happy and thankful to you all’

Aruna ben parent of Aarti

Aruna Ben – parent she says,’ When I saw my daughter’s photograph in the E-zine, I was very happy. I realized the potential of my daughter. It was a great feeling my daughter made me feel proud. Today in front of everyone when the E-zine was launched I was not aware of what’s happening. It was only when my daughter got the copy and showed me. The nature park trip has been an eye opener it made me realize the talent of my daughter. Thank you.’

Sonu Shah [Associate Director Nielsen] – We are happy to partner with Colorss Foundation on our Global Impact Day. We have got the children to Nature park near Sindhroth village. This was a one day event and the interaction with the children was great. Generally the children don’t interact when they see new faces, however in the case of the children from Colorss’ it was great as they mingled with each other and with the entire staff of Nielsen. The cartoon strip competition was wonderful and they have performed really well. The theme of the cartoon strip competition was ‘Environment’. We all had a wonderful time.

For Love,

Colorss in partnership with Nielsen, Baroda | Colorss Foundation

Colorss has always been focused and has constantly been utilizing the opportunities that have come its way, to stand by its vision of empowering and developing the under-privileged children of the society. This time it was collaboration with Nielsen, the global leader in measurement and information that took the attempts of turning its vision to reality, to the next level altogether. In what was termed as a mega event by its founder, the partnership with Nielsen Office at Baroda helped Colorss truly realize key objectives of its project – Colors of Life.

          The association with Nielsen, Vadodara happened when Colorss proposed and organized a Self-Defense workshop for the former’s female employees on the 26^th of April 2013. Anand, the founding director of Colorss, took keen interest in putting across several powerful and useful techniques of self-defense to the women employees. Some pictures from the events can be seen here. The employees were more than excited and appreciative of the session. They also went on to quote this experience as being wonderful and helpful in making them more confident at times of need. See what Jimsy Kuriakose from Nielsen had to say about the workshop.

Founder Chairman Mr. Koti teaching self-defense technique at Nielsen Baroda

           In the second half of the day, the Nielsen’s turned hosts to little guests from slums in Sanjay Nagar, Vadodara. These 30-35 children aged between 5 and 15 years are part of the educational program of Colorss. Thanks to the Nielsen employees who took great interest in giving a unique and memorable experience to the kids. From giving them a guest pass, walking them through the security and the buildings to making them feel at home and building rapport with the children, the enthusiasm and concern shown by the employees were definite indicators of how socially responsible corporates are. This first of its kind interaction created a sort of vision; an illustration of a big picture, in the kids, something they will always remember.

          As an extension to the event conducted on the 26^th April, the 10^th of May yet again turned out to be a great opportunity for these kids to showcase their talent and skills. The employees of Nielsen once again invited the kids to their premises and this time to add to the excitement the parents had to accompany their children. While the hosts left no stone unturned to keep the spirits high and boost the momentum, the kids too didn’t miss the chance to come up with dance performances, mime shows and small acts that showed their sheer ability and interest to learn new things and develop themselves on par with anyone else. This fun filled event was definitely a mega-event in all aspects and did everything to prop-up the benefits stated by the educational program in its true sense.

Children performing Mime act at Nielsen Baroda

          Colorss whole heartedly thanks Nielsen, Vadodara and its employees for lending great support and for contributing towards its mission. Colorss appeals to all other corporates and private bodies to join hands with it to work towards the betterment and upliftment of the society.

If you would like to benefit from our Self-Defense Workshop, please send an email to contact@colorss.org

If you would like to support Colorss in some manner, then please do register as a volunteer with us. You can also contribute to Colorss by making a donation here.

For Love,

Anand

[Thanks Raghu for the write-up]

Professional Volunteer Internship - Colorss Foundation

For students looking to gain some much needed experience and set themselves apart, an internship at Colorss Foundation is the perfect solution. Colorss Foundation provides the opportunity for students of all backgrounds to gain some invaluable experience, while also contributing to a fantastic cause.

Colorss Foundation is a non-profit organization, which aims to improve the lives of underprivileged children living in India, and help them break free from the vicious cycle of poverty. What’s unique about the Colorss Foundation is their innovative approach. The company uses a blend of art, sport and technology, to give these children much needed life skills and enhance their self-esteem and confidence. The goal of the organisation is to empower these children to go on and make a positive impact in the world on their own terms.

To continue this amazing work, Colorss is reliant on the contribution of volunteers, through a variety of internships. Internships are not just limited to social work students, but are available to students from a wide range of business, science, art and engineering backgrounds. The organisation has achieved outstanding results over its short history and had been able to benefit many disadvantaged children. However, Colorss requires the assistance of skilled volunteers to continue this success and help the company grow and benefit a greater number of children.

This rare opportunity will not only make your CV stand out, but will also give you the chance to make a positive impact on society and greatly influence the lives of many underprivileged children. This experience will undoubtedly give you an abundance of unforgettable memories and the skills to achieve your personal and professional goals. Contact Colorss Foundation today, to see how you can contribute to this great cause.

emailcolorss@gmail.com | www.facebook.com/colorssfoundation | http://colorss.org

Part-time employment opportunities at Pune and Baroda

Colorss' projects at Pune and Baroda are having part-time employment opportunities... 

www.facebook.com/colorssfoundation | http://colorss.org

• Marketing and Branding of Project Urja [our vocational training program at Baroda]
• Managing the projects
• Fundraising 
• Corporate communications and Public Relationship
• Networking and resource mobilization

Anyone who is interested should send us their resume at: contact@colorss.org / emailcolorss@gmail.com 

Speed Maths using Flash Cards | Baroda

The original plan for the class on 21st July 2012 in Navprerna was to show the children the e-magazine on the internet but due to some technical error we were unable to do so.

We then decided to do some simple speed math using flashcards.We divided the class of 18 (11 boys and 7 girls) into two equal groups. Each of us separately conducted the activity with one group. We started by explaining the rules of the game - each card will not be shown for more than 2 seconds and the students had to write only the answers in their books. For the first round, we decided to keep it simple, thus we started with just 10 questions/cards. We used cards for addition and subtraction only. Then we conducted two more rounds of 10 questions each.We noticed that the performance on the whole was not bad.

Some students did very well, like Kajal Chauhan and Rita Katara who scored 30/30.

Others made mistakes in reading the signs (whether it was + or-) or they would not notice where the blank was, whether it was in the question or answer. For example in the question 9+_ =15, they would write 24 as the answer rather than 6, i.e. they would simply add up all the numbers they could see on the card. A few of them often did not look at the card and missed the question. Their concepts of addition and subtraction are quite clear, but they either lack confidence or do not pay enough attention to the question.We will probably conduct a similar exercise again also including questions on multiplication and division.

Conducted by Ankita Bhagwat and Shreya Hiryur [Baroda Team]

Project 'Colors of Life'

One can never emphasise on the importance of education much. If the present and future of any society is to be bettered it is only through education. Unfortunately in our developing society, many underprivileged children are denied the right to education. In fact, not just denied but do you know that 50% of children discontinue education after 8th grade? These is our target population. We at Colorss have taken up the responsibility of making sure that underprivileged children enrolled in schools do not drop out and continue their education. We are currently carrying the project out in 3 schools: Mahadji Shinde High School, Dr. Ambedkar Memorial School, and Navprerna- day care-club of Navrachna School. 


The project offers a mix of creative arts, psychology and technology to help these children. We conduct hourly sessions twice a week in which exercises are carried out asking students to draw and write on a topic that inspires them or fuels their imagination. These are compiled together in the form of an e-zine. The students are also trained in computer usage and hence by such activities we seek to improve their communication, writing, analysis and interpersonal skills. Through these activites a portal for extra-curriculars is provided to the students which ensures that they have more interest in their schooling and that they continue their education.


As always, volunteers and donations are more than welcomed. We need your help in turning our small steps into big steps. If you think you are well-equipped to conduct workshops on creative writing, personality development and communication skills, feel free to contact us. You can also help us by donating drawing, writing and other relevant materials or monetary aid. Any sort of contribution is valued and appreciated. Our volunteers and donors are our biggest asset and the life blood of this
organization.


Warda Baig ~ UNV Volunteer