Project Enhance has been named Re-imagine Learning Challenge Pacesetter #Play2Learn

#Play2Learn #changemaker #projectenhance #colorss #pune #baroda

The LEGO Foundation - RE-iMagine Learning Challenge #Play2Learn  

Project Enhance has been named Re-imagine Learning Challenge Pacesetter #Play2Learn for its effort to transform the way the world learns. In the face of critical and complex challenges, we believe that children and young people need to better develop creativity, imaginative problem-solving, teamwork, empathy, and inspiration so they can step into leadership roles in pursuit of purpose. Project Enhance joins a global network of groundbreaking projects that are making this dream a reality.

Anand Koti, founder of Colorss with more than 15 years of martial arts training, a second-degree black belt in Karate, and a passion for using his talent to help others reach their potential has come up with this project.

            Project Enhance uses a combination of sports (Martial Arts - Karate) and creative arts as vehicles to promote both the physical and mental well-being of underprivileged children in India. Good mental health is not just the absence of a mental disorder; it is a state of well-being where an individual feels confident and ready to cope with the stresses that life sometimes presents.

            In India, young girls are viewed as inconsequential, often ignored, or even harassed and molested. Project Enhance aims to empower young girls and boost their self-confidence through a blend of karate and creative arts in hopes that they can one day become educated, productive, and active members in their communities and society. 

Self-defense workshops for women and girls are extension of this project.

#socialchange #projectimpact #projectenhance

Objectives:

-          Empower young girls

-          Promote  mental and physical health

-          Foster a sense trust, cooperation, confidence, and community

-          Encourage values of discipline and responsibility

Students undergoing self-defense techniques under project enhance.. Demonstrating the techniques with our volunteer/inter Neha Shaw (Symbiosis Law School, Pune)

  

How Can Martial Arts Help?

            The art of karate involves integrating the mind and body to condition the physique and enhance self-awareness. When the muscles and brain act in perfect unison, a sense of discipline, mindfulness, and serenity are set in play. Thus, learning to control each movement in a fluid and adaptable fashion produces benefits that outlast practice sessions. Research has shown that karate is associated with positive changes in mood, as well as reductions in anxiety and depression.

Sensi Pervez Mistry, the father of modern martial arts in India, noted: “Karate is generally perceived as a destructive sport. This is a misconception. In fact, the reverse is true. With karate, we can work towards improving health. A willingness and desire to be a better person is developed and self-confidence is built while ego is dampened.”

In fact, martial arts promote both mental and physical health and enforce values such as respect for others, faithfulness, and tranquility, and sincerity. When these qualities act in unison, they can induce relaxation and increase self-confidence. Additionally, many studies have championed the cognitive and behavioral benefits of martial arts. Improvements in self-esteem (Fuller, 1988), positive receptiveness of physical challenges (Richard and Rehberg, 1986; Trulson, 1986), greater autonomy (Duthie, 1978), emotional stability and assertiveness (Konzak and Boudreau, 1984) and reductions in anxiety and depression (Cai, 2000) have all been associated with martial arts training.

     

To sum it up, Gichin Funakoshi, the father of modern karate, once said, “The ultimate aim of Karate lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participants.”

Sensi Mistry speaks about Anand

            Sensi Pervez Mistry is considered to be the father of martial arts in India. He has been the Chief Instructor for the International Okinawa Goju-RyuKarate-do Federation in India for the past 46 years and is the founder of Karate-do in India.

Sensi Pervez Mistry with Anand Koti

            “Karate is generally perceived as a destructive sport. This is a misconception. In fact, the reverse is true. With karate, we can work towards improving health. A willingness and desire to be a better person is developed and self-confidence is built while ego is dampened. When Anand met me a few years ago, he was worried whether or not we would be able to manage the program. I was confident from day one that he would succeed.  He has struggled and faced hurdles, but he has conquered all of them, in part from the confidence he has gained from martial arts training. 

How Can Creative Arts Help?

        Creativity and art help reinforce elements of martial arts training, further helping children develop and retain their learned skills. Though its task-based instruction and demanded attention to detail, art cultivates a sense of responsibility, hand-eye coordination, and controlled motor skills. Furthermore, selecting materials and tools, focusing on creating a work of art, and ultimately finishing a project fosters a sense of achievement as well as enhances cognitive skills, decision making skills, and discipline. Furthermore, to maintain and develop awareness of different methods of mind and body control, games, meditation, and dance are incorporated into each creative arts session.

Project Structure:

       

It consists of 1 hour sessions, twice a week, with 30 minutes of martial arts training and 30 minutes of creative arts. Each martial arts session is a mixture of exercise and meditation. These sessions aim to relax the body muscles and gradually build flexibility and stamina. Each creative arts session includes various exercises in drawing, sketching, dancing, music, acting, brain-stimulation games and story-telling.

Based on child progress, the program introduces longer and higher levels of martial arts and creative arts sessions. Thus, the contents of each session change along with the children’s progress in order to keep challenging and encouraging each child to reach his or her full potential.

Finally, a counseling component is integrated into the program. Professionals work with the children not only to provide a support system, but also to motivate them to succeed, improve communication skills, discuss future careers, and teach them about socially acceptable behavior.

Quote from participant:

            I feel very peaceful after joining the karate project. Our teacher is a very cool person and karate benefits us and gives us physical exercise. Karate also helps us develop a better memory and gives physical flexibility to our bodies. There are so many benefits of karate.

How can you contribute?

Volunteer:

Volunteers are our greatest asset. You can contribute by volunteering to conduct workshops in various media of creative and performing arts, such as drawing, counseling,  painting, dance, personality development, brain-stimulation games and creative writing. Any other forms of creative art are welcomed as well!

If you want to have self-defense workshops for yourself or your team  - please get in touch. We would be happy to train you all.

http://colorss.org | emailcolorss@gmail.com | contact@colorss.org

Thank you

Self Defense Workshops - to empower the women of India | Colorss Foundation

In India, girls are forced to battle for their fundamental right to live, from the day they are born. Because of social stigma, women in India are often considered inferior and suffer torment and persecution for no reason other than their gender. From a young age, most local women are taught about the dangers they will inevitably face during their lives. Unfortunately, being aware is no longer enough.

While it is by no means an altogether solution for the terrible issue of violence against women, providing Indian women with self-defense training is a great step forward in order to protect their basic freedoms and permit the ability to walk through the streets unaccompanied without fear.

Colorss Foundation, a NGO based in Baroda, Pune and Ajmer is launching women’s self-defense classes to empower the women of India and provide the skills to remain calm and fight back against attackers, if this is ever required. If there is one thing that the December 16 attack has achieved, it is in spreading the reality that no one is safe from these types of assaults. Every woman in India, through no fault of her own, is a potential victim.

Self-defense workshop for Vodafone staff and their family members; Baroda

Colorss’ self-defense classes are for working women, university students and children, with no prior experience necessary. The classes are designed to take part 2-3 times a week, with groups of 10-15 participants in Pune. The classes may take place at your personal residence with a group of 10-15 participants, for the convenience of participants.

Anand Koti, the foundation’s director, will be conducting the classes. Anand has been practicing martial arts for over 15 years and has a 2^nd degree black belt in Karate, which demonstrates his commitment and discipline. In addition, Anand also possesses an undergraduate degree in Industrial Psychology and Masters degrees in Health Management and Industrial Relations and Personnel Management.

This unique combination of education and passion for martial arts has provided Anand with the perfect blend of skills to successfully pass his knowledge on to students. Under Anand’s supervision, many children from the Pune region have already benefited from Project Enhance, another initiative of the Colorss Foundation. Project Enhance involved providing underprivileged children of the region with martial arts and creative arts classes. The results of Project Enhance have been overwhelmingly positive. In addition to building the physical strength and stamina of the participants, Project Enhance also boosted their self-esteem and confidence.

While the most obvious benefit of these self-defense classes is the ability to defend yourself against an attacker, there are also numerous peripheral benefits, such as increased confidence and mental development. At Colorss, we strive to give women the physical and mental strength to surpass any challenges.

Colorss' have conducted self-defense workshops for different corporate:

Self-defense workshop at L&T Knowledge City, Baroda

Self-defense workshop at Nielsen, Baroda

According to the National Crime Records Bureau, there were 24,206 cases of rape registered in India during 2011, but this is suspected to be a major under-representation of the true figure and of the problem at hand.

The worst reaction from this case would be for women to remain indoors, further restrict their activities and escalate the oppression they already face on a daily basis. This should be used as an opportunity to empower the women of India – for them to stand up and assert themselves.

It is in the hands of the government to make a legitimate stance on the issue of violence towards women and make widespread changes throughout the country; however, basic self-defense is a great step forward for the women on India.

It is our goal to empower the women of India to have the confidence to live completely fulfilling lives.

Contact Colorss for more information on self-defense training. You can email us at:emailcolorss@gmail.com and find us on Facebook.

Child Poverty: A major concern

The human life is a combination of happiness and sorrows. It is impossible to know when we might face a big difficulties and emotional troubles in life. We all have to go through a bad phase at some time in our life which leads to stress in our lives.

Child Poverty has been an ongoing issue throughout the world for decades. The children in society today living in poverty is increasing daily. The majority of these children are from single-parent homes where sometimes parents are not working or have become disabled and therefore cannot work.   Children who are raised in foster care and leave as adults do not have strong relationship ties most of the time and are at an increased risk for experiencing poverty, early parenthood and homelessness . The reason for most of the poverty in the India is due to low family incomes.   

Poverty is a disease.   A disease that clogs our government system as it is something there is no cure for, at least not yet.   Poverty is declining, but the reasons for families still living in poverty continue to grow.   When there are no jobs or no opportunities, or losing one's job due to illness or debilitating injury, a family can find themselves in the lap of poverty without realizing how they got into the situation.

What is poverty?   Poverty can be explained to be lacking the resources to meet the basic needs for healthy living. By not having insufficient income to provide food, shelter and clothing needed to preserve health for oneself or one's family.   What is meant by income here, besides the wage of a job, are food stamps, school lunches and public housing?   Poverty is visible to most of us when we see a homeless person on the street asking for money or food. Or on television when we see the poor countries and the plight of the children among the communities where there is a shortage of food.

Poverty has many faces; it changes from place and place and can be described in many ways.   Poverty is not having freedom and leaves one feeling powerless. People want to escape poverty and most cannot.

We've seen poverty and healthcare become a problem dating back the great depression, World War I and World War II. Also the problem of child poverty is a huge concern in other ends of the world. In this paper I will talk to you about child poverty at a glance fallowed by poverty levels in different places

We all have an idea of what poverty is, but too many it's just a topic that is put off that is not strongly talked about. According to UNICEF they have defined Child Poverty as “environment that is damaging to their mental, physical, emotional and spiritual development." They touch on the facts. Kids who don't start off with a nutritious meal or partake in hazardous work already affect a child's state of mind. UNICEF best describes the variables. "Living in an environment that provides little stimulation or emotional support to children, on the other hand can remove many of the positive effects of growing up in a materially rich household." Children are supposed to shape the future. A parent who gives their child the idea they can become whatever they wish as long as they truly apply themselves is great words of encouragement, but there's always the what if’s of the world. It starts off by social class. Today everything is covered by media whether we look at it or not. Media outlets all over the world cover some form of poverty, but not much on kids. Who's to blame? Is there anyone to blame? How we define poverty can be different based on government standards of living. Some people think that you choose to live below the standard level and "choose" poverty based on being lazy, and only relying on welfare or just being weak and there are also who are less fortunate. Child poverty is looked from the perspective that it has to have a beginning, but what is the beginning? Whereas the rising cost of healthcare in today’s economy is in desperate need of reform. The cost of healthcare has affected the number of people able to receive medical care. Individuals are suffering more than ever because of the inability to receive medical attention when it’s needed.

The rising cost of healthcare is going to continue to rise year after year. This is making it harder and harder on working class to receive medical care. It is even harder on the unemployed. There are many aspects that play a role in improving our health system, but the three major factors are preventive care, accessibility and health care reform. Studies show that preventive medicine can decrease cost and have a better treatment outcome. Better access presumably improves health outcomes. Each community should have some form of health clinic that patients can go for care. Health care reform is greatly needed in India in order to be up to standard with the other countries that are leading the world in health care and life expectancy. With mandatory health insurance all citizens will be able to have access to a doctor without an excuse before a minor problem becomes a major or long term expense.

Health is related deeply to life-style. Ideal health will however, always remains a mirage, because everything in our life is subject to change. Health may be described as a potentiality—the ability of an individual or a social group to modify himself or itself continually, in the face of changing conditions of life not only, in order to function better in the present but also to prepare for the future.

Signing off

Vibhor Verma.

GIfting them a brighter future | Support our T-shirt Campaign

Emma Goldman
No one has yet realized the wealth of sympathy, the kindness and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true education should be to unlock that treasure.

Children are God's gifts to mankind. 
The innocence and sheer love they exuberate is beyond expression. The boundless energy, excitement, curiosity and compassion in a child is inspiration personified. They love and express without inhibitions.

They have the right to better education and a bright future. They are the future torch bearers and hope for a country. They have the right to a better life by way of better education. They have the right to dream and pursue them to chart a brighter future.

Support our T-shirt campaign - get a one for yourself and Support a Child's education

Colorss Foundation strives to build a better future for the children who cannot afford a formal education. The foundation aspires to build a family of like-minded people whose motive would be to empower socially deprived children with qualities like self-confidence, responsibility, and self-esteem, at the same time ensuring that these children complete their school education.

Colorss foundation envisions a future wherein these children are transformed into value-driven individuals and contribute towards bringing about a transformational change in the society.

Come be a part of this noble project and play your part creating an environment where in these children play, learn and grow.

You can do this by being a part of our campaign and show your support by buying the campaign T-shirt, thereby promoting and propagating a brighter future for these children.

Be a voice to their aspirations and Dreams. 

To become an ambassador of positive change and propagating the same by wearing it on your sleeve, follow the link - http://ilogo.in/children_-_the_colors_of_our_life-campaign
Thank you
Aparna

“Who says you can have problems and you can’t smile also?”

Definitely you can…I saw and learnt this from these small kids who although came from a weak socioeconomic background, often separated families still had a smile on their faces and zeal to learn and change the way their life was.

While they were introducing themselves I noticed that they had family problems, e. g death of a parent or separated families. Most of the mothers worked in other houses doing the household chores to earn a living or fathers worked in factories or buildings as laborers.

It was an urge to teach small children which made me to join Colorss as a volunteer. My task which seemed to be very easy to me initially turned out to be a challenge for me. I was supposed to take a 45 min class, making children of class 6-9 standard write articles on a few topics.

Priyanka teaching the girl students at our Project Enhance - Pune

I started with an article on My Ambition, where I had not only to explain the meaning of ambition to children but also had to assist each of them in framing sentences ,making them spell every word properly and translating their thoughts from Hindi to English. This took 30 min for me and there was hardly any time left for any other activity. It was a kind of surprise for me to see children of 8th grade unable to  spell  “will”  “have”  “doctor”  “because”.  I felt the presence of a loop hole in the education system where students of an English medium school were not well versed in spellings and general English.

I thought of doing it another way. Next day I divided them into teams and told them to ask spellings from the opponent team. This sense of competition made some of them to find difficult words from their text books such as “environment” and learn them. This little effort of the children was encouraging for me. I also introduced some games in the class such as “Bring a thing” where students had to bring specific objects from their teammates such as “A black Reynolds pen or a paper boat”. Although I could not work for a long time as my vacations were going to be over, but it was an experience I would cherish forever.Something definitely needs to be done somewhere and Colorss is an attempt to do it. 

After joining Colorss as a volunteer, with Anand sir’s support I was more than comfortable and enjoyed every bit of work. Anand sir’s briefing of everything about children, their background, talents, general behavioral tendencies were helpful to know children better. I would like to thank Anand Sir for giving me the opportunity and believing in me. It was something very different and satisfying I could have done in 4 years of my college life. I enjoyed it and learnt a lot from it.

Priyanka Trivedi
VIT Vellore
Volunteered with Colorss at Pune

Student/Beneficiary Feedback Vishakha Randive | Project Enhance ~ Pune

Project Enhance

Certain things can be put to complete use only when they are given to the right people at the right time. From a social perspective, realizing the need of the hour, researching the dire requirements and identifying the target group is of utmost importance to get anything up and running. And the outcome is bound to be beneficial and definitely advantageous given the pre-work that has gone into it.

Listen the student talking about the project and her experience - that would make more sense:

Colorss hit the gong at just the right place and the right time through its innovative developmental initiative – 

Project Enhance:- Project Enhance is basically a multidisciplinary programme that aims at encouraging creativity, promoting healthy development, increasing productivity and creating a sense of responsibility towards the community and its members.

Project Objectives: 

Project Enhance, designed for young children is a multifaceted approach aimed at

• Developing discipline by way of imparting Martial Arts training
• Increasing focus by helping them cope with stress and tension
• Improving their physique by way of sports activities, thus contributing to their healthy development.
• Increasing productivity by helping them get better control of body and mind
• Fostering confidence by getting them involved in creative artwork
• Contributing greatly to increased self-awareness
• Training them to be responsible social members of the society.

Project Benefits:

Project Enhance has multiple benefits as listed below.

Psychological Benefits: Control aggression and anger; Stimulate Brain Activity; Increase happiness; Build self confidence; Develop trust, co-operation and togetherness

Physiological Benefits: Increase Stamina; Fortify Muscles; Regulate breathing; Widen range of flexibility; Improve body posture and control.

Creative Art & Benefits: Responsibility; Cognitive Skills; Eye/Hand Coordination; Responsibility; Cognitive Skills; Eye/Hand Coordination; Focus & Discipline

For Love,

Anand

Self Defense - to empower the women of India | Colorss Foundation

The brutal gang rape and murder of a young girl in Delhi has brought worldwide attention to an issue that has plagued India for years - the oppression and gross mistreatment of women in the country.

In India, girls are forced to battle for their fundamental right to live, from the day they are born. Because of social stigma, women in India are often considered inferior and suffer torment and persecution for no reason other than their gender. From a young age, most local women are taught about the dangers they will inevitably face during their lives. Unfortunately, being aware is no longer enough.

Anand Koti teaching self-defense 

While it is by no means an altogether solution for the terrible issue of violence against women, providing Indian women with self-defense training is a great step forward in order to protect their basic freedoms and permit the ability to walk through the streets unaccompanied without fear.

Colorss Foundation, a NGO based in Baroda and Pune, is launching women’s self-defense classes to empower the women of India and provide the skills to remain calm and fight back against attackers, if this is ever required. If there is one thing that the December 16 attack has achieved, it is in spreading the reality that no one is safe from these types of assaults. Every woman in India, through no fault of her own, is a potential victim.

Colorss’ self-defense classes are for working women, university students and children, with no prior experience necessary. The classes are designed to take part 2-3 times a week, with groups of 10-15 participants in Pune. The classes may take place at your personal residence with a group of 10-15 participants, for the convenience of participants.

Anand Koti, the foundation’s director, will be conducting the classes. Anand has been practicing martial arts for over 15 years and has a 2^nd degree black belt in Karate, which demonstrates his commitment and discipline. In addition, Anand also possesses an undergraduate degree in Industrial Psychology and Masters degrees in Health Management and Industrial Relations and Personnel Management.

This unique combination of education and passion for martial arts has provided Anand with the perfect blend of skills to successfully pass his knowledge on to students. Under Anand’s supervision, many children from the Pune region have already benefited from Project Enhance, another initiative of the Colorss Foundation. Project Enhance involved providing underprivileged children of the region with martial arts and creative arts classes. The results of Project Enhance have been overwhelmingly positive. In addition to building the physical strength and stamina of the participants, Project Enhance also boosted their self-esteem and confidence.

While the most obvious benefit of these self-defense classes is the ability to defend yourself against an attacker, there are also numerous peripheral benefits, such as increased confidence and mental development. At Colorss, we strive to give women the physical and mental strength to surpass any challenges.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau, there were 24,206 cases of rape registered in India during 2011, but this is suspected to be a major under-representation of the true figure and of the problem at hand.

The worst reaction from this case would be for women to remain indoors, further restrict their activities and escalate the oppression they already face on a daily basis. This should be used as an opportunity to empower the women of India – for them to stand up and assert themselves.

It is in the hands of the government to make a legitimate stance on the issue of violence towards women and make widespread changes throughout the country; however, basic self-defense is a great step forward for the women on India.

It is our goal to empower the women of India to have the confidence to live completely fulfilling lives.

Contact Colorss for more information on self-defense training. You can email us at: emailcolorss@gmail.com and find us on Facebook.

Paul Whelan

Indian Women Deserve To Know How To Protect Themselves! | Colorss Foundation

Colorss Foundation aims for Project Enhance! We believe that Karate is not just about self-defence and a healthy lifestyle; it is about the ability to stay calm and think clearly during difficult situations. It focuses on brain stimulation and healing too.

Anand Koti teaching self-defence [advance techniques] to the girls in Project Enhance

The Project is aimed at empowering underprivileged girls. It works to build their physical and mental health which in turn play a role in building their confidence as valuable assets to their society and also help them imbibe values like discipline and responsibility. In a country like India, where a girl child has to fight for her right to live from the very day of her conception, it is all the more essential that we arm these girls with the necessary skills and the confidence to fight her way through life.

Project Enhance is not just limited to training the participants in karate (which is only one aspect of it) but also works on training the girls in creative arts. To know more about Project Enhance, refer to the following pages:

Reality of Project Enhance

Project Enhance moving ahead

Anju John 

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

Project Enhance: Blending Karate with creative arts to make an impact at psychological and physiological level

The biggest forte of our Project Enhance is that it is the brainchild of Mr. Anand Koti, founder of Colorss Foundation himself. No doubt Mr. Koti is personally involved in every initiative Colorss Foundation takes, but he is personally at the helm of affairs for Project Enhance because of the nature of the project and Mr. Koti’s experience in the field.

What is Project Enhance?

Project Enhance is an unusual blend of martial and creative arts. In India the children belonging to the underprivileged sector already have to face countless hardships during their lives. Stress is a constant in their lives and this is particularly prominent in the case of female children who have to face many social stigmas in addition. They are often not given the place they deserve in society and their progress is not only hindered due to financial reasons but also due to many social taboos. This is bound to create mental pressure and strain for these female children. Project Enhance focuses on this chunk of the population in particular. With its unique programme of sports and arts it seeks to eradicate the mental pressure and strain that these young, underprivileged girls have to endure. Not only mental strain but these young girls usually have to undergo through a sense of low self esteem and inferiority too because their position in society is not very strong and they are many a time manipulated and exploited because of their weak standing. Giving such girls strength and perseverance to withhold these negative forces of society is the aim of Project Enhance. Through Project Enhance we conduct bi-weekly sessions of half an hour duration focusing on martial arts including karate, yoga and other forms of meditation and self-defense exercises in addition to creative art sessions including techniques like drawing, painting, story telling etc. Through this unique combination we at Project Enhance aim to relieve the stress endured by these young and weak members of our society.

If you want to help us in working toward the betterment of our society’s underprivileged members you can send you valued donations to the account details mentioned at the end. In addition to monetary donation you can also send in karate or exercise clothing, drawing materials like coloring books and pencils etc. Or if you want to volunteer for Project Enhance you should be proficient in either of the skills that our project focuses on. Volunteers that have some experience in the martial arts and karate techniques/yoga/dance/sports are welcomed to volunteer for our Project where they can disseminate their knowledge and talent to these young girls.

Also if you think you can conduct productive sessions involving arts and craft, drawing painting, story-telling, personality development etc then please feel free to contact us on the contact numbers given out. We would be more than happy to have you on our team. Together our small steps can make a big difference. 

Warda Baig ~ UNV Volunteer

Project Enhance moving ahead....

Project Enhance

Anand Koti, founder of Colorss with more than 15 years of martial arts training, a second-degree black belt, and a passion for using his talent to help others reach their potential has come up with this project.

            Project Enhance uses a combination of sports (Martial Arts) and creative arts as vehicles to promote both the physical and mental well-being of underprivileged children in India. Good mental health is not just the absence of a mental disorder; it is a state of well-being where an individual feels confident and ready to cope with the stresses that life sometimes presents.

            In India, young girls are viewed as inconsequential, often ignored, or even harassed and molested. Project Enhance aims to empower young girls and boost their self-confidence through a blend of karate and creative arts in hopes that they can one day become educated, productive, and active members in their communities and society.

Objectives:

-          Empower young girls

-          Promote  mental and physical health

-          Foster a sense trust, cooperation, confidence, and community

-          Encourage values of discipline and responsibility

Students undergoing self-defense techniques under project enhance.. Demonstrating the techniques with our volunteer/inter Neha Shaw (Symbiosis Law School, Pune)

  

How Can Martial Arts Help?

            The art of karate involves integrating the mind and body to condition the physique and enhance self-awareness. When the muscles and brain act in perfect unison, a sense of discipline, mindfulness, and serenity are set in play. Thus, learning to control each movement in a fluid and adaptable fashion produces benefits that outlast practice sessions. Research has shown that karate is associated with positive changes in mood, as well as reductions in anxiety and depression.

Sensi Pervez Mistry, the father of modern martial arts in India, noted: “Karate is generally perceived as a destructive sport. This is a misconception. In fact, the reverse is true. With karate, we can work towards improving health. A willingness and desire to be a better person is developed and self-confidence is built while ego is dampened.”

In fact, martial arts promote both mental and physical health and enforce values such as respect for others, faithfulness, and tranquility, and sincerity. When these qualities act in unison, they can induce relaxation and increase self-confidence. Additionally, many studies have championed the cognitive and behavioral benefits of martial arts. Improvements in self-esteem (Fuller, 1988), positive receptiveness of physical challenges (Richard and Rehberg, 1986; Trulson, 1986), greater autonomy (Duthie, 1978), emotional stability and assertiveness (Konzak and Boudreau, 1984) and reductions in anxiety and depression (Cai, 2000) have all been associated with martial arts training.

     

To sum it up, Gichin Funakoshi, the father of modern karate, once said, “The ultimate aim of Karate lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participants.”

Sensi Mistry speaks about Anand

            Sensi Pervez Mistry is considered to be the father of martial arts in India. He has been the Chief Instructor for the International Okinawa Goju-RyuKarate-do Federation in India for the past 46 years and is the founder of Karate-do in India.

            “Karate is generally perceived as a destructive sport. This is a misconception. In fact, the reverse is true. With karate, we can work towards improving health. A willingness and desire to be a better person is developed and self-confidence is built while ego is dampened. When Anand met me a few years ago, he was worried whether or not we would be able to manage the program. I was confident from day one that he would succeed.  He has struggled and faced hurdles, but he has conquered all of them, in part from the confidence he has gained from martial arts training. 

How Can Creative Arts Help?

        Creativity and art help reinforce elements of martial arts training, further helping children develop and retain their learned skills. Though its task-based instruction and demanded attention to detail, art cultivates a sense of responsibility, hand-eye coordination, and controlled motor skills. Furthermore, selecting materials and tools, focusing on creating a work of art, and ultimately finishing a project fosters a sense of achievement as well as enhances cognitive skills, decision making skills, and discipline. Furthermore, to maintain and develop awareness of different methods of mind and body control, games, meditation, and dance are incorporated into each creative arts session.

Current Status and Project Structure:

        Project Enhance currently focuses on helping 110 girls from two schools

·            Fifty five girls from 5^th, 6^th, and 7^th grade girls from Mahadji Shinde High School, a municipality school under Pune Cantonment Board.

·             Fifty three girls from ^6th, ^7th, ^8th and ^9th grade girls from Dr. Ambedkar Memorial School, a municipality school under Pune Cantonment Board.

It consists of 1 hour sessions, twice a week, with 30 minutes of martial arts training and 30 minutes of creative arts. Each martial arts session is a mixture of exercise and meditation. These sessions aim to relax the body muscles and gradually build flexibility and stamina. Each creative arts session includes various exercises in drawing, sketching, dancing, music, acting, brain-stimulation games and story-telling.

Based on child progress, the program introduces longer and higher levels of martial arts and creative arts sessions. Thus, the contents of each session change along with the children’s progress in order to keep challenging and encouraging each child to reach his or her full potential.

Finally, a counseling component is integrated into the program. Professionals work with the children not only to provide a support system, but also to motivate them to succeed, improve communication skills, discuss future careers, and teach them about socially acceptable behavior.

Quote from participant:

            I feel very peaceful after joining the karate project. Our teacher is a very cool person and karate benefits us and gives us physical exercise. Karate also helps us develop a better memory and gives physical flexibility to our bodies. There are so many benefits of karate.

How can you contribute?

Volunteer:

Volunteers are our greatest asset. You can contribute by volunteering to conduct workshops in various media of creative and performing arts, such as drawing, counseling,  painting, dance, personality development, brain-stimulation games and creative writing. Any other forms of creative art are welcomed as well!

http://colorss.org | emailcolorss@gmail.com

Thank you

“Who says you can have problems and you can’t smile also?”

 

Definitely you can…I saw and learnt this from these small kids who although came from a weak socioeconomic background, often separated families still had a smile on their faces and zeal to learn and change the way their life was.

While they were introducing themselves I noticed that they had family problems, e. g death of a parent or separated families. Most of the mothers worked in other houses doing the household chores to earn a living or fathers worked in factories or buildings as laborers.

It was an urge to teach small children which made me to join Colorss as a volunteer. My task which seemed to be very easy to me initially turned out to be a challenge for me. I was supposed to take a 45 min class, making children of class 6-9 standard write articles on a few topics.

I started with an article on My Ambition, where I had not only to explain the meaning of ambition to children but also had to assist each of them in framing sentences ,making them spell every word properly and translating their thoughts from Hindi to English. This took 30 min for me and there was hardly any time left for any other activity. It was a kind of surprise for me to see children of 8th grade unable to  spell  “will”  “have”  “doctor”  “because”.  I felt the presence of a loop hole in the education system where students of an English medium school were not well versed in spellings and general English.

I thought of doing it another way. Next day I divided them into teams and told them to ask spellings from the opponent team. This sense of competition made some of them to find difficult words from their text books such as “environment” and learn them. This little effort of the children was encouraging for me. I also introduced some games in the class such as “Bring a thing” where students had to bring specific objects from their teammates such as “A black Reynolds pen or a paper boat”. Although I could not work for a long time as my vacations were going to be over, but it was an experience I would cherish forever.Something definitely needs to be done somewhere and Colorss is an attempt to do it. After joining Colorss as a volunteer, with Anand sir’s support I was more than comfortable and enjoyed every bit of work. Anand sir’s briefing of everything about children, their background, talents, general behavorial tendencies were helpful to know children better. I would like to thank Anand Sir for giving me the opportunity and believing in me. It was something very different and satisfying I could have done in 4 years of my college life. I enjoyed it and learnt a lot from it.

Priyanka Trivedi

VIT Vellore

Volunteered with Colorss at Pune

Creative thinking started....students created their own story looking at an image

Create your own story with the help of an image was held at Baroda 'Colors of Life' project, by the Team Baroda. Here the volunteers showed the students the image below. Here the children were asked to look at the image and think what they can perceive.  They were asked to come-up with a story. This unconsious method has helped in creative thinking and opening the children. 

Image used for creating your own story.

The students came up with this story..

'There was a village called Rampur. A fair was held there one day. Everybody from the village went there. Rohit, a four year old boy, also went there with his parents. Rohit was delighted to be at the fair. He wanted to go to the balloon-seller, food-stalls, the magician, toy stall and the snake-charmer. In his excitement, he left his mother’s hand and got lost. When he couldn’t find them after a while he got scared and started crying. He cried so much that he became tired and fell asleep. His parents made an announcement in the fair asking people to find Rohit and bring him to them. A man found Rohit sleeping and brought him to his parents. His parents were very happy and grateful.'

We were delighted to read this and we hope even you would have enjoyed.

Team Baroda

Colorss

“ENHANCING” LIVES ~ Project Enhance

“ENHANCING” LIVES

Education is the key aspect that helps to build a child’s future. However education confined to the realms of textbooks and notebooks does not make the child ready to face the challenges of the world. Overall development of a child is of utmost importance for survival in the world of cut-throat competition. Thus providing basic elementary education to poor and underprivileged children is not enough to ensure a good future for them.

PROJECT ENHANCE uses sports and creative arts to brighten the world of children and contribute towards their overall development. Reaching out to the girl child is of utmost importance to universalize elementary

The project is currently carried out at Pune Municipality Schools

• Mahadji Shinde High School with 51 girls from 5th to 9th grade.
• Dr. Ambedkar Memorial School with 56 girls from 6th and 9th grade.

Both schools are in Pune Cantonment Board, Pune

Children take part in 30 minutes of martial arts and creative arts twice a week. This helps reduce stress, increase stamina, build confidence, developing a spirit of team work and makes education more interesting. In addition to this, professionals give the children talks on topics including body language, careers, family dynamics, communication skills and more. The result of this project is children who are disciplined, self-confident and perhaps most importantly, happy.

Women are given a secondary status in our society. Education of such a kind would help them let go off the inhabitations that hamper the development and growth of the girl child. After all they have to grow up and become women of substance, and this initiative of the COLORSS FOUNDATION helps them achieve this feat.

This novel idea that goes beyond bookish knowledge and helps improve and empower the girl child. All it needs is your contribution and time to touch new heights and change more lives.

LET US ALL COME TOGETHER AND MAKE LIVES FOR THESE CHILDREN A BETTER PLACE SO THAT ONE DAY THEY CAN MAKE THE NATION PROUD.

Contact- www.colorss.org to keep yourself updated follow us: Facebook Colorss

Tarishi Mishra