Youth Leadership Development Programme

While there has been a huge improvement in the number of students enrolled in schools, the major problem we face is that of quality of Education. The development of society is co-relational to good education. As per ASER report, about 50% of the children in class 5 cannot read a class 2 textbook. The education system has resulted in a lot of unemployable youth who are devoid of career guidance. A lot of the girls in conservative rural societies, do not get opportunities to excel. More often than not, education and pursuing a career is last on their list. The society’s mindset to get girls married at early age is hugely detrimental to the development of the youth.

Happy Horizons Trust focuses on the development of society by strengthening the primary school education by empowering the youth. Through the Youth Leadership Development program, we train young girls to engage with primary school children in various educational activities. In a two-way process of learning and development, our fellows (girls) are empowered through various training on storytelling and activity based learning. Monthly stipend provided in the form of academic scholarship, allows them to feel financially empowered. Repeated sessions in the classrooms, enables the professional and personal development of the girls. The students participate in highly engaging sessions of learning driven by storytelling and rooted in activities.

Over the past 5 years, we have empowered 31 champions (youth girls) working with different schools outreaching over 6000 students in Saharsa district of rural Bihar. Few of our alumni have continued to work on education as teachers in private schools, some have started giving tuition classes to the students and some have joined Happy Horizons Trust as the Champion's Coordinators. Some of them have become entrepreneurs by setting up their community level start-up of designing, stitching, weaving and embroidery on fabrics. The children show better learning abilities, are more inspired to come to the schools. they have better reading abilities and there is a substantial increase in the attendance in the schools.