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The Junior Youth Empowerment Programme at City Montessori School, Lucknow

The Junior Youth Empowerment Programme (JYEP) is a comprehensive moral educational initiative specifically designed for young individuals aged 12 to 15, who find themselves in a pivotal transitional phase between childhood and youth. It is during these formative years that fundamental concepts about life take shape in their minds, ultimately shaping their path of development for the years to come.

This programme aims to introduce these junior youth to a diverse range of empowering pathways, enhancing their ability to express themselves, refining their spiritual perception, and nurturing their commitment to fostering peace, love and harmony in the world. By equipping these youth with a profound understanding of their own capabilities to effect positive change, the programme empowers them to become conscious agents of their own growth and active contributors to the creation of a harmonious world.

The programme nurtures qualities, attitudes, insights, and knowledge necessary for these youth to consistently make positive decisions, even in the face of social pressures. Since its introduction into the school curriculum, the programme has experienced continuous growth, spreading across numerous branches of the institution. Presently, there are 45 co-ordinators, 800 animators, and 10,000 junior youth working collaboratively, forming a formidable force that lays the foundation for a just, prosperous, and peaceful new world order.

Volunteers from the senior sections of the school undergo training to become animators, responsible for nurturing and inspiring junior youth in their respective campuses. Under the guidance of JYEP co-ordinators, these animators form groups of junior youth and facilitate their study of JYEP books while engaging them in meaningful service projects. The animators and their junior youth gather for enriching group discussions, fostering an atmosphere where mutual learning and friendship prevail.

Animator’s Conference
Animator’s Conference 2021

The act of giving without expecting anything in return, known as "selfless service," lies at the core of this programme. It transcends personal relationships, extending beyond one's friends and family. Participants in the programme refrain from seeking adulation, praise, power, name, or fame for their actions. Selfless service forms the bedrock of the youth's spiritual journey. It is important to distinguish between service and charity, as they represent distinct concepts. While charitable acts are commendable one-time events, the goal of service is to instil a process-oriented approach that enables individuals to recognise their noble destiny and actively contribute to positive changes in their communities. Service encompasses social, emotional, economic, and moral development. Qualities such as humility, empathy, tolerance, and compassion are essential for rendering service selfless and impactful. By immersing themselves in the essence of their existence, these service-oriented youth embark on a transformative journey towards happiness and fulfilment. Selfless service becomes their source of unparalleled joy and contentment, as noble acts forever restore their faith in humanity and the nobility of human nature.The interplay between service, education, and preparation for a life of service is instrumental in fulfilling the dual purpose of individual growth and the advancement of civilization. Both intellectual and spiritual growth of the individual and the transformation of society necessitate conscious efforts. It is the generation of this consciousness that gives power and stimulus to the programme. It is crucial for the youth to comprehend the significance of seeking truth in their lives and embrace a profound sense of purpose – taking charge of their personal growth while contributing their share to the betterment of society. Undoubtedly, a life of service is the natural expression of such a moral purpose. We cannot remain idle, hoping for others to bring about change in the world. This programme aspires to cultivate leaders who possess a comprehensive understanding of facts, evaluate situations diligently, and make decisions aligned with their strong moral compass.

Through the Junior Youth Empowerment Programme, the CMS as an institution aims to integrate diverse perspectives and foster the development of these young leaders who not only contribute to their own personal growth, but also play an active role in shaping a more compassionate and just world.

Animator’s Conference
Group Activity

Animators & Junior Youth Groups

JYEP
Animators’ Conference held in October 2018

An integral part of this programme has been to train volunteers from the senior section (class 9, 10 and 11) to become animators for the junior youth in their own campus (classes 6, 7 and 8). The JYEP teacher/coordinator of the campus helps the animators to form a group of junior An integral part of this programme has been to train volunteers from the senior section (class 9, 10 and 11) to become animators for the junior youth in their own campus (classes 6, 7 and 8). The JYEP teacher/coordinator of the campus helps the animators to form a group of Junior Youth (JY) and to facilitate the study of the JYEP books and the service project with the members of their groups. The bonds of friendship are strengthened and a group identity is formed as they go through this process for 3 years. In the words of the animators, they describe their roles as “helping their friends in the Junior section to discover their talents and potentials through the stories of the life of junior youth like Musonda, Rose and Kibomi”. The animators describe these JYEP books as “exciting and interesting stories that teach virtues such as selfless service, love, family solidarity and hope.” Through these stories, the animators also help the junior youths enhance their spiritual and intellectual capacity and give them a platform to express themselves creatively and realize their high sense of purpose. Today, we have a total of around 1000 animators in ten campuses of CMS Aliganj Campus I, Chowk, Gomti Nagar Campuses I & II, Kanpur Road Campus, Indira Nagar Campus, Mahanagar Campus, Rajajipuram Campus I, Rajendra Nagar Campus I and Station Road Campus. In the new Academic year there will be additional trained animators from all these campuses.

Animator with junior youth
Animator with junior youth
Animators at the health checkup camp
Animators at the health checkup camp

JYEP
Animators’ Conference held in December 2018

In order to facilitate the process of JYEP in the campuses, the assembly and zero periods of the Juniors and of the Seniors are made to coincide at the same time, so it is during this period that the Class 9 animators go to class 6 and animate their groups using the book Breezes of Confirmation; Class 10 go to class 7 with Walking the Straight Path; and Class 11 to Class 8 with Glimmerings of Hope. Class 12 animators accompany animators of Class 9.

In most cases, the animators meet their Junior Youth groups outside the classroom– for example in Assembly halls, gardens, school terraces and empty halls. Sitting on mats and in a circle, the junior youths do not feel their animators are teachers and the animators do not feel that their junior youths are their students. Detached from the classroom atmosphere, everyone in the group learns to see the other as friends who are there to learn from one another. Animators, thus, become ‘facilitators of learning’.

JYEP
Group learning

Building Bonds of Friendship and Mutual Support

Overtime, the animators have developed strong bonds of friendship with their Junior Youths even outside their groups– one can see them interacting with each other during lunch breaks, and some junior youths discussing their problems with their animators.

A lot of junior youths who were generally very reserved in class have become very participative in the group discussions and service project activities. This shows that being in a group of peers where everyone is encouraged to share his/her ideas, without relying on getting grades, has made everyone feel very comfortable.

In addition to conducting the JYEP books, the animators engage their Junior Youth groups in activities related to the concepts in the lessons, for example they teach them arts and crafts such as glass painting, drawing on chart papers and decorating class soft boards, performing skits, and learning prayers and songs. The activities they do are always directly related to the lessons they study, to enable them understand the concepts in each chapter better. Thus, this is not a general arts and crafts class. The purpose of these activities is for them to identify their talents, to enhance their skills of consultation, decision- making and building a united work environment with their peers.

JYEP
Animator with junior youths teaching prayers
JYEP
Junior youth group
JYEP
Peer - Tutorials

JYEP Reflection Meetings

JYEP
JYEP Reflection Meeting

The animators meet once a week with their JYEP teachers/ coordinators/ volunteers in their respective campuses to share their experiences from their previous class and plan lessons and activities for their next classes. They discuss concepts that are essential for the empowerment of junior youth. These weekly reflection meetings enable the animators to share their experiences with each other, and suggest solutions to their own challenges, thus empowering them to be responsible and take charge of their own growth. The JYEP teachers, coordinators and volunteers also have their reflection meetings once a month with the Management Team of CMS. The purpose of these monthly reflection meetings, organized by the department of Character Education and Youth Empowerment, is to document and systematize the learning accrued as a result of the junior youth program in all the campuses.

JYEP is not an extra-curricular activity; the programme is very well within the school curriculum and time table, which makes it very inspiring to see how animators and volunteers are able to balance both their academic lives and service to their fellow school mates. This goes to show that as students, they can live an integrated life- they can balance their spiritual with material life and enhance their intellectual, social, emotional, artistic and moral capabilities.

Discourse on Social Action (DSA)

JYEP
DSA seminar

An understanding of the conceptual framework, underlying principles and the learning generated in this process of the empowerment of junior youth can help generate faith in the vision of societal transformation and motivate every individual of good will to participate in its realization.

In addition to the JYEP teachers and coordinators in the campuses, all teachers of both senior and junior sections of CMS participate in capacity-building seminars to see their role as facilitators of learning and as active protagonists of the dual process of individual and societal transformation. This seminar series on “Discourse on Social Action” has motivated the staff to seize the tremendous opportunity that they have in helping the students of this age group realize their true potential and channelize their energies for building a better society.

The Discourse on Social Action material has been produced by FUNDAEC, an educational NGO based in Colombia.