Mrs Shameem Singh
Convenor, VASUDHA International, Chapter II & Principal, Rajendra Nagar Campus II

Dear friends,

“The only way forward, if we are going to improve the quality of the environment, is to get everybody involved.”

Richard Rogers

We had a dream, to initiate a movement that would sensitise our tender young minds towards the environment and society via making consistent efforts towards sustainability and we are glad that almost every academic Institution that we know of today has started making conscious efforts towards training young minds about the importance of Sustainable Development.

A lot has evolved around us since the Pandemic first struck in 2020. Citizens have turned more conscientious towards nature and life forms. Schools are getting accustomed to new educational policies aimed at building a holistic perspective towards Environment and societies.

Children are being guided and enabled to become critical thinkers and problem solvers that are the Core Competency skills preparing them for a brave new world.

The role of education is thus beyond serving the society. It is now about transforming society, establishing Peace and Unity and creating Sustainable lifestyles for preserving the Planet for Future generations.

As a sequel to the Quest we started in 2021 we accord a humble invitation to all the Respected Principals, esteemed members of Academia and the student fraternity to join us as Influencers at Vasudha International - Chapter 2 - A Quest for Sustainable Development by schools.

The Quest this year will provide a platform to share viable ideas that can help us promote LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) a Govt. of India endeavour introduced by our honourable Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi at COP26 in Glasgow on 1st November 2021, calling upon the global community of individuals and institutions to drive LiFE as an international mass movement towards “mindful and deliberate utilisation, instead of mindless and destructive consumption” to protect and preserve the environment. LiFE puts individual and collective duty on everyone to live a life that is in tune with Earth and does not harm it.

In continuation to our commitment towards the 17 Sustainable Goals as per the UN 2030 agenda, the Quest will strive to initiate, propagate and assimilate the message of Sustainability within every individual connecting with us directly or indirectly by making that one desirable change in his / her lifestyle for the benefit of humanity and world at large.

The event will be an ongoing series of experiential learning school projects based on any 1 of the 6 essential components Jal (Water), Vayu (Air), Urja (Energy), Vann(Forest), Climate (Jalvayu) and Kutumb (Community) that constitute the planet as a whole.

The students will have the freedom to select the area of study from a wide range of options under these categories and mail us the synopsis (presentation and document) for the self chosen topic as per the timeline before the 30th of March.

The topic should be aligned with concepts to achieve any 1 or more Sustainable Development Goals defined by the United Nations and accepted by all nations of the world in order to have a progressive sustainable and peaceful world by 2030. The topic may be selected and related to any chapter from the existing syllabus of Science or Social studies of the participating school’s curriculum relevant to any of the 6 themes for the Experiential learning project.

A proactive session “Manthan” will be conducted by the organisers offline as per the timeline in July 2023. The shortlisted synopsis documentaries will be presented by the teams at Manthan in the month of July along with a voley of offline competitions like Models of Sustainability, Debate, Climate Reporters, Citykraft and Vividha (Performing arts) and 2 online events exclusively for our primary enthusiasts Sustainability Quotient - Quiz on SDGs and Abhiyan - A documentary on community drive. The awards for these competitions will be given during the offline event itself.

The Manthan Forum will help the teams to discuss their project synopsis with experts and colleagues to take on the Quest at their schools for the next 100 days. The teams may also build Community partnerships to take on the Quest.

For the final entry the participants will be required to create a short documentary of the entire experiential learning project and submit it by the 10th of November via a view only drive link to vasudha_international@cmseducation.org.

The Hybrid Valedictory Ceremony will be organised in December 2023.

Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions at vasudha_international@cmseducation.org or call Mr. Anshuman Dwivedi at +91 8318882836 between 9 am to 5 pm. We will be happy to help you.

Please reply to this email with your acknowledgement and confirmation of participation at the event as we have a mix of both online and offline competitions to allow maximum participation.

Please fill in the Vasudha International Chapter 2 - School Registation form to Register for the events in which your school will participate latest by the 15th of February 2023.

A brief description of events is provided in the form and detailed guidelines will be shared shortly via a Comprehensive Brochure.

We will send out the Student registration form to fill in actual participant names by March end to the schools that have registered with us by the 15th of February.

We hope that you will surely join us in this Quest and help us sensitise our students to build a Sustainable planet by influencing the choices we make in our day to day lives.

Looking forward to your active participation at the event.

Regards

Dr Jagdish Gandhi, Founder-Manager
Dr Bharti Gandhi, Founder-Director
City Montessori School, Lucknow

We are delighted to learn that Rajendra Nagar Campus II is organizing 'VASUDHA International - a Quest for Sustainable Development'. The world is changing and our children must be equipped with the attitudes, skills and knowledge to not only carve a niche for themselves in their chosen field but also be agents of profound social transformation.

It is indeed very heartwarming that the event has been planned with a deep understanding for taking forward the CMS commitment of preparing our children for a future that will undoubtedly be full of challenges and opportunities.

'VASUDHA International' will give them that platform to discover themselves, build their skills and reaffirm their commitment to work for the betterment of humanity. Your creative and innovative approach of creating a broad spectrum of topics for experiential research, based on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals that humanity must strive for in order to achieve the 2030 Global Agenda for Sustainable Development gives us reason to be very hopeful about a better future for the entire planet.

We are certain that 'VASUDHA International' will not only generate awareness but also enthusiasm amongst students and teachers alike for caring about our environment and inspiring them to make right choices and taking responsibility for their actions. We understand that the hands-on approach will give students an opportunity to engage with topics like 'Jal', 'Vaayu', 'Urja', 'Vann' and 'Kutumb' and how we, as humans, must use these resources responsibly and sustainably so that we can all contribute to making the earth better place for all.

We wish you, your staff and your students all the very best for a truly enriching experience through a very successful 'VASUDHA International'. May God Bless You All.

Jai Jagat!

Prof. Geeta Gandhi Kingdon
President and Managing Director (MD), City Montessori School, Lucknow

The environment is currently the world’s most urgent common concern. All good people and nations want to save the environment but they wonder what to do and whether anything they may do individually will be effective. Any action to save the environment requires sacrifice of consumption but lack of willingness to sacrifice exacerbates environmental inaction. Mahatma Gandhi had once said “The world has enough for everyone’s needs, but not everyone’s greed.”

The onus is upon us as adults to sensitize our coming generations towards conservation of limited environmental resources so that each may individually contribute in building a more sustainable world.

I’m certain that ‘VASUDHA International’ will considerably raise the bar of students’ understanding of these issues plaguing the world today. I’m also without doubt about the objectives this event will achieve- preparation of confident, knowledgeable, young ambassadors of the environment movement throughout India and abroad who, indue time, will make noteworthy contributions to the rehabilitation of the environment.

I congratulate Mrs. Shameem Singh, Convenor, VASUDHA International & Principal, Rajendra Nagar Campus II, the staff and students for choosing such a meaningful topic for their school’s International Event, and wish them all the best in their endeavour.

Roshan Gandhi
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), City Montessoir School, Lucknow

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) aims at empowering learners of all ages with the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to address the interconnected global challenges we are facing. Learning must prepare students and learners of all ages to find solutions for the challenges of today and the future.

I am delighted to learn that an experiential learning project-based event VASUDHA International is being taken up by CMS Rajendra Nagar Campus II which is designed on Jal (water), Vaayu (air), Urja (energy), Vann (Forests) and Kutumb (Community), the essential elements that constitute the planet. The wide range of topics covered under these categories would be aligned to achieve Sustainable Development Goals defined by the United Nations and accepted by all nations of the world in order to have a progressive, sustainable and peaceful world by 2030.

It is only through awareness-raising education, and action of this kind that we will be able to address various global challenges. We sincerely hope that this event will contribute to shaping young minds and bring out capacities latent in them in the best interest of Planet Earth - Our VASUDHA.

Ms Susmita Basu
Superior Principal & Head, Center for School Improvement (CSI),
City Montessori School, Lucknow

We all have a choice, we all have a say,
We are spectators in life or we get in and play.
Whichever we choose, how we handle life’s game,
The choices are ours, no one else to blame.

The world is changing and we as educators need to take a pause and reflect on this entire system and rise to the need of the hour i.e., ‘Sustainable Development.’

The 2030 Agenda for ‘Sustainable Development’ unites humanity in the pursuit of a new path of action ‘while leaving no one behind’. It aims to efficiently utilize resources while meticulously planning the accomplishment of immediate as well as long term goals for the planet and future generations.

Aristotle once said, “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.”

We, at City Montessori School, believe that even as we impart education to match advancements in technology and globalization, we must march our children ahead with our ethics and principles to help them become responsible citizens of the future, capable of appreciating the role of ‘Sustainable Development Goals’ better known as ‘Global Goals’ for our society.

I feel elated in extending my heartfelt wishes to the dedicated and goal oriented Principal and the staff of Rajendra Nagar Campus II for their great endeavour of organizing VASUDHA INTERNATIONAL, A Quest for ‘Sustainable Development’ to guide the young minds with varieties of intensive activities and empowering them to keep pace with modernity while maintaining and nurturing the environment.

The organization of a focussed event related to the commitment to society would be impossible without a supportive management, passionate teachers, zealous students and of course cooperative parents. This visionary exercise would surely lead us in scaling new heights while keeping ourselves firmly grounded.

Let us all remind one another of these motivating lines to help us meet the challenges and rise to the occasion,
Some people doubt, never think that they can,
Some people believe and develop a plan,
Some people back down when faced with a test,
Some people face hurdles and give it their best.

Mrs Sonali Chowdhury
Event Coordinator

“What does sustainability look like in the classroom?”

Education for Sustainability is an educational approach that aims to develop our students with the values and motivation to build awareness and knowledge on sustainability issues and to take action. It seeks to develop students who are able to think critically, innovate and provide solutions towards more sustainable patterns of living for the 21st century.

We teachers endorse the incorporation of sustainability education into learning and teaching because it is fun, engaging and empowering for our students. The natural environment can be seen as the backdrop to daily life whizzing by as we go from home to school. It can also provide students of all ages with real-life learning.

Every school is located in an ecosystem; a ready-made, complex world ripe for discovery, exploration, enquiry, documentation, communication and understanding. We draw upon a wide range of skills and knowledge from a range of disciplines – these are naturally combined when education for sustainability is integrated into the curriculum.

Keeping all this in mind our school has initiated to spread the idea of sustainability and raise global awareness through experiential learning project ‘VASUDHA’ - A Quest for Sustainable Development.

Visit www.cmseducation.org/vasudha for Registration as well as Synopsis Submission.

Final entry to be mailed at vasudha_international@cmseducation.org by 30th of November 2021.

Event Contact persons:

Ms Sonali Chowdhury
Event Coordinator, VASUDHA International 2021
E mail: sonali.chowdhury@cmseducation.org
Phone: +91 9839508973
Available between: 1500 hrs to 1800 hrs [3:00 PM to 6:00 PM IST]
WhatsApp: +91 9140336528

Ms Garima Kesarwani
Data and correspondence Coordinator, VASUDHA International 2021
E mail: it.rajendranagar2@cmseducation.org
Phone: +91 9839477118
Available between: 0900 hrs to 1500 hrs [ 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM IST]