Community support

Community Support
Community plays an important part in the education system. Students, teachers, and parents agree that
community support is vital to the success of schools and individual students. The students participating
on Students Speak Out discussed how communities can positively or negatively affect their individual
experiences with school and schooling. Many students were encouraged by individual community
members, but at the same time felt let down by their elected community leaders. In this brief, readers
will notice that students take responsibility for their own education, but recognize their dependence on
the community to help them achieve their goals.

Navodaya schools are intimately linked with communities. They serve as centers of learning. They
employ residents, and they connect neighbors with one another. As place-based institutions, they are
part of a neighborhood’s physical fabric, impacting local housing markets and influencing the aesthetic
character of a community. Moreover, public schools have access to a myriad of local resources including
funding, land, and political goodwill. Given the central role that public schools play in communities,
community development practitioners are beginning to consciously include them in neighborhood
building and economic development efforts. Every school needs more community support. Research
has proven that schools with a greater support entity thrive compared to those who do not have such
support. School support comes from a variety of places both internally and externally. An effective
school leader will find ways to get the entire community to support the school. We focus on a few
strategies designed to promote your school and gain more community support. Our school also gives
Top priority for community up-liftment and support by following methods

Partnerships

The following list reflects community resources that currently partner with our school:

 County Agencies and Bodies (Departments of Health, Mental Health, Children & Family Services,
Public Social Services, Office of Education, Police & Fire Departments, Planning Area Councils,
Recreation & Parks, Library, Housing Authority, etc.)
 Municipal Agencies and Bodies (Parks & Recreation, library, courts, civic event units)
 Service Clubs & Philanthropic Organizations (Lion's Club, Rotary Club, veteran's groups, Woods
Charitable Fund, Lincoln Community Foundation, Southeast Community Foundation, Cooper
Foundation, Community Services Fund, etc.)
 Youth Agencies & Groups (Boys & Girls Clubs, scouts, 4-H, Cedars Youth Services, Child Advocacy
Center, etc.)
 Sports/Health/Fitness/Outdoor Groups (YMCA, athletic leagues, local gyms, conservation
associations, etc.)
 Community-Based Organizations (Neighborhood and homeowners' associations, Neighborhood
Watch/Patrol, block clubs, housing project associations, economic development groups,
community development corporations, civic associations)
 Artists and Cultural Institutions (Museums, art galleries, zoo, theater groups, TV & radio stations,
literary clubs, art groups, writers' organizations, collector's groups)

 Businesses/Corporations/Unions (Neighborhood business associations, Chamber of Commerce,
Goodwill Industries, local shops, restaurants, banks, AAA, school employee unions)
 Media (Local newspapers, TV & radio, local access cable)
 Family Members, Local Residents, Senior Citizens Groups

Activities

There are a variety of activities in which JNV Vizianagaram can get involved to build/improve school-community
partnerships; below are some suggestions:

 Encourage Community Use of School Facilities: Often the school buildings sit empty after the
end of the normal school day. Encouraging non-profit community groups to use the facilities is
not only good use of resources but also provides opportunities for the school to get involved in
community projects.
 Senior Citizens Banquet: At least once a year, perhaps around the time of music concerts, invite
senior citizens to a luncheon banquet at the school; banquet can be sponsored by a school
service organization, by non-profit corporation, or by private industry. Usually, parents are
willing to come in to assist in the preparation of the meal.

 Back to School Week: Choose a week during the school year to invite parents and community
members to your school. Make a special effort to personally invite community and business
leaders to attend school for the day, or part of the day.
 Career Day: Hold annual career days; this is not only good educational experience for the
students, but also helps local business people to learn more about the school and school's
needs. In addition, it helps to understand the employment needs in the area.
 News Releases: News releases mailed to local media could be a good strategy for public
relations and community outreach programs.
 Newsletters: Provide periodic newsletters not only to the families of the students, but also to
board members, business leaders and other community members. A simple database can be
used to include new people; encourage members of the school community to suggest other
folks who might be included in the mailing list.

 Honor Roll: In the local media, publish a list of students who made significant accomplishment
during the school year.
 Gold Cards: Give students who earn a place on the Honor Roll a Gold card which is sponsored by
participating businesses who provide discounts to those students for marking period. Some
businesses provide reduced prices on items in their stores, while others allow students to have
something for free, for example, a free video rental, etc.

Steps to Uplift Community
What use are information and communication technologies (ICTs) to a community grappling with
problems of daily life? Can technology enhance their daily lives and provide them with a decent living?
Sceptics constantly stress that the provision of basic human needs must take precedence over the
introduction of ICTs to rural and disadvantaged communities. However, the Information &
Communications Technology has clearly proven that technology can play a major role in improving the
lives of remote and marginalized villages. One such example is Addatiga a small village situated on the
outskirts of the National Park that has come alive with the introduction of ICTs. The village school, which
for years suffered poor attendance now boasts of a near 100% attendance - all on account of the advent
of Information Technology.

ICTs can also illuminate the lives of the visually handicapped - bringing about greater opportunities in
our society. JNV Vizianagaram is already working with the Aasa Foundation in producing a collection of
digital talking books which would be invaluable to the print disabled. How can an organization be a party
to these efforts and assist in bringing the dividends of ICTs to communities who know so little about it?
How can a successful business enterprise share its expertise with a rural or disadvantaged community
and thereby contribute to its wellbeing?

Initiatives
The Community Schools Partnership Initiative is a part of pacesetting activity of Navodaya Schools,
especially those located in remote areas. Navodaya schools can act as a hub for a broad range of
services, supports and opportunities that strengthen and support schools, families and communities.
The main goal of JNV Schools is to help Communities achieve a new level of success, by encouraging the
involvement of parents, community leaders, and community agencies as “partners” — providing a range
of services and supports that any given community needs.

In doing this, JNV Vizianagaram offer a new centre of activity in a neighbourhood. The community
schools provide gathering places where adults and children can get together for educational, social,
recreational and cultural activities.

When communities are strong, with parents and teachers involved in learning, the School help:

 Children start their school day alert and healthy with their basic needs met.

 School staff draws on the community’s resources to help students succeed academically and
socially.
 Health, recreational, cultural, and social services that students need are available in the school.
 Parents and community partners provide direction to the school and support its activities. The
school is a resource for the whole community.
By keeping in the mind JNV Vizianagaram has set Millennium Development Goals by the end of 2020
in the nearby hamlets of Vizianagaram district. Under this projects, students accompanied with
teachers visited few of the villages with the following Goals:
 Adolescence and Reproductive Sex Education
 Literacy program to neighboring schools
 Literacy program to neighboring schools
 Gender equality and empower women
 Spread awareness for HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
 ICT usage for sustainable agricultural practices for tribals.

ICT for sustainable Agriculture
Introduction:

We believe that ICT in agriculture is an emerging field focusing on the enhancement of agricultural and
rural development in India. It involves application of innovative ways to use Information &
Communication Technologies (ICT) in the rural domain.
There is a need to understand as to how far the ICT initiatives are able to address the farmers need so
that better solutions can be developed to address those unmet needs. The teachers and students of
JNV Vizianagaram initiated a research project to study the past and present major ICT initiatives in
agriculture in India, the extent of their success, the factors affecting the success as well as failure of such
initiatives. Based on this study, the project developed and suggested appropriate ICT models to meet
farmer’s information needs for different selected scenarios considering the infrastructural and social-
economic constraints with some field testing within the existing infrastructure. The ICT models
generated in this project can be expected to provide a framework for various stakeholders in agriculture
in design and implementation of effective ICT based solutions for agriculture.
Objectives:

 Assessment of the major ICT initiatives in agriculture vis-à-vis the need of the farmer in various
agro socio-economic situations.
 Suggest a set of alternative ICT models based on the assessment for the major situations.
 Limited validation of some of the models based on the infrastructure that is already available

http://biology24x7.pbworks.com wiki was made for this project. Three Teachers and 15 students
are involved. The need of ICT for Modern agriculture and agricultural practices for the future
generation was emphasized upon.

Initiatives taken by JNV, Vizianagaram in Adolescence and Reproductive Sex Education:
ADOLESCENCE EDUCATION PROGRAMME

Adolescents (10-19 years) in India represent almost one-third of the total country’s population. A
large number of them are out of school, get married early, work in vulnerable situations, are
sexually active, and are exposed to peer pressure. These factors have serious social, economic and
public health implications. Adolescents are not a homogenous group. Their situation varies by age,
sex, marital status, class, region and cultural context. This calls for interventions that are flexible and
responsive to their disparate needs. Some of the public health challenges for adolescents include
pregnancy, excess risk of maternal and infant mortality, sexually transmitted infections and
reproductive tract infections in adolescence, and the rapidly rising incidence of HIV in this age
group. Thus it is important to influence the health-seeking behaviour of adolescents as their
situation will be central in determining India’s health, mortality and morbidity; and the population
growth scenario.

A meeting was conducted by the team of teachers comprising of Mr.R.V.Raghavendra Rao, PGT
Biology, Mr.K. C. Suresh, TGT Science, Mr.N. C. Kesav,TGT Music, Ms.K.Annie Rose, TGT SUPW and
Mrs. L. Nagamani, Staff Nurse. The following agenda points were discussed for the conduction of
Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health (ARSH) program in vidyalaya and community level.

1. Selection of student trainees (40 Members)
2. Fixing the dates for Training the students by the ARSH program teachers of the Vidyalaya.
3. Invitation of Experts for conducting seminars/workshops/speeches on Adolescence problems.
4. Training the students about AIDS education drama to perform in nearby villages.
5. Conduction of Debates, Elocution, Essay Writing, Slogan writing, Painting competition etc.,

Selection of Student Trainees:

As a part of spreading awareness about Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health (ARSH), the
members of the ARSH committee of the Vidyalaya selected a group of forty student trainees from
classes IX and XI.20 Boys and 20 girls were selected.

A pre-test on Adolescent Reproductive and
Sexual Health (ARSH) is conducted for one
hour duration from 3:30 P.M. to 4:30 P.M for
all the trainees. It is aimed at evaluating their
actual knowledge regarding ARSH before the
commencement of training.

A painting competition is conducted on the
topic ‘AIDS Transmission and Prevention’. The
charts, paints and other materials required
for the competition were provided by the school. Students from all the classes had actively
participated in the program.

Training programme for the 40 selected
group of students started. The Coordinators
of the program Mr.R.V.Ragahvendra Rao, PGT
Biology, Mr. K. C. Suresh, TGT Science, Mr. N.
C. Kesav, TGT Music and Ms. Annie Rose, TGT
SUPW were present for the inauguration of
AEP workshop.

Introduction about the AEP workshop was given by Sri.N.C.kesav, Music Teacher of the Vidyalaya. To
make the program more effective the class was started with a few brainstorming exercises. The
importance of Life Skills for empowering adolescents was discussed. NCERT has identified three
components that are important for Adolescent Reproductive and sexual Health for school students.
The three components are:

i)Process of growing up ii) HIV/AIDS iii) Drug abuse.
Any human being needs workmanship and skill to reach the top most position. The definition of life
skill was given in the class. Skill is defined as the ability to do something well, usually gained by
training or experience. All the participants were divided into 8 groups composing of 5 members in
each group. So that they can perform some group activities.

As a part of ARSH program a seminar
was arranged on AIDS and Adolescent
Problems. Famous Medical Officer
Dr.Bhagavanlu was invited for giving a
seminar on this subject. He gave a
wonderful speech on the Adolescent
problems and how one should adjust to
these problems. He kept the
children in pin drop silence by his awe-
inspiring speech that was highly beneficial for the students. He briefed the students AIDS, its
transmission and prevention. He clarified the dos and don’ts to lead a healthy life. A query session
was also arranged. Students came up with lot of questions. He clarified various doubts of the
students associated with general and reproductive health.

Mr. N. C. Kesav, TGT Music continued his
lecture for the third day. He briefed the
children about the definition of adolescence,
Physical, emotional, intellectual and
behavioral changes in adolescence, parental
expectations and about the strengthening of
relationship. A mass Rangoli competition was
arranged for students on the topic AIDS.
Students actively participated in the
competition and exhibited their ideas through
colors. The winners were given prizes.

The ARSH team also continuing the AIDS
awareness program in nearby villages and
soon planning to invite and conduct a demonstration cum training on life saving skills to the
students.

HIV/AIDS Project: “Stop AIDS Keep the Promise”

JNV, Vizianagaram students took yet another brave and sensitive issue to spread awareness on AIDS
among the local community.
As a part of the initiative students with the help of few teachers, took out the rally, created banners
in both English and local dialect and approached local community members to spread the awarness.

To go step ahead, a wiki was also created.
Wiki url: http://stophivaids.pbworks.com

Other glimpses of posters and newspaper coverage attached

ICT for Upliftment of Tribal People

The project “ICT for Upliftment of Tribal People” highlights
the contribution of ICT in developing the tribal life. An
interview with those village heads, Sarpanch, Social Activist,
Doctor & Teacher gave an opportunity to know about the
problems & condition of the people as well as actions taken by the government. By this a great deal of
information was collected which tells about the present day condition of tribal people. With the data
available a power point & poster presentation on ICT for uplift of tribal people was received readily by
our peers & teachers. The presentation was showcased in the nearby hamlets to bring about awareness.

An online community was also created by placing information on wikis. Our efforts had borne fruits as
many of the people who have witnessed our project came to know about the use of ICT, value of
education & health in daily life and the effects of unemployment. And also took a decision to support
the tribal people as much they can.

To Sandhigoodem – A small village located on the foot of a hill ,midway between Andhra and Orissa,
which looks like a piece of land fallen from heaven ,with a pleasant and eco-friendly environment.

Interaction with local villagers Students examining the crops

To Thattavalasa - A beautiful tribal village located on the slope of a hill on the bank of river GOSTHANI,
with a pleasant and eco-friendly environment.

Spreading Health awareness and computer literacy programs

Local Newspaper coverage

Another project “WONDER COCONUT” was taken up by the students of JNV, Vizianagaram which
primarily highlights the essence of drinking tender coconut water vs soft drinks. An interview with a
coconut vender, soft drink dealer, teacher, dietician and Physician gave an opportunity to know about
the pros and cons of consuming soft drinks as well tender coconut water. By this a great deal of
information was collected which speaks volumes of the immense value of coconut water. With the data
available a power point presentation on wonder coconut was received readily by our peers. The
presentation was showcased in the near by hamlets to bring about awareness. An online community
was also created by placing information on wikis, blogs and e-magazines. Our efforts bore fruits as many
of the people who have witnessed our project are strongly convinced of the invaluable use of coconut
water.

Glimpses of the Project in pictures:

Community support

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Community support