Mentor India – Our Little Superheroes Save Their School From Snakes! [Video]

Mentor India classes have been going on wonderfully in Paranga Vidya Kendra in Magadi, which we always refer to as the Pyramid school, well because how often do you get a chance to teach in classrooms that are each designed as a self-sufficient pyramid? The classrooms have natural lighting and natural cooling systems, and require no lights or fans. The school is nestled amongst lush greenery from all sides, which contributes to the beauty of the school and makes the environment very conducive to learning.

Design For Change

While all these are fantastic factors, the students in the school did face some problems. To tackle them, we thought why not involve the students themselves! To make this activity exciting, we used the open Design For Change curriculum. First we introduced the idea of superheroes to the kids, and after talking about various superheroes in reel and real life, we explored the idea of how would it be if each one of them had a hidden superhero deep inside? The students were very excited about this prospect!

Identifying Problems To Solving Them

Using a couple of classes, we took the students through 4 stages namely: Feel, Imagine, Do and Share. From pointing out the big problems they face and coming to a common consensus on which problems to collectively tackle first, to presenting it in front of the class as a team, our kids did it all… for the first time!

How to solve the 3 biggest problems they face in the school?

1. Cleanliness

2. Snakes

3. Mosquitoes

They then got into groups to come up with ideas to find solutions to the problem, which were then discussed, and the most popular idea got everyone’s vote! What were the genius solutions?

1. 1. To tackle the littering, they decided to make garlands out of littered chocolate wrappers and hang it everywhere to spread the message of not to throw them everywhere.

   2. To get rid of snakes from their classrooms and play area, they introduced peacock feathers in the classroom, planted a local plant called ‘malekanesi’ inside the classroom, and cleared the surroundings.

   3. To say goodbye to the mosquito menace they planted neem plants inside and outside the classes, which act as natural mosquito repellents!

Our Little Superheroes Are Truly So!

We were struck by these indigenous solutions that the kids came up with, which were so unique and effective. Even we would have never thought of these innovative and creative ways to deal with these problems. After planting neem and malekanesi plants in the classroom, the question was how do you water them. The solution was all kids contributing INR 1 and buying a plastic pot! Who would have thought crowdfunding ideas can be birthed in a place where there is not even cell phone receptivity!!!

We were purely awed and so convinced that these kids are definitely the real superheroes, who were just not aware of their superpowers. And that is where we came in! Today, the kids have beautifully designated roles amongst themselves to ensure these solutions continue to be effective. The roles change every week, and this is how the whole class participates actively in keeping their problems at bay.

From learning the importance of team work and communication to imbibing the spirit of confidence and creative thinking, the kids today are so confident that they can solve more problems in their school with timely mentor intervention (and are very eager to get on to the next project!) While we prepared to shoot the video above, the students started forming their own English sentences and tried their best to share their learnings with the world outside. They want all the students everywhere in the world to know that they are the real superheroes and just about anyone can be one!!! 🙂

Enjoyed reading about this? Then you might like to read Volunesia Diaries – A Beautiful Collaboration With Even Better Results

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