We have a day for giving thanks, two for getting deals, and on Tuesday, December 3, 2013, global charities, families, businesses, community centers, students, and more come together to create Giving Tuesday. It’s a simple idea. Be a part of a national celebration of our great tradition of generosity and donate to the REAL Annual Fund this Giving Tuesday!
Inspiring passion for education and learning must happen at a formative age so a child’s curiosity can fuel a life-long pursuit of knowledge. We want to use the fun of science to encourage and build the thirst for knowledge and literacy. If you agree, donate TODAY to our Giving Tuesday campaign. WE NEED YOU ON OUR TEAM!
Four Goals For 2014 - 2016
1) Because a child cannot learn on an empty stomach we want to "adopt" a rural village school and provide mid-day meals to children below the poverty-line through the Akshay Patra organization. To sponsor a school and feed 180 students for one year, it will cost $2,500
2) Increase our annual PPES grant from $1,500 to $2,000 which helps to provide three meals, life-skills, education, vocational training and guaranteed employment to girls from very poor families.
3) Continue funding the Thane Discover Program that benefits over 2,000 adivasi tribal children with enrichment programs for teachers and students - $3,000
Good Teachers and Teaching Aids Make a Difference
4) Pilot a two year hands-on Discover REALscience Program to bring activity based learning to village schools that have minimal resources and crowded classrooms.
PROJECT IMPACT: Over a full school year, a total of 15,800 student hours of science and math activities will be possible (that is 63,360 hands-on activities achieved) and 10,000 hours of computer training with 10 laptops.
Total Project Cost Will Be: $32,000
The journey begins with your support and ends with a bright future.
You can be a part of the change by giving to the REAL Annual Fund
Director of PPES Visits From India View This Inspiring Video
By Anika Raghuvanshi
We were very fortunate to have Ms. Renuka Gupta, Director of Pardada Pardadi Educational Society, visit us from India in early October. Pardada Pardadi Educational Society (PPES) is a rural school located in the impoverished district of Anoopshehar in Uttar Pradesh that REAL has supported for the past four years. PPES’s mission is to empower girls and women from the poorest sections of the society with focus on education for girls, health & hygiene programs, livelihood promotion, and social empowerment.
While Ms. Gupta was on her annual trip to the US, she visited Portland at our request with the sole purpose of meeting with the REAL board to give us more insight into the school, its mission and day to day operation. We saw a very informative Videoon the school which featured interviews with some of the girls who attend PPES. The happiness and excitement displayed by the students at PPES in the video was heartwarmingly inspirational. We learned that established just twelve years ago, PPES has made incredible progress and now caters to 1200 girl students in grades K-12. The graduation rates have continued to increase and more and more girls want to attend school. Through her presentation, we could feel Ms. Gupta's special connection with each individual girl at PPES and her sincere concern for their overall development.
There were lively discussions following the presentation and REAL youth board members had a number of questions for about various aspects of the school such as the admission process, the subjects taught in different grades, the self-sustainability, and what we can do to help more. Adult board members later commented that they could see the light bulbs go on in our minds and were impressed by our level of our general interest and involvement. Renuka Aunty emphasized how much of a difference we make by supporting PPES and its mission.
I speak for the whole REAL board in saying that Ms. Gupta's visit was extremely informational and motivational for all of us. It not only helped us connect with the larger mission of education for all, but made us feel good about the impact that REAL is making by being involved with a program like PPES which is changing the lives of girls in rural India. We were also delighted to be able to present the organization with an additional check of $500 during her visit making our total grant for PPES $1,500 for the year. Over the last four years we have given $3,500 to PPES.
Please visit the PPES website for more information
Discover 'REALscience'
Pilot Program Needs Funding
By Harsha Uppili
REAL Youth to Youth is very excited to introduce a mobile Science Education Program concept called REALscience, to rural schools. The purpose of this program is to supplement the traditional textbook curriculum by providing a platform for hands on learning.
Allowing the students to discover concepts for themselves creates proficiency that plain textbook reading cannot. Studies have shown that students learn best through direct experience as opposed to ‘watching and listening’ It is very important to give them opportunities for self-exploration. Hands-on learning provides the stimulation necessary to keep children engaged and interested while they make acute observations.
The primary goal of REAL Youth to Youth is to provide a highly stimulating and intellectually challenging environment in which students can learn about the scientific wonders of life. Students would participate in science activities where they can make delightful discoveries, engage in exciting explorations and investigate about wild wonders.
REAL Youth to Youth envisions hands-on, practical, and experiential learning that will enrich the existing educational programs by providing make shift Science labs. From a central base, a team of 5 instructors will go to village classrooms and conduct science and computer literacy workshops. In this hour, students will complete four fifteen minute activities. The program will reach six schools visiting each school once a week. On weekdays there will be four groups or 80 students who will complete one hour of activities. On Saturday there will be 40 students who work to complete activities. 440 students per week will be participating in the program.
Parallel to the hands-on activities there will be a simultaneous computer training workshop. Ten laptops with an instructor will conduct 30 min computer training lessons. 440 students per week will have 30 mins of computer instruction.
REAL Youth to Youth has developed lesson plans for the hands on Science activities on topics that are synchronized with school science curriculum, and local Science teachers will have input into the activities list. Over a 9 month school year, a total of 15,840 student hours of activities will be possible or 63,360 fifteen minute activities will be achieved.
We hope that the launch of Discover REALscience will spark a lifelong interest in learning. REAL’s goal is to foster confidence in science achievements in every student by reaching to as many schools as possible.
If you have any questions about Discover REALscience program, please free to write to us at REAL@REALyouth.org.
Our Recent Work
Portland Marathon By Inca Gunter
In the month of October, REAL helped out with the 2013 Portland Marathon. This is an event which we as an organization have helped out with in the past couple years, and hope to continue to do so in years to come. Our members provided assistance at the finish line whether it was handing out t-shirts or food to the runners or just cleaning up the area during and after the race. For our contributions to the event, Portland Marathon will make a donation to REAL for the our work. In the last four years we have raised a total of $1,750 from this event.
Bollywood Dance Party
By Radhika Subrahmanyan
Following the success of our first Bollywood Dance Party, REAL hosted another fundraiser this September. For this event, each youth board member was encouraged to invite several friends in order to both experience Indian culture and raise money for a good cause. Thanks to the hard work of both the youth and adult members of the board and after a fun night of dancing and food, REAL was able to make a profit of $990 dollars from this fundraiser.
You are getting this newsletter because you subscribed to this newsletter on our website or you are a friend and supporter of REAL: Youth To Youth. We thank you for your continued interest in rural edcuation in India and education for ALL! Reach us at REALnewsletter@REALyouth.org. More information about REAL at www.REALyouth.org
