I remember my first meeting at Tarini Barat’s house over 4 years ago, with team facilitator Harsh Malhotra, both of whom now alumni of the organization, and also dear friends today. To me this is the true relevance of TYPF – it creates lasting relationships and relevant situations for young people to converge and converse, and to create conventional, and sometimes exceptionally unconventional change.

I never believe in pivotal turning points in time, an “aha” moment – they is illusory. One of the key values I learnt during my time working with TYPF as a team member and staff member was perseverance. I worked in the Facilitative Branch (project on the Indian Education System), and as the Administrative Coordinator (2007-2008) with a host of projects. Subsequently to leaving the staff team, in 2008 I worked on another project of which I am very proud – a cultural exchange project with Afghan students in Delhi through film, art, literature and dialogue. TYPF gave me 100% freedom and creativity to source, compile and edit and design a 180-page magazine featuring work on the issue of “Understanding Afghanistan Today”. I can’t think of any other organization that would do that!

I never fancied myself a management oriented person (most of the time I still don’t!), but that experience though challenging, really helped me understand what goes into creating and sustaining development work, particularly in an urban setting, which is volunteer oriented. Though only with research, practice and experience have I really learnt what volunteer management, project management or program development are – I cannot honestly say I would have had the confidence to move out of TYPF and begin Music Basti. I owe the staff team and projects at TYPF for their trust in and encouragement to me.

By mid 2008, I had realized that I wanted to go back to music, but to also carry forward a social conscience, which was growing within me, which still is. Writing now, two years hence I realize that I have learnt so much, yet so little since that time. The struggles become easier in some respects, and harder in others. Most people will scoff at this reference, “We’re never gonna win the world, we’re never gonna stop the war, we’re never gonna beat this, if belief is what we’re fighting for. What puts a hundred thousand children in the sand? Belief can” (John Mayer, “Belief”)

I find myself confronted constantly with the dilemma of not knowing what is enough, when to stop. I started Music Basti as a collective – to collaborate and create music to make a difference and to change people’s lives. Is it enough? Truthfully, sometimes even I really don’t think so. But it changes people’s lives – and that is what matters, and continues to matter.

In 2008 when Music Basti began implementing workshops with the “Dil Se” Campaign, Aman Biradari along with many key artistes, musicians and mentors, it made a difference to my life, and to the attitudes of everyone we worked with. It unraveled a world often unvisited by us; it triggered conversation, laughter, tears and most importantly lasting relationships. TYPF played a critical role in assisting Music Basti to launch its program, through infrastructural support, planning assistance and volunteer help. Music Basti’s first public program at India Habitat Center in November 2008 was co-hosted with TYPF – which was a showcase of a documentary film about the pilot project Music Basti, a concert by supporting band Advaita and a photography exhibition documenting music- workshops by Shiv Ahuja.

With the completion of many successful projects in 2008-2009, I graduated in 2009 and have been working full time with Integrated Development Education Association, of which Music Basti is a part. The program has scaled up its activities; outreach and most significantly, broadened its vision. TYPF has been a constant actor and support in this process, along with many other organizations and institutions who have joined in to support Music Basti including Aman Biradari, Bridge Music Academy, EFICOR, Gibson Foundation, Project Ahimsa, Furtados Music India among others. Music Basti was selected for the Change Looms (DAC program) in July 2009 (Pravah and Ashoka).

What encourages me is the process we believe in – to give children voices where they have had none, to give our team of volunteers and musicians an engaging and distinctive musical opportunity and to promote the shared vision of these voices. I believe strongly that children’s voices need to be heard – that they have important things to say. There are many ways to listen to these voices and music is one.

Music has the unique ability to transcend differences and to promote cooperation, positivity in the group and self, laughter and enthusiasm. The right to expression exists on the premise that participation and inclusivity exist, which unfortunately they often do not, particularly for children who are marginalized from society or subjugated by it.
An example of a project Music Basti is currently doing in July 2010 Music Basti is doing a project with UK based producer Ian Wallman, with Andrew Dubber and Jez Collins who are members of the Interactive Cultures Research Unit and are behind the Music As Culture project, to record an album of children’s songs, performed by children affected by poverty, homelessness and abuse. The album will be released online to showcase the change music effects in these children’s lives through music.

This piece will never be a cohesive one. Its timeline swings back and forth to reveal an outstanding relationship that is important to me personally and professionally. I still value my commitment to TYPF in the time and capacity I can offer, and work with assisting their projects and teams when possible. TYPF and its Founder, Ishita Chaudhry have consistently supported my programs, events and mission from the inception of Music Basti. I admire organizations that are carried by individuals with a vision and a perspective for change, and those who are armed with perseverance, because this work is far more often not easy than it is effortless – TYPF is one such organization.

The YP Foundation in collaboration with The Kri Foundation present an evening of music featuring Members of The Texas (TPSMEA) All-State Choir, Chayan Adhikari (Advaita), Adhir Ghosh (Five8), Faith Gonsalves and Ishita Chaudhry (Social Entrepreneurs and Singers), Dharna Noor (Western Classical and Folk), Gangotri (Indian Folk) & Cobbled Street (Funk Jazz).

Date: 5th August
Time: 7 pm
Venue: India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road.

For any queries please contact +91 9910337160 / +91 9811073010

We look forward to seeing you there!

~ Entry is Free. Bring your friends! ~

Music Basti
in association with
Bridge Music Academy
presents

A concert featuring

Dr Madan Gopal Singh and group (sufi folk)
with
Adil & Vasundhara (RnB and jazz)
& a special performance by
The Yale Gospel Choir (part of their Spring India 2010 tour)

An evening of diverse musical artistes coming together to support awareness about child rights.

Date: 10th March, 2010
Time: 7pm onwards
Venue: Amphitheater, India Habitat Center, Lodhi Road, New Delhi
Contact: musicbasti@gmail.com / +91 9818453347
www.musicbasti.org

Music Basti is supported by
The YP Foundation
EFICOR
Bridge Music Academy
Aman Biradari
American Center
Furtados Music India
Gibson
and others

Poster Design by: Noel Braganza

_______________________________
ABOUT MUSIC BASTI
Music Basti’ began in 2008 to work with and empower street children through music. The program is currently working with 200 children in Delhi with organization Aman Bidarari and The YP Foundation. It is working to develop a music program that teaches basic music education, coupled with human rights education and life skills. It focuses on helping the children to develop self- identity, value orientation and attitudes. Alongside this, it endeavors to join together community needs of children at risk, particularly street children, with the efforts of the music community.

Music Basti is run by IDEA (Integrated Development Education Association), and supported by The YP Foundation. It works with Aman Biradari, and Bridge Music Academy. Music Basti was selected for the Change Looms development and assessment program in July 2009 (Pravah and Ashoka) and Vikalp: Searching for Alternates (UNESCO, UNFPA and The YP Foundation.). The project combines professionals and student volunteers and musicians. It aims to develop a collaborative and positive relationship between the music community, individuals and institutions, and through them raise awareness about the issue of child rights, and the use of the arts, particularly music to create this awareness.

As for V.O.I.C.E.S., we’re the School Project of the YP Foundation. We go into schools across the NCR and conduct FUN (yes, they’re fun!), interactive, facilitative Life Skills workshops on pre-identified themes (such as Peer Influence, Substance Use, Body Esteem, etc.). The idea being, to create a non-judgmental, open and interactive space for teenagers to discuss anything and everything (well, almost) pertinent to their lives. Our 10-year World Peace Goal? (Or World Peach Goal, as Maitreyi likes to put it). That School Students are able to effectively deal with the challenges of every day life.

After what feels like 45 years of research, we’ve finally arrived at a 3-part workshop model, which hopefully can be adapted and used as the VOICES model for some years to come. Ooh and, we’ve finally printed our Manual! YAY!!

And we have an awesome team of 13 people from colleges around Delhi, that all worked on the Manual BTW! Besides this, we’re looking at working with some other organizations, as well as using different mediums (besides the conventional workshop model) to engage with schools whilst the team is in and out for exams in December and January.

We’re at the 6th of December (haha, the delusional idea I had of starting studying on the 1st), and everything looks awesome! We’re pretty much sold out, which is always a good thing. And I’m sure it’s going to go off great! Really looking forward to it

AND finally we are doing a fundraiser! Its so cool to think that we will have a concert and actually walk away with some money as opposed to having no money to pay the band,printers etc and dealing with the repercussions next year.

Also I just read Ila’s post and now i’m under pressure to write a decent and ENTHUSIASTIC blog. I really didn’t know this could be so stressful! {smirk}

The website is UP and its so so so cool. I can actually say the sentence- “why don’t you go look at our WEBSITE, all the information you need is up there”!! all hail Gaurav Vaz and everyone else who worked on it!

As for blending spectrum we have our lesson plans for December and Jan ready and have also come up with health care lesson plans which will hopefully be approved SOON. We are hopefully going to paint sarai. YES. ACTUALLY PAINT THE ENTIRE PLACE. and everyone on staff is invited to get down and dirty with us and the kids.   (still have to talk to Aman Biradari though). Blending spectrum is also working on the Nutrition challenge which is driving Pattie and Chandini up the wall! ALSO WE HAVE NEW VOLUNTEERS! whoopee! Volunteers and money make people in the YP very very happy.

So all in all i’m really excited about the event!The performers and the MONEY that we will hopefully make!! I am sure it will be really awesome! looking forward to it!

Which brings us to the point where I’ve been asked to write 300 words on what I’m doing right now. Tough one, that.

My name is Ila Reddy and I currently head The Right to Information Branch at The YP Foundation.  There’s so much happening around here, I can’t decide where to start!

We work on the broad issues of governance and accountability- with special focus on the Right to Information Act this year. We do workshops in colleges to create awareness amongst young college students about the Act, while equipping them with the tools to utilize it as a medium of accountability from public authorities.  Our workshop series start from the 11th of December at North Campus, Delhi University, so my team of 15 volunteers are currently in training- gearing up for the insanely busy month ahead!
Like starting with workshops just a day after our first ever fundraiser isn’t  scary enough, we’re also partnering with Swechha, UNV, UNDP and others on the International Volunteer Day Yamuna clean-up at the banks of the Yamuna on the 5th of December.  Add to that juggling between college, assignments, team trainings, staff meetings, a bad cold, attempts at fund raising, writing scary proposals and doing what I’m doing right now- that pretty much sums it up.

By the look of it, preparations for the fundraiser concert seem to be going really really well! As Angarika mentioned, ticket sales are on the rise and logistically also everything seems to be going great! Watching the Silhouette and Admin teams (not to mention a million other people!) put in so much back-breaking hard work, I KNOW the event is going to be a major success! All the best guys!

Its so much easier being part of the audience. One gets to amble in, be ushered to a seat, kick back and groove to the music. The organisers on the other hand, running back and forth like plucked chickens.

We finalized our design – the posters look lovely! Thank you Gunjan! I’m not entirely sure how were going to resize the prints in order to mount flexes though. Err. Oh and our website is up! (which is how you’re reading this).

It took 93840985 years (Chaudhry is techincally challenged) but I think it was worth all the waiting. Thank you Gaurav! So many people to thank for their support.

We’re trying to wrap our heads around production right now – Stage set up, light, sound, ushering, registration tables – the whole works. You’d think we’d be more organised seeing as we’ve been doing this for nearly 7 years now. But no, the last minute frantic dashing around is a staple feature every time. Its part of the fun though.

Our ticket sales are going through the roof! Which is strange because we haven’t started our publicity yet..hm. Noones complaining though, maybe we’ll finally get salaries! My life consists of running from one meeting to the other. Its begining to weigh heavy on my wallet and college attendance. The sound vendor, car rental, Kishan ji at the Ashoka, oh crap I just realised I haven’t set that meeting up.

Purple remains in an intergral part of the entire event as we try and bring it all together. Its doubly difficult without having her around to lighten the tension with a wholly inappropriate joke, or insert a logo onto the poster last minute, vowing not to do it the next time around “no poster for your next event” etc etc, knowing full well, she’d be doing it again the next night. Its just how she was, patient and gracious with all our tardy behaviour. The concert is a dedication to her, and her spirit, and we hope you all turn up to share that moment with us.

I’m over Chaudhry’s word limit. Sorry mom. More soon! Wish us luck!

-Angarika

It will be a show like no other and what better way to do it than to support the young kids of Delhi actually doing something about things they are passionate about!

We are hard at work putting the whole thing together, we just hope you guys have marked your calendars and will turn up on the 10th of December with all your friends and support our cause when you go out and have fun!

Blending Spectrum – Health, Education and Peer Based Counseling

Launched in 2006, Blending Spectrum connects urban young people through a peer-to peer community interaction with street and slum children, with the aim of increasing sensitivity between street and slum children and the urban youth. Blending Spectrum provides healthcare and non-formal education (including Life Skills Based Education), facilitating the potential of children with limited access to opportunities.

The project works in two locations at the Nizamuddin Basti and at the Sarai Hostel (with partner Aman Biradiri) in South and North Delhi respectively. Bending Spectrum currently supports over 160 children and works with 30 volunteers. In the past year, we have incorporated 60 children into mainstream education by equipping them with basic knowledge of math and English. Blending Spectrum is supported by the Global Fund for Children.

Project 19: Know Your Body, Know Your Rights

Project 19 trains young people to become Peer Facilitators on the issue of HIV/AIDS, Sexuality, Health and Rights. Peer Facilitators develop independent research case studies, produce their own short films and literature and conduct yearlong awareness campaigns that include hosting public discussions and workshops with young people.

The project has reached out to over 1,500 young people through its workshops and has also expanded nationally, to host The Project 19 Annual Festival, that brings together over 600 at risk and marginalized group and urban youth together in Delhi from 12 states in India to lobby and articulate their collective rights to their sexual reproductive rights and health. Project 19 has been supported by NACO, UNDP, UNAIDS, UNICEF, The Ford Foundation, The Packard Foundation and TARSHI and worked in partnership with companies like Punj Lloyd and Moser Baer.

What Does Your Vote Want? Young People, Citizenship and Governance

The Right to Information Branch develops young people’s engagement with legislative research, increased awareness on laws in India and their application to our daily lives. What Does Your Vote Want?’ is a non political, non partisan project both initiated and run by young people in 2008 that aims at sensitizing young voters, by giving them relevant and necessary information regarding the Indian Electoral System. Last year, the project successfully registered more than 4000 people in Delhi and Raipur, Chhattisgarh.

The natural question, post Elections 2009 was, what next? How do we make young people active in governance processes? The project is training a group of young peer educators on using The RTI Act in India, further conducting college workshops, panel discussions, meet your leader accountability sessions and other methods of community advocacy.

The campaign has partnered with Channel V, Live Mint and Radio Mirchi. In partnership with Sony, The YP Foundation released ‘Say Something’ featuring renowned international artists such as John Mayer, The Fray, Michael Jackson, Pink etc in May 2009, a music album that promotes the What Does Your Vote Want campaign across India.

V.O.I.C.E.S – The School Project – Addressing Life Skills and Mental Health

V.O.I.C.E.S – The School Project is a peer education project that aims at developing stronger life skills and informed decision making with school going adolescents, addressing mental health issues that continue to grow in importance in urban schools. VOICES conducts a yearlong module, training 20 University Peer Educators on a range of issues including depression, bullying, substance abuse and eating disorders linked to peer pressure, stereotyping and the influence of appearances on adolescents.

V.O.I.C.E.S provides a safe, non-judgmental space for adolescences to express and formulate their attitudes on issues relevant to them. A recommendations report is provided to each school at the end of the process, to suggest further, self-sustaining steps the school can engage in, to continue an open dialogue. V.O.I.C.E.S engages 20 volunteers and has worked with The Shri Ram School, Sanskriti School, DPS RK Puram, Bluebells International School and Vasant Valley School amongst others. DELL and Milkfood have supported the project.

The Butterfly Project – Supporting Film & Literature

The Butterfly Project runs:

• The Bridge, an independent magazine series run by young people, on issues that they are personally committed to. The Bridge is edited, designed, produced and funded by young people. 6 editions have been released since 2004.
• The Film Series, an annual film festival that encourages amateur and professional filmmakers to share short films on social issues. Last year, over 500 people attended the film festival over 2 days where 12 movies were screened from all over the country.
• Digital Storytelling: We with the Global Fund for Children and the Center for Digital Media and Storytelling to train young people to create their own digital media stories.

The Butterfly Project works with a team of 20 volunteers and has been supported by the Global Fund for Children, IDEA, The Idea Works, Punj Lloyd and the Nishit Saran Foundation.

Silhouette – Enabling the Arts

Silhouette creates stronger platforms to showcase young artistes and develops resources to exchange information and raise awareness on music education and theatre. Silhouette works under two initiatives:

• The Open House Series: An innovative conversation space designed for young people to explore the many faces of the arts. Silhouette conducts workshops and forums created to question, reinvent, challenge and reveal perspectives in music and theatre.
• Impromptu: A performance showcase that focuses on giving artistes working with theatre and music in Delhi a space to showcase their work, making their idea, process and ‘product’ accessible to new audiences.

Since 2005, Silhouette has supported establishing young people’s initiatives in the arts, from Wide Aisle Productions, a theatre production group to acclaimed music group Artistes Unlimited. Silhouette curated The 15 Minute Fringe Festival in December 2006 for Kri Foundation and Kat Katha and partners extensively with The American Centre. Platform Magazine, News X, Traffic Life Magazine, Punj Lloyd and Hit 95 FM have supported Silhouette.