On Sunday, 29th July 2012,

From 11.00am to 7.30 pm at Hauz Khas Village!

All Day! ‘Consent is Sexy’ Wall at Thadi, TARSHI’s booth with games on sexuality, Must Bol’s poster exhibition, The YP Foundation’s Photo Exhibition at Kuzart Lane, ‘Sex in a minute’ Game at Thadi

*Pre-Registration required: **Closed Event

To Register: https://docs.google.com/a/theypfoundation.org/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dGdhM3dWTVZ0ZjBzUGlYYThLaV82RWc6MQ#gid=0

Queries: +91 9953871250/ maneesha@theypfoundation.org
www.theypfoundation.org, http://www.facebook.com/events/264724733642017/

Collaborators: Breakthrough, CSR, Tarshi, CREA, Equal India, Must Bol, QC, Whats Up Bharat?, The Naz Foundation, Jagori, Pravah, Love Matters, Studio 59
Online Partners : Gotstaredat
Venue Partners : The Rose, Thadi, TLR, De Villa, LakeHouse 23, Center Lokayata (Mulk Raj), Kuzart Lane, Kunzum Café, What’s Up Bharat?

On Tuesday, 31^st July, 2012

From 2.00pm – 7.00pm

At The American Centre, 24, Kasturba Gandhi Marg, Connaught Place

2.00 – 2.30                     Registrations open for workshops!

2.30 – 2.45                      Getting started – ‘Why Speak Easy?’

2.45 – 4.30                       Speak Easy | Learn: Workshops on advocating online, citizenship journalism, filing the Right to  Information (RTI) application, and participating in online legislation with Youth Ki Awaaz, Change.Org, Get Up 4 Change, The YP Foundation and PRS Legislative.

4.30 – 6.00                      Speak Easy | Converge: Exploring the Freedom of Expression vis-à-vis its impact on accessibility and connectivity across multiple youth movements focused on gender, sexuality, education, governance and arts. Group Discussions with Venkatesh Nayak (Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative), Anja Kovacs (Founder, Internet Democracy Project), Chinmayi Arun (Centre for Internet and Society) and many others.

6.00 – 7.00                      Speak Easy | Demand: How can young people dialogue with decision makers?

Please bring an original ID with you for entry into the building.

Queries: +91 9873070457 / 10@theypfoundation.org

www.theypfoundation.org

As part of-

‘10 Years in 10 Days’ – A festival that supports youth-led social change in India

Collaborators: The YP Foundation, Youth Ki Awaaz, Change.Org, RTI Anonymous, Centre for Internet and Society, Internet Democracy Project, CHRI and PRS Legislative

Venue Partners: The American Center
To register for the event, please click here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GRK2MSN

Save These Dates: TYPF@10! There’s Going To Be A Party!

We are turning 10 this year- yes, yes- it’s true! TYPF (or The Youth Parliament as some of you knew it, back in the day) is curating ‘10 Years in 10 Days‘ – A festival that supports youth-led social change in India. We’re bringing together 3000 young people and their families and 30 of our closest partners for two weeks of  citywide madness. And you’re invited

It’ll be an opportunity to reconnect, share stories and generally just have fun Have a look at the festival schedule here. Entry is mostly either pre-registered or by passes, so mail us at 10@theypfoundation.org and we’ll get you the passes you need.

We start on July 20, 2012  and the finale brings us back to where it all started- so save these dates! Date: AUGUST 3rd and 4th, 2012 Time: 7:00PM onwards (both days) Venue: India Habitat Centre, New Delhi Join in for http://www.theypfoundation.org/10-years-in-10-days/ -

We hope you wil be there to celebrate with us!

Cheers!

All of us at The YP Foundation RSVP: 10@theypfoundation.org / +91.11.46702243

Formal Identification. It’s something that’s been in the news quite a lot these past couple of months. What with UID, and every public and private office demanding proof of citizenship and birth, it’s now become more important than ever to have one’s documents in order. Not to mention you need them to vote, to work, even to travel.

Normally, it can be a daunting prospect. Going to government offices, standing in lines, but truth be told, it isn’t that difficult. It has, in the past couple of years, become quite easy to procure identification papers. Here, Garima Sharma, a volunteer with the Right To Information branch of The YP Foundation, outlines a few general steps one can take and be well on their way to Formal Identification.

Children at the Sunder Nagar Nursery, who filed for birth certificates this year.

1. Identify the government department where you can obtain the forms for the required formal identification. If you need help here, shoot us an email at 10@theypfoundation.org and we’re quite happy to help you figure it out.
2. Obtain the form from the government office, or from the internet if accessible. Make sure that the form available online is the latest version, and note down the contact number for the concerned office in case you have any queries later.
3. Fill every space in the form with correct information because it has legal implications. It is always better to clarify all confusion from the government officer beforehand. We find it helpful to keep a photocopy of the form to fill out as draft first, before you finalize the version you need to submit.
4. If a certain piece of information asked for in the form does not apply to you, then write N.A. – Not Applicable. Do not leave it blank. The form must be filled up in a neat legible handwriting.
5. In your case if there are any odd or exceptional circumstances, explain it to the concerned authority honestly. Search for a legal remedy and not ways to hide the problem. Remember, there could be serious consequences if any fact provided in the form is proved false.
6. Understand the supporting documents required and if there is any supporting document you cannot provide, ask the government officer for alternatives. Not many people realize that the government does allow for alternatives, you just need to ask.
7. Get the forms and the photocopies of all supporting documents attested by a gazetted officer of the designation as required by the form. If the form doesn’t specify, ask the government officer to clarify that to you. What’s a gazetted officer? Read here.
8. Once the form is complete, submit it to the concerned authority. The authority may or may not be the same as the one who provided the form. Remember to always carry the original documents along with you at the time of submission, for verification, as well as extra photocopies. Never submit original documents without being 100% sure that these are required. If they are, ask clearly when they will be released back to you and what the procedure for that is.
9. Keep in mind the number of days specified by the government within which you have the right to obtain the form. Make sure to receive a receipt, which specifies the correct date of submission at the time of submission of form and the supporting documents. Unnecessary delay would amount to negligence and can be questioned.
10. The office of the concerned authority should be visited only on working days during the hours specified. Keep a file with these receipts carefully – if you have a problem later on or you need to file an RTI application, formal documentation and records become super important.

For any more information on identification, you can log on to your local state government’s website, or of the magistrate of your zone.

- Garima Sharma & Radhika Mathur, The Right to Information Programme

April 2, 2012, Delhi

Media literacy and Life Skills

When I joined The Butterfly project in 2011, my understanding of the project was limited to just honing of technical skills and imparting the same through the concept of peer-education. What I perceived of media literacy was more of just scripting, composing shots and editing of films and stories.

Kirti Gandhi, Photo: Rachit Sai Barak

I had a very restricted idea of how media and life skills were related, and if they were at all related to each other. But after working with the programme for almost 8 months now, I have realized the relevancy of life skills to media.

Media literacy would not only include composing a digital film or story. Each person interprets a message differently based on age, culture, life experiences, attitudes, values and beliefs which makes it imperative to consider such disparate understandings.  Therefore in order to ensure that the message or idea intended to be communicated is correctly interpreted, it is important to know how to express the idea and how to present it effectively for the target audience to be able to comprehend and appreciate.

A direct link 

Media being a highly creative tool of communication develops creative thinking and also allows critical thinking. It is essentially concerned with developing an informed and critical understanding of the nature of the media, the techniques used, and the impact rendered by those techniques. Also, when a particular story or film puts across an idea or thought, it allows people, who might think differently, to critically examine the idea and further encourages them to form conceptions which may prove to be contrary or similar to the one being communicated. Hence, media helps develop the process of critical examination in people, which not only makes it an effective but a highly persuasive and influential form of communication.

After joining the programme I realised that Media literacy, indeed, has a lot more to it which entails the ability to be able to interpret, analyse and appreciate the language of images and sounds.

Our team at Khushi Rainbow Home for Girls which comprises of me, Gagandeep and Baanie and a group of 10 girls from the Home – Zikra, Blessy, Roni, Shabana, Shabnam, Anmol, Sabya, Kajal, Hameeda and Sabroon, work collectively towards understanding how media makes us more resourceful, not only in terms of the tools and techniques we learn but also, by making ourselves more cognizant of the issues that surround us and affect our lives and of those living around us.

While working in the programme, I have realized what one requires to be able to communicate through any media is not just technical awareness but also cognizance of how media influences and defines our own lives and the communities we live in.

 

Developing an Understanding

The programme emphasizes not only on constructing media but also on creating meaning. The girls at the Home come from different backgrounds and have a deep understanding of the issues which they have seen around themselves. The use of digital stories helps them express reality through their own stories.

Storyboarding by Girls at Khushi, Photo: Rachit Sai Barak

Skills like problem solving, creative and critical thinking, awareness and sensitivity towards the issues of the communities the girls live in and ability to communicate these to the outside world, which the girls develop during the process, enables them to address & advocate for change and consequently become active participants in society.

 

 

The goal is to make the young girls we work with exercise their full right to expression. We envision the girls feeling empowered and safe enough to express themselves and use media to analyze, access, evaluate issues they feel passionate about. We hope that the media they create through this process strengthens their voices and encourages them to speak out loud. 

It would be appropriate to assume media literacy as a process of self-discovery, recognizing and channelizing the innate talent present in each one of us. The programme not only enables us to broaden our perspectives but further sensitizes us to the various tools and techniques that can be used to express and voice our opinions.

- Kirti Gandhi, Peer-educator, The Butterfly Project

The Butterfly Project is a Digital Storytelling program that works with 20 boys (aged 13-20) and 25 girls (aged 13-20) from vulnerable backgrounds; and 14 peer educators from the National Capital Region (NCR) at the Ummeed Home For Boys, Khushi and Kilkari Rainbow Home for Girls, run by ‘Dil Se Campaign‘ (Managed jointly by our partner organizations, the Center For Equity Studies and Aman Biradari).

The peer educators – Mudit, Shaman, Ishan and Garima work at Ummeed Home for Boys with Armaan, Salmaan, Ramzan, Akshay, Sukhbir, Sanah Ullah, Sukhdev, Raja, Ismail, Vijay, Rohit, Rahul, Suraj, Fahim, Chand, Ameer, Sameer, Rakesh and Raju.

The peer educators – Munmun, Saral, Natasha, Meghna and Vidhi work at the Kilkari Rainbow Home for Girls with Sonam, Ameena, Basanti, Rihaana, Ruksaana, Kajal, Sonia, Nikita, Puja Raju, Puja Manoj, Manju and Mona.

To follow the other blog of The Butterfly Project, Click here.

To read about the ‘Dil Se Superstars’ Programme, Click here.