The ‘Design for Giving’ contest will document 100 stories of change from across India.
“I like this concept of helping others in need as much as I like acting. It could be anything from a shoe drive to a mass donation to a charity, or even a ‘smile at strangers’ day. Two worlds will meet through this idea and the results, although long-term, will be outstanding,” actor and activist Rahul Bose said while addressing a press conference on the ‘Design for Giving’ competition at the Ahmedabad Management Association in the city on Tuesday.
Bose is the brand ambassador for this unique concept that aims to empower children, from being ‘helpless’ to being ‘drivers of change’. The final objective of the ‘Design for Giving’ competition, which focuses on schoolchildren between 10 and 13 years of age, is to document 100 powerful stories of change from schools from 12 states of India into a curriculum for children.
The competition is part of the ‘Joy of Giving’ week, a concept created by the GiveIndia foundation, and it will be held from September 27 to October 3. It intends to inspire people from all walks of life to ‘give’, be it smiles, books, time or even hope.
The Riverside School from Ahmedabad has reached out to more than 30,000 private and public, rural and government schools across India, and more than 1 lakh children are expected to participate in the competition.
“The children’s bold, fresh ideas will be documented and showcased to demonstrate that Indian children can ‘design’ solutions for the nation’s greatest challenges,” said founder and director of the school, Kiran Sethi.
Sethi is on the panel for the Ahmedabad leg of the ‘Design for Giving’ competition, alongside Bose; Manu Rawal, chairman of the Municipal School Board; Aditya Natraj, founder and director of the Kaivalya Education Foundation; and Manjula Pooja Shroff, chairperson of the Calorx Foundation.
Shroff believes that the age-old ‘chalk and talk’ method of teaching in India must change. “This is a simple yet strong concept. Whether you are a paanwala in Lucknow, a traffic cop in Mumbai, an idli seller in Madurai, a millionaire in Delhi, a multinational company in Bangalore, a sari shop owner in Kolkata, a teenager or college-goer in Vadodara, you can do your bit to help,” she said.
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