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Apprentice Project inspires underprivileged children to dream big
The project aims to develop social and emotional skills among low-income group children in the age group of nine to fifteen years. HT caught up with him before their art exhibition which will be held on February 22
Anand Gopakumar, co-founder Tap or the Apprentice Project, has worked at the grass-root level in the education sector for five years. The project aims to develop social and emotional skills among low-income group children in the age group of nine to fifteen years. HT caught up with him before their art exhibition which will be held on February 22 where children from 300 Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) schools will showcase their skills.
What is the Apprentice Project?
The Apprentice Project or Tap which started in 2016 aims to develop social and emotional skills including creativity, confidence, teamwork among others among low-income kids in the age group of nine to fifteen years. We initiated the project to help students from low-income groups who lack socio-emotional skills and exposure to be successful. The current school ecosystem primarily focuses on rote-learning which lacks cognitive development. The education provided in schools overlooks the individuality of each child. There is no socio-emotional learning or real-world exposure. This leads to them being forever stuck in the cycle of poverty. The National Sample Survey Organisation Research says that 32 out of 100 students drop out of school in the age group of 10-14 years because they do not think education is necessary.
Could you elaborate on the kind of work undertaken by Tap?
Tap selects and places high-skilled volunteers, facilitators, from colleges and corporates in under-resourced schools for one year. The volunteers mentor and inspire children across the domains of visual, performance and technical arts, which also includes sports. these activities are held for children every Saturday. We use these mediums (of arts and sports) to build social and emotional skills (communication, creativity, critical thinking among others ) which can help a child be successful in the 21st century. Currently, Tap works with 2,500 students across 19 schools with 200+ facilitators in Pune and Mumbai.
What events are conducted in the city?
For a year Tap has conducted hackathons for children across the city. During the event they can showcase their skills of problem-solving, computationally thinking and learn to collaborate and persevere. Children are asked to create an animation or interactive application using the Scratch platform.
Tap ted ed-Ted talks is a popular medium that is devoted to sharing unique ideas of people around the world on issues ranging from science to business to global trends and has been doing so since 1984. As an organization, TED offers a “Ted-Ed student talk programme” which makes it possible for children from schools around the world to share their own ideas in the form of Ted-style talks.
How do children benefit ?
Children and youth in low-income communities are surrounded by a belief system that destiny is determined by one’s background. The education system fails them by disregarding their individuality. Even if they aspire to pursue their passion, the exposure gap makes it out of reach for them. The events bridge the wide gap to connect their interests and abilities to the right opportunity and right people.
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Event details
Date: February 22, 2020
Time: 11am to 6pm
Venue: Art Mandala, Vidya Vilas, Parkhe Trust House, FC road, HDFC Bank lane, opposite Lalit Mahal hotel
