Overordnede mål
The projects overall development objective is that inclusive, participatory and sustainable local self government institutions will foster, evolve and institutionalise an easily accessible and community stewarded After School programme at their neighbourhood schools, as an open and creative inter-generational learning space for the rural poor to alleviate poverty by promoting ‘lifelong learning for all’.
Umiddelbare mål
1. Through the After School skilling programme, rural youth with low educational attainment levels have significantly increased their livelihood security through NRM and have also strengthened general life skills on health care, LSGI services and entitlements, and local culture and identity. 2. Gram Panchayats (GPs), their functionaries and constituency based committees are managing, implementing and promoting After School programmes for rural youth at neighbourhood schools on a continuous basis, based on a consolidated number of vocational training courses conducted by CROs and LRPs, drawing on relevant input from Panchayat Samitis and relevant State Government Departments at the Block level. 3. Panchayat Samitis (PSs) are actively supporting the After School programme in 100 pilot schools and engaging in dissemination of demonstrated models to district and state level actors, while GPs are displaying increased ownership of the After School programme and are replicating the demonstrated models in their other constituencies in the Blocks.
Målgrupper
The project's primary target group is 3000 young men and women from poor families across the two poorest districts in West Bengal, who have low educational attainment levels or have dropped out before completing middle school. Majority of the youth will be women with ethnic minority backgrounds (tribals, Dalits). The secondary target groups are: a) 100 Community Resource Organisers (CROs), proposed by communities to convene neighbourhood meetings, interface with the communities for their needs and arrange suitable resource persons, and b) 400 Local Resource Persons (LRPs) from the surrounding communities who will function as ‘co-teachers’ and ‘resource persons’ with repositories of local knowledge, skills and culture. At least a third of these LRPs should be women living in the immediate surrounding communities. The tertiary target groups are: a) Relevant Local Self Government Institutions (LSGIs), including 100 GP’s Constituency based committees in 20 GPs among 13 PSs (in which 52 staff members of 4 Relevant State Departments at Block (PS) level will be involved), and b) The 2 local, rural civil society organisations (CSOs), in partnership with whom the mainstream collaborative initiative is to be implemented.
Resume
This intervention aims to foster a community stewarded and easily accessible After School program for dropped-out youth to alleviate poverty through skills-building modules. Based on needs-assessments with the targeted communities these modules will focus on a) natural resource management, b) health care c) local governance, and d) local culture and identity. The project is located in 20 rural (GP) areas of West Bengal, targeting 3000 young men and women from poor families, who have low educational attainment levels or have dropped out of school before completing middle school. It aims to mobilize 100 local Community Resource Organizers who will be responsible for arranging the work of 400 Local Resource Persons. These will deliver training courses, build the capacities of the targeted youth. Municipalities, functionaries and committees will be capacitated to manage the program. Evidence-based advocacy will be used to leverage government tiers to institutionalize the concept of an After School program. The project is implemented in collaboration with Ahead Initiatives plus two local CSOs.