Click here for MoM of the National Facilitators Meet

BEST PRACTICES

Kanini

• Process standardization and role clarity for everyone – Media wiki
• Gathering and brainstorming – Kanini Fun day
• Roles and opportunities across levels focusing people management – reduced our attrition

LE Maths & Science

• Decentralizing & delegating work: National level, city level and center level focusing on volunteer engagement/retention
• Lead LE: A platform to identify next set of leaders
• Math carnival & Science exhibition: Fun way of engaging & assessing kids
• Supermarkets, workshops and field trips for engaging kids

Speak Out

• Selection Procedure For Batch Heads
• Center Preference Form
• Pre-training needs data collection

Lakshya

• Well defined plan and review through structured reporting
• Continuous improvements and trying new things
• Successful volunteer engagement activities

SHORT TERM PLANS

Kanini

• Conducting regular training sessions for volunteers to deliver the syllabus in a better way
• Regular visits by project / zonal coordinators to the centres
• Creating a National Assessment repository
• Effective utilization of Pre-assessment summation for final growth estimation
• Launching Kanini’s newsletter by the PR team
• Better Computer Quest –Workshops during computer quest with better prizes for our kids. 9th Feb prelims and 23rd Feb finals (tentative dates) for all cities

LE Maths

• Feedback system: Work under progress –> In-charge- S&T team, Deadline: March 2014
• Mentor-mentee group to be initiated in Chennai: Plan pushed to next year -> Background work will be done by Nalini this year
• Cross city interaction: Once a month con-call, whatsapp group, Role specific National Level interaction via e-Mail[S&T, Resource], Lead-LE planning.

LE Science

• Concrete syllabus – Priority lessons for 5, 6 and 7th std have been finalized. First draft of 6th standard is almost over. Deadline raised for completion – March, 2014.
• To assemble a team of volunteers to work on live models and experiments to achieve the goal of inculcating observational and experimental skills in kids – Science exhibition team is working on it
• To come up with an assessment system that would help us assess kids accurately

Speak Out

• Working out with the centers to improve upon/solve the concerns rose during the SO workshop.
• Improve on the interaction among the co volunteers at the center level.
• Channelizing the resource supply chain (esp. Syllabus material)
• Kick Starting the Portable libraries.

Lakshya

• Revisiting target age group and Identification of new centres
• Establishing “After care” program at BM (follow-up children post they leave home)
• Training for volunteers on Group Activities

Nakshatra Reach Out

• Execution of a three month plan and conduct competition among homes at the end
• Refine the volunteers selection and engagement process
• Ensure proper documentation and volunteer feedback for all the activities
• Organize field trips to increase exposure

LONG TERM PLANS

Kanini

• Pilot Certification this year with 6 centers of 3 cities
• Next level of syllabus –added chapters (internet usage and Security) and started teaching it. Next level also refers to teaching after office package, which is still being discussed

LE Maths

• Syllabus work: To be revamped at National level à Current S&T team along with the Lead LE applicants will be driving it.
• Training: We have planned to increase training timings from 2 hours to one day. Also we have planned to collect what the volunteers expect out of the training before hand.
• Assessment: To develop a more standard scalable assessment

LE Science

• To have a sustainable model of Science education, which will help the kids perform academically as well as inculcate skills such as observation, experimentation etc.
• Expand to one more city by AY 2014
• To send out our students to Science exhibitions and competitions across the city wherein they would get more exposure and will gain confidence in the process

Speak Out

• Improving/increasing the involvement of the center authorities in the project.
• Creating effective platforms for the volunteers to interact across the centers.
• Establishing the libraries and streamlining the process for the same.
• Effective data sharing platforms (Wikimedia)

Lakshya

• Expanding to more chapters / centres thereby reaching out to more children
• Evolving curriculum / framework for Life skills, mentoring, tutoring & career guidance
• Better engagement and utilisation of volunteers & their capabilities

Nakshatra Reach Out

• Expand to more than 5 centres in Chennai
• Develop and integrate effective syllabus and facilitate effective training for volunteers
• Identify opportunities for children to compete at various competitions

• There will be no Zonal Coordinators. Instead there will be multiple project coordinators for each city who will have more autonomy in operations and the national project facilitator will coordinate with the project coordinators.
• Regional managers (full time employees) will be recruited for 4 regions viz.Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai. A full time HR manager will also be recruited. The details are available in Bhumi blog
• All project facilitators to provide their annual calendar (Mar’14 to Mar’15) by 26th Jan’14 which will be consolidated to prepare Bhumi’s calendar.
• Buddy system (Mentor-Mentee among vols) to be introduced across all projects / chapters from next academic year. A common process for the same to be framed by Sasikala and Shashank
• Bhumi to continue engagement with more community centres considering the lack of more orphanages / student homes either in Chennai or in other cities. Projects to identify avenues and review their model / process accordingly to sustain operations in community centres.
• LE science to study more organisation to adopt readily available syllabi and how their content is being integrated with curriculum of the state govts. A separate discussion required for LE syllabus.
• Challenges and concerns in orientation to be addressed
• Project teams to come with their plan for selection process for new volunteers. Preferable to integrate with orientation process itself. Alternatively, if separate, then can be common for all projects
• Project specific induction and training to be finalised by Princee along with resp project teams
• Volunteer reorganisation concept was presented by Prahal. Details posted on Blog, Key Points below

1. A separate set of coordinators and teams will be identified for volunteering opportunities other than Educational Projects (SO, KAN, LE, LAK, NRO).
2. This team will work on an year long basis to coordinate various short term volunteering opportunities including Nakshatra, Hi5 Club, JTW etc.
3. Tentatively this team will be called ‘Team REFRESH’.
4. The existing coordinators and vols can also take roles in team Refresh as an additional responsibility if they are willing.
5. While the age restriction of less than 30 will continue for educational projects, it may be relaxed for other initiatives as appropriate.

Click here for Presentations made by the facilitators at the National Facilitators Meet

Attended by:

Kathambari (Kanini), Shashank (Speak Out), Sasikala (LE-Maths), Agne (LE-Science), Ganapathy (Lakshya), Chanesh (NRO-Sports), Raghu (NRO-Arts), Bhargav (Ops Manager), Princee (Projects Director), Noor (Projects Manager), Ayyanar, Lokesh, Dr.Prahalathan, Vaishnavi

Agenda for next meet:

• Centre identification for next yr – requirements from projects
• Discussion on volunteer selection process
• Updates from Lead LE / Kanini
• Plan for Lead Bhumi – Beacon
• Updates from HR / PR Conclave
• Sharing of annual calendar and plans for key events