Reflections from a field trip with Pratham Education Foundation in Lucknow, India.
Pratham Arora Center for Education
“You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”
- C. S. Lewis
In an inauspicious location, at the entrance to a residential vocational school fashioned creatively and sustainably from old containers, I received one of the most genuine and unexpected arrival greetings - it wouldn’t have felt out of place at the best 5* hotel; scented warmed towels, a refreshing juice drink and a tika on my forehead. The welcoming group were all students on the vocational hospitality course - giving a hotel style welcome to guests as part of the training to be work-ready for a potential employer.
The programme’s success is based on a simple but powerful formula; of interactive learning, breaking knowledge down into manageable chunks, group work, learning by doing, role play and “real-life” settings including a hotel bedroom with ensuite and a restaurant and bar.
To appreciate the huge value of this programme - I needed to suspend my British expectation of what’s normal...this vocational training is so essential to provide employment opportunities, as of course for these students their world view is totally different...a hotel bedroom with an en suite is alien to them - expecting them to secure employment straight from a village context is a little bit like asking me tomorrow to get in a space craft and fly to Mars (the planet - not the company!)
Grow a little each and every day
Our tour took us to the newest group of new intakes (10 days new) – even within this context we saw how the journey of growth had already started. We met the self-confessed shy one - yet the first to speak up to respond to the question of what has been the most challenging parts of the programme (learning to communicate with people apparently), and another whose ambition to work in Bangalore or even the United States. Life transforming stuff! We ended the tour with the most experienced students – after only a matter of a few months they welcomed us to their “restaurant”, where they demonstrated their communication skills, expertly took a napkin from the table and placed on my lap with a flourish or poured water deftly.
What an impact – learning really at a fast pace!
Leaving a little mark
Working for Mars, it’s so important to exemplify mutuality in every setting so interrupting the students’ programme (and being late to arrive!) felt a little like we were taking more than we were giving. On reflection though…whilst I was gifted a tika – or a small red mark on the forehead - I hope our visit left a small mark in the form of an opportunity to practice their skills on real-life friendly but none the less intimidating overseas visitors.
Picking a favourite moment from a visit like this is always a challenge – but just before departing and taking the all-important group photograph – we just used one word and instantly the serious looking young adults were transformed before my eyes into excitable teenagers by the power of a single word….Selfie! They took many with us!
Better moments really do make the world smile!
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