Namaste from the Conscious Impact camp! We have some wonderful updates about what's been going on with the Youth Outreach program so far during Season 3.
Long term volunteers Polly Gunton, Kendra McGowan, and Meghan Fox led by community partner Kumari Bomjam led the charge on building a garden and cob play-bench at the orphanage in Asilah Khakar. The aim of this project was to introduce a nourishing and natural element to the children's living space, and having them actively participate in the construction of their garden and play area. The garden project was commenced in November 2017, and the cob bench is on its way to being completed, with only a few more plaster layers needed in the coming weeks.
With the return of Youth Outreach director Alyson Sagala in early March, Girls Empowerment programming was able to commence for 4 short sessions before the beginning of exams and time off for Nepali New Year. A highlight of the sessions included having groups of volunteers teach the girls how to make dreamcatchers, which were then sold for profit for a micro-business planning project. They also held a session for International Women's Day, and had a school-wide Sexual Reproductive Health day where core Girls Group members taught girls from other classes about menstruation, sexual anatomy, and self-defense.
As soon as school recommences in mid-April, the Youth Outreach team will continue environmental awareness and waste management workshops at the primary level, and will expand Girls Empowerment Programming to include young men at the secondary level, with the intention of inviting them to positive masculinity workshops.