Bending gender norms, a workshop at a time
MUMBAI:AMID the #Metoo movement, a small group of youngsters is trying to engage school-going children to bridge the gender gap.
Blue Ribbon Movement (BRM), a citybased non-government organisation, has been conducting workshops on gender parity for adolescent students in the schools of Mumbai, Delhi, Indore and Haryana.
The Gender Lab, as this project is called, covers around 120 schools across the city and 50 schools in Delhi. As part of the project, separate workshops and activities are organised for boys and girls. The youngsters associated with BRM help girls develop leadership skills, while boys get lessons in masculinity, empathy and violence.
While the girls’ programme was launched seven years ago, the work involving boys began last year.
“The girls’ programme was started seven years ago by Ashank Desai, an investor and entrepreneur, in memory of his daughter Avanti who died in a train accident. The aim of the programme is to promote the values embodied by her such as community leadership and independence,” said Ayushi Banerji, chief executive officer of Gender Lab.
In order to develop leadership skills among women, BRM activists guide them to tackle social issues in the community.
“Through our programme, older girls help younger ones navigate the issues they face because of their gender. These activities help them develop self-esteem, empathy, collaboration and negotiation skills,” said Banerji.
The boys’ programme focuses on breaking gender stereotypes and developing empathy among them.
“We start by asking boys questions such as what does it mean to be a man and where did they get their idea of masculin- ity from, among others,” said Banerji.
The schools are all praise for this initiative.
“Earlier, we were apprehensive about having gender lab in our school. But after attending these sessions, we realised our kids are in safe hands,” said Sheela Mallya, principal, Children’s Academy, Ashok Nagar.