Empower underprivileged children through innovative education techniques
Shruti is a student of Andheri (W) English Medium School. She is also a second year student at the Salaam Bombay Media Academy. Her father is an Electrician and her mother, a housemaid. Shruti grew up in Hyderabad, speaking Telegu. When she moved to Mumbai with her parents, she couldn't speak, write or understand Hindi. This made it difficult for her to make friends, perform in class or take part in any group activities. This made Shruti a loner and she had no one except her mother for company.
The Media Academy focused on her written and spoken language skills while exposing her to photography, photojournalism etc. by planning visits for her to the printing press, and other places.
Her grit and determination resulted in her picking up the language quite fast. Her efforts showed in her academics and she was awarded as the Best Student of the Year, last year. With the help of Salaam Bombay Media Academy, she worked on her skills and today, she is an avid Photographer. Her pictures do the talking and convey what she could not for a long time.
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What the beneficiary gets
Program Description
Salaam Bombay Foundation believes that children grow as their horizons grow. Started in 2002, their objective is to empower children to overcome the obstacles of the environment they live in.
Salaam Bombay, seeks to increase their self-esteem, build their self-confidence, develop their vocational life-skills through arts, sports and media to create positive role models. Children can make the right choices if they are given access to the right information and the life skill tools to deal with adverse situations. SBT also wants to safeguard the next generation from tobacco. For which, they conduct awareness and advocacy programs on tobacco.
The Media Academy is an in-school three-year comprehensive training program, which initiates children into Journalism, communication and Photography. The Media Academy provides children with an alternate skill that further enhances their career opportunities. The objectives of the academy are:
To train children in Journalism, communication and other forms of media
To provide children with an alternate skill to enhance their career opportunities
To develop life skills such as reading, writing, effective communication, team building, personality development, confidence and creative thinking, amongst others
SBF works in 12 schools and 375 students. The students are recruited for the first year of the academy through a writing and oral test followed by one on one interview. Around 20 students per school are selected from each school for this training. These selected students are given a three-year training in the academy completely free of cost. They are motivated to express their inner self. The training is imparted as per a pre-designed module and curriculum set for the purpose, along with various exposure visits including visits to electronic media houses, radio stations. They are helped with guest lectures, participation in special courses held across Mumbai, etc. The module is imparted by trained Salaam Bombay facilitators.
The Media Academy provides experiential learning in the form of a newsletter, Voice of Halla Bol, written and edited by the children, for the children.
Salaam Bombay Foundation
Program Updates
23 March, 2021
Skill development via journalism and photography
#1
During the early stages of the lockdown, the Academy contacted students to understand their ground reality. SBF has supported the students with food supplies during these trying times and emotional support by initiating happy calls to 582 total students including the students supported by Give India.
The students have been given the training virtually using MS teams and Zoom tools. The training module of 40 hours has been digitalized to cope with this pandemic situation.
The external professional trainer has been providing the 70 hours of module in Mobile Photography and Film Making. All the sessions happening virtually. The students who don't able to manage smartphones, are provided tabs to continue their learning.
To ensure the quality training on virtual platform, a series of webinars by experts has been organised. 3 webinars have been conducted so far.
Exposures - Adding to virtual training, 3 exposures are provided. The Teachers Day competition, Navratri video making competition and Newspaper making. We have noticed that due to the lockdown many of mainstream and local newspapers are focusing on online editions. Secondly, there are many new online portals have been step on the digital media platforms. These things have increased the opportunities and count of children articles published. 7 articles written by the students are published in the mainstream newspapers.
Since last year, the World Photography Day (19th August) celebration has become an annual property of Media Academy. This year this celebration has done virtually in collaboration with five masters of photography. The masters were Ms. Hridgandha Mistry, Mr. Jaideep Oberoi, Mr. Vicky Roy, Mr. Julian Colston and Mr. Fabiano Rodrigues. They each has mentored a group of photography children from Media Academy. They have worked around a particular theme and encouraged the students to click the photos accordingly. After this they have shared their journey and guidance during the live masterclass discussion.
Now, the students are preparing for the upcoming Media Exhibition on the occasion of celebrating International Day of Education which is in January 2021.
