Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only
thing that ever has.- Margaret Mead
History:
The history of Search Years is a story of positive change which
begins with children and people working together to create
opportunities for children from the under-served backgrounds to live
fulfilling lives. In 1996 a small group of like-minded citizens
resolved to reach out to children and stimulate a positive
environment to help build stronger and more confident young
citizens. The inspiration and vision for Search Years came from the
need to revamp the approach from a handout to hands-on. We began to
work with small groups of children and families using innovative
approaches that included the creative arts and applied sciences, to
ensure comprehensive, personal development. We reached out to them
through a series of events and workshops using creative mediums that
not only changed the lives of the children that we worked with,
alongside helped evolve our vision and approach.
The PROBE report (2005) brought into focus new concerns while
bringing out some glaring deficiencies in our education system
raising significant questions:
Does the socio-economic situation make it possible for that
child to actually go to school?
Is what happens there attractive and relevant enough to keep
that child in school for at least seven years?
In these seven years, does the child gain anything of
significance and value in his/her life?
The other findings of the report were:
In 1993, enrolment in Class Five was 54.63 per cent of
enrolment in Class One.
Drop-out rates are officially admitted to be as high as 53 per
cent.
Most independent tests of achievement levels continue to show
dismally low levels of achievement in the basic literacy skills.
Our experience in working with remedial education with creative
mediums over the past nine years shaped the development of our
three core programs viz. Masti Ki Pathshala, Kalasthali and
Chaupal Chowkdi that will stand for empowering the young
citizens through meaningful education.
