The Center for the Living City (CFTLC) partners with like minded organizations to help expand its OBSERVE program, with the goal of helping many young people to realize their agency in improving their neighborhoods and cities- now, and as they grow up to become active citizens. So the Center is pleased to announce its partnership with Asia Initiatives which will help grow the Observe India program to Asia Initiatives’ various projects in India.
The first of these projects is with 1,500 girls between the ages of 11~19 living in several low income neighborhoods in Lucknow, in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. The Observe India team, under the leadership of CFTLC board member Vidhya Mohankumar and Jane Jacobs Fellow Vidhya Venkatesan, has designed an online 8 week module that includes videos and practical fun projects for young people to critically look at the issues of water, waste, and other neighborhood matters important to them. These modules are being taught by volunteer urban designers in New York via Zoom at 6AM EST every morning to groups of girls, as also on-site in Lucknow with SES, the local NGO who is partnering with CFTLC and Asia Initiatives. SES community facilitators also support the girls during the week in completing the exercises assigned, such as making a collage of relevant newspaper articles, or bring a citizen-journalist.
50 girls in 10 classes taught every week form one cohort. The girls in the program also tutor 2~3 younger children per week to earn Social Capital Credits (SoCCs), the community currency for social good developed by Asia Initiatives. The SoCCs thus earned are redeemed by the girls for the Observe program, as also for digital skills, coding, and spoken English, as these skills will enable girls to get good jobs later on.
Two Board members of the CFTLC, Kratma Saini and Geeta Mehta also serve on the Asia Initiatives board.