Event Girls Play Girl

Hey everyone,

As I predicted in my previous entry the Event GIRLS PLAY GIRLS LEAD was incredible and amazing.

Through this event YFC took a further step to empower girls´ football in India and help the girls to develop into self-confident leaders. And it was as success!

It started with the Opening Ceremony on the 12^th November, which was at the same time the ceremony for the Edu Football & Kabbadi League. Thousands of people came to the YFC-Stadium and watched the entry of the players, the opening football and kabaddi matches, the speech of the politician Santokh Singh Chaudhary and the amazing concert of the Punjabi Singer Manmohan Waris. I fully enjoyed that day, especially dancing Bangla (the Punjabi dance) or rather trying to dance Bangla during the concert.

Here is the video of the Opening Ceremony. Maybe you spot me dancing:

The next days the, 16 girls´ teams from e.g. Mumbai, Bangalore, Nagpur or Delhi played the tournament and participated in workshops on Leadership Skills, Conflict Resolution and Gender Equality. Because of funny games, singing and dancing also rather shy girls were encouraged to join the passionate discussions.  The special guest Hiba El Jaafil, coach of the Lebanon U17 and U19 team, and Sanjeev Parmar who runs an own academy in Canada, conducted the first workshop.

The H.M.V. College Team from Jalandhar won the exciting final match on the 16^th November and afterwards, we celebrated the end of the tournament. For the gala night there was a big marquee built up on the ground and everybody wore traditional, festive clothes. The teams and Youth Mentors presented dancing and singing performances and the president of YFC Gurmangal Dass and the politician Baldev Singh Khaira hold inspiring speeches. You can imagine what comes next: BANGLA of course. We danced more than 2 hours and only had dinner when the DJ had to stop the music.

The conclusion of the festival was the trip to Amritsar to see the Golden Temple. For me and most of the girls it was the very first time at this sanctuary of the Sikhs and we were so impressed. The building itself, the bathing people in the holy water, the Guru Granth Sahib (the holy scripture of the Skihs) reading believers and the traditional music. All this together is one of the most spectacular experiences for me in India so far.

After our lunch at the temple the teams left us. They all made new friends during the days and the goodbye brought tears in the eyes of some girls. The whole YFC-Comunity will dearly miss them!

Volunteering at YFC

Sat Sri Akal and hey everybody,

My name is Jasper and I am 18 years old. I am a volunteer from Berlin, Germany at the Youth Football Club Rurka Kalan and this is my first entry in this blog. I will stay in India for three months and I want to share with you what I experience and what is going on in YFC.

I just returned from a nearby village called Sang Dhesian and visited a primary school where YFC provides Sports for Development Sessions. In this program we try to convey messages and values to the children in a playful way. It was the first time I saw an Indian school and despite the limited facilities, I enjoyed the cheerful and enthusiastic atmosphere. The session was quiet fun. We played “Guess Who” for example and I had to act like a hairdresser or referee.

After a bumpy bus ride, I am now back in the YFC building where everyone except me (because I am writing this entry) is organising the Event Girls Play Girls Lead, which will take place in Rurka Kalan in November. Through the event we want to empower girls and we will have several workshops on Leadership Skills, Conflict Resolution and above all Gender Equality. We are expecting thousands of people to come to the opening-ceremony and I am already very excited. Of course you will get to know how amazing and incredible it was in my next entry. And there would be much more to tell but now I am making a short break and go upstairs to change for the training session at the ground of YFC. Today, I will conduct a football3 session with the U12 mixed gender team. It is a unique program, in which the kids have to develop own rules for the match and fair-play is as important as scoring goals.

I hope I could give you an impression! Until next time

Jasper

A Special Day with Special People !!!!

We had a chance to celebrate the New Year season with Special People from JCT Special School at 'PRERNA' (our Centre for Special Children at Rurka Kalan) . We enjoyed their wonderful company with Group therapies, Music Therapies.Lunch and NewYear Gifts. Our Special Thanks to Priya Thapar and all parents,children and staff at JCT School .

Govt. School Support Programme

Govt. School Support Programme

• YFC has deployed teachers in 20 Primary schools.
• YFC Provides uniform,shoes etc; to needy children's.

 YFC helping schools to build better infrastructure.

Impact - Increase school attend from 70% to 90% betterment in school result.

LIVELIHOOD/SKILL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

With an aim to equip youth with skills needed in today’s job market, YFC started its “Livelihood/Skill Development Program”. Under this program, the beneficiaries are provided computer education and other soft skills. Beneficiaries are offered DIT (Diploma in IT) and PGDCA(Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Application) along with training in basic computer applications.

1. Helping the rural youth, especially girls, to have employable skills.

2. Provided Diploma/Certificate courses to over 1000 Students.
3. Ultra Modern Computer Lab with 20 Hi-Tech Computers.

4. Provides computer education to under privileged students

5. Provision of books and Study materials to students.
6. Affiliated to Punjab Info Tech(Govt. of Punjab Undertaking)

COMMUNITY HEALTH PROGRAM-YFC Rurka Kalan

Another Area of concern, which has long been neglected especially in the rural areas, is special education and the health problems of the aged population. To alleviate the difficulties faced by this most vulnerable part of populace, YFC is running a “Center for Physiotherapy and Special Needs”. This Center has the distinction of being only of its kind in the area. Children with special needs get scientific physical and mental development therapy at the Center. Physiotherapy section deals with neurological, gerontological, orthopedic issues primarily of the disabled, aged people and special children. YFC also organizes free eye check-up and operation camp annually.

* Qualified team of physiotherapists


* Annually more than 5000 patients are treated.

*A total of 40 children with various mental disorders are being treated with holistic development
plans.




* Every year free eye check-up and operations camp provides spectacles, medicines and cataract operations to nearly 700 patients.



* “Sports For Development” sessions focused on Health and Hygiene are delivered by qualified Youth Mentors and Coaches

SPORTS FOR DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

 SPORTS FOR DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM:
Under the “Sports for Development” program, YFC is currently working in 40 schools/villages of the area. Also apart from running Day Training Centers for different sports at 30 Centers, YFC is running a “Residential Soccer and Wrestling Academy” in which 40 talented children are given boarding, lodging, coaching, kits and academic coaching. The day trainees are also provided training, kits and other related facilities.