Sambhavana Learning Centres for out-of-school adolescent girls
A safe, youth-friendly learning space and resource centre for adolescent girls and young women
For close to thirteen million adolescent girls in India, early marriage not only ends their education and chance of gainful employment but also brings in motherhood when they are still children themselves, severely limiting their foundational life choices and putting them at significant health risks. Ensuring secondary education for these girls is one of the best ways to delay marriage for these girls and prevent the loss of a lifetime of opportunities. In the last two years, Covid-19 has impacted the already dire situation, and with increased poverty and decreased access to education with the shutting down of schools, the incidence of child marriage has increased, particularly in the rural areas.YouthInvest has set up Sambhavana Learning Centre (SLC), a learning platform for high school dropout adolescent girls and young married women between 15 and 20 years to give them a “second chance” to complete (a) complete secondary education, (b) gain holistic life skills, and (c) learn digital literacy & IT, and financial skills so that they can make improved individual, social and professional life choices. Currently, YouthInvest runs 12 SLCs in Jharkhand and West Bengal.
SLC Curriculum
At YouthInvest, we believe along with formal academic training, a strong emphasis on enabling girls to develop a wider awareness of themselves and the external context in which they live is vital for nurturing capable, confident girls. Accordingly, SLCs follow an integrated curriculum that provides the girls with an opportunity to develop an awareness of their social situation, gain confidence and self-esteem so that they can understand and address the multiple challenges life throws in and chart their destiny.
SLCs are co-located in the government spaces such as local schools, and Panchayat buildings, and are run in close collaboration with the local community. Each SLC can accommodate 25-30 girls.
YouthInvest Teacher Resource Group, consisting of experienced educationists and teachers, provides leadership in curriculum development, teacher training, and academic quality assurance.
Impact
- Till March 2022, SLCs have enabled 750 out-of-school adolescent girls to resume their education in Jharkhand and West Bengal.
