Kalabagan site and Jabala office visit by Swati Sircar

1
Kalabagan site and Jabala office visit by Swati
Sircar

• Romi Datta

2
Office visit

• Met with S.K. Mitra (coordinator) and Baitaly
  Ganguly (secretary)
• After an initial meeting, Swati was taken to the
  Kalabagan center and to a students home, and
  talked to some mother
• Returned to office for more discussions

3
Visit to center

• Cramped place, yet not much disruption
• Almost full attendance
• Teachers very sincere
• Lighting will be fixed soon (Project steward had
  asked her to check it out). Trying to make the
  club pay half, which is how Swati feels it should
  be
• Met football coach, who is also coach of the
  Indian womens team

4
Visit to center

• Football coach is a dynamic lady, and has really
  helped boost the girls confidence
• Swati really like her approach and change she is
  bringing in the girls
• Some of the footballer girls were present and
  they looked very confident and assertive, which
  goes a long way especially considering the
  community they are from

5
Visit to center

• Center has been running for 7-8 yrs
• 2-3 teachers handling students from classes I-X
• Students split into 3 groups as per classes
• Students in the center attend one of seven govt.
  schools
• Teachers from the center stay in touch with
  schools to keep the centers in sync
• 1st batch will take Madhyamik (SSC)

6
Visit to center

• During the visit students were revising last
  years work, since school has not started
• On Saturdays, students are taught dance and
  drawing
• Teachers sincere and caring, and students and
  teachers comfortable around each other
• Swati gave suggestions for academic improvements,
  which the teachers accepted, and eagerly asked
  for more
• Upcoming summer camp for 1-2 days, with scope of
  learning theatre

7
Visit to students homes

• Visited home of 3 brothers
• Eldest son (class V) is a very good dancer, but
  the mother him to quit dancing because of
  increasing academic pressure
• Swati reasoned with her to let him continue and
  quit in class X
• The three boys are becoming more vocal, and as a
  result, the father has reduced WIFE BEATING
• Another mother said her husband did not want the
  daughter to play football because of possibility
  of falling and hurting herself
• Swati reasoned with her that such a thing can
  happen in the streets of Kolkata at any time