Shillong, 26th August 2023: On a drizzly Saturday morning, with colorful decorated balloons and smiles on young learners’ faces, the Nook component of the Sohrarim Trailblazer Community Lab observed its third Exhibition Day on 26th of August..
The Exhibition Day marks the end of each learning cycle in the Nook, a self-designed learning space. The Nook is one of the components of a Trailblazer Community Lab now known as CM Youth Centres along with the community Library, a sports for development component, an arts component, and Curiosity Gym, a part mainly focused on STEM learning.
The Smart Village Movement program of the Government of Meghalaya initiated the Trailblazer Community Labs in Sohrarim and Nongwah, which served as the pioneering pilot projects for the Chief Minister’s Youth Centre initiative. These successful pilot projects led to a significant expansion, with the initiative being scaled up to encompass 20 centres in the past year.The Exhibition allows learners to showcase their accomplishments and the tangible outcomes of their learning journey. It allows them to present their projects, research, and creative works to a broader audience, gaining recognition for their efforts and achievements. By showcasing their projects and discussing their learning experiences, they can inspire others to explore self-designed learning and demonstrate the value of this educational approach.
It also lets parents, educators, and stakeholders see the tangible outcomes and benefits of self-designed learning first-hand. This can help garner support for these centres , attract new understanding, and build partnerships with other organizations or individuals interested in promoting self-designed learning.
Many notable individuals and very supportive local community members graced the event. Present at the event were Mr. Ramkumar S, IAS, Nodal Officer of Smart Village Movement, Mr. Gavin Miguel Mylliem,
Member of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly, Mr. Nagakarthik MP, Founder of Sauramandala Foundation, Mr. Divine Dkhar, Education Project Lead of Smart Village Movement, Mr. Akho Pira from Centre for Research in Schemes and Policies(CRISP), Mr. Prathamesh Mirgal from Curiosity Gym, Mr. Bosestarwell Diengdoh, Headman of Sohrarim Village and Mr. Paiadondor Kharpuri, Secretary of Sohrarim Village.
The event kicked off with beautiful dance and music performances from the learners. Some projects on display were a traditional barbecue, cuisines around the world, handmade flowers, beautifully tailored clothing, stunning handmade jewellery, and a Drone made from scratch.
The third Exhibition in Sohrarim Salesforce Trailblazer Community Lab or the CM Youth Centre was even more impressive as projects were presented not just from the Nook but a platform was given to the learners from STEM Innovation Hub, the concept of Curiosity Gym. The learners were excited to present their projects to the audience for the first time. Digital Clock, Solar Street Light, Home Automation Lights, and Solar Tracker were some of the projects shared by the learners of Innovation Hub.
Mr. Ramkumar, IAS, encouraged the learners to use the self-designed learning space and urged everyone to come together to support such initiatives. He said, “Meghalaya has a high school student dropout ratio and high out-of-school children. We need to engage children a lot in a positive manner so that they learn some skills and become equipped. We are proud of the growth and progress of this first pilot centre after which we have scaled to 20 more such centres in the state, and we want to see the learner and centres grow even more in the days to come.”
“This centre has brought lot of benefit to the community we can see drop out students learning skills mastering them themselves and now on the path of becoming budding entrepreneurs few of them also got a chance to visit delhi for exposure trp and also participate in the recent SARAS Aajeevika Far happened in Meghalaya where they showcased and sold their products. As a Nookmanager for this centre since inception, I feel very proud seeing such growth and change in the learners and attitude of the community.”, said Twinborn Hinge, previous Centre Manager of Sohrarim Nook.
The Exhibition allows students to receive feedback on their work and engage in reflective discussions. Attendees can provide constructive feedback, ask questions, and engage in meaningful conversations with the learners. This feedback and reflection contribute to further learning and improvement, enabling learners to refine their skills and knowledge.
About Smart Village Movement:
The Smart Village Movement is a collaborative process facilitated by the Smart Village Movement nonprofit organization with the UC Berkeley-Haas Center of Growth Markets to create a Smart Village ecosystem. In partnership with Government, Academia, Corporations, and Rural Communities, they foster independence and sustainable rural development in Indian villages and other emerging markets. SVM aims to empower rural people through digital technologies and open innovation platforms to access global markets.
For media-related enquiries please contact
Regia Kom
Media and Marketing Lead, Smart Village Movement
7086760778, regia@smartvillagemovement.org
For more information on CMYC contact:
Donbokk Majaw: donbokk@sauramandala.org, 7628003777
