The courses include code-a-game, website building, film appreciation, stand-up beginner’s edition, art for soul and master of art. (Representational)
When an extensive survey of students from low-income backgrounds revealed that 90 per cent of them felt frustrated, bored, anxious and sad during the lockdown, the Apprentice Project (TAP), a non-profit organisation which aims to develop social, emotional and life skills in children, decided to take their courses online. With a remote-learning platform along with an offline support network of volunteer mentors, TAP wanted to ensure that the children continue to express what they feel and learn, from their homes.
“The schools are shut and even when they open gradually, they will not be the same again. The closing of the schools for such a prolonged period of time has created a vacuum in the lives of the children. Many students who were associated with our programme had reached out to us, expressing their exasperation or sadness. Moreover, these children are confused as their parents are unable to explain what is happening around them, why they can’t go out and meet their friends, and that adds to their feeling of sadness. So, we decided to mould our courses to suit the digital forum,” said Anand Gopakumar, co-founder of TAP.
He said after the first few weeks of trial and error, they finally came up with a system in May wherein the courses are hosted on Edmodo, which is a mobile application, and the children are then supported via WhatsApp groups of the particular course. “Taking into consideration that resources are limited, such as mobile data and technology, we streamlined our courses to suit the children. Instead of live classes, we opted for a mobile-based assisted self-learning system where the child can learn by themselves, with help from the mentors, who can assist them with their doubts and give required feedback,” said Gopakumar.
The courses include code-a-game, website building, film appreciation, stand-up beginner’s edition, art for soul and master of art. “…With motivation from mentors, the children are compelled to complete the course and that is what we are aiming for…,” said Gopakumar.
TAP is currently working with over 300 children via its volunteer model. Additionally, by making its course available for free, it indirectly supports over 10 organisations, which work with over 10,000 children., through its curriculum and activity plans.
“Our volunteers have been very forthcoming and adapting considering how situations have unfolded. They are available for the children at any time of the day as you never know when a doubt or question crops up. Even the children have responded quite positively,” said Gopakumar.