Quarterly Newsletter 1-2015
We apologize for the slight delay of this quarterly newsletter, however there is a good reason for the same. Currently we are exploring East Africa to learn more about possibilities of starting a possible second kanthari training program here. More about that though in the next quarterly newsletter. Here first the news of the last quarter.
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Act 5
On the 19th of December 19 participants graduated from the 2014 kanthari course. In the days that followed they returned home where they started turning their dream initiatives into reality. This part is act 5 of the kanthari curriculum. During five months kanthari’s catalysts serve as mentors to guide and advice the graduates during the start-up phase. Over the past three months, the graduates faced several challenges in regards to registration, fundraising, identifying beneficiaries, finding board members etc. Despite challenges, also several successes were reported already. Several graduates have already officially registered, organised pilot workshops and trainings, received the first external funding and/or opened offices.
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English speaking improver’s camp
In March, 20 young Indians from 5 different states started the first English speaking Improver’s course at the kanthari campus. This course was designed and conducted by kanthari’s own catalyst team. During ten days the participants intensively practiced their english speaking skills. The goal was to give those, who carry a plan for social change and who want to apply for the kanthari course but are not yet comfortable enough to speak English, a chance to learn more. It was a great experience and will for sure not be the last course of that kind on the kanthari campus in Kerala.
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Make a Difference Dream Camp
The organisation Make a Difference (MAD) conducted a “Dream Camp” for children from Trivandrum Shelter homes. The Dream Factory that was developed for Blind children in Tibet was shared with the participants. The children who attended the dream camp were encouraged to dream about what it is they want to do in life and to pursue the same. Two camps with in total over 200 children were successfully conducted by a team of young local volunteers.
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Curriculum Development Workshop
the kanthari Academic team held a two day Curriculum development and team building workshop in Varkala. Lively discussions lead to a foundation that serves for a spicy update of the 2015 Curriculum
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Team building trip
The entire kanthari team went to visit the Meenmutty Waterfalls in Kallar. These falls are set in a tropical forest on the bottom of the Ponmudi mountain which is part of the Western Ghats. Most of the team members enjoyed a refreshing dip in the cool water of the Vamanapuram river!
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Alumni Online Meetup
A first ever kanthari Online Meet Up with graduates from 5 continents using Skype was successfully held. Initiated by kanthari catalyst Graham Varley and 2013 kanthari graduate Tomek Kozakiewicz many graduates discussed further development of the kanthari alumni network. These meetings serve as a platform to exchange problems, discuss challenges and possible solutions and will be held regularly.
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Renovation campus
The tropical climate in Kerala is a challenge for any building. Therefore maintenance is very important and needed year round. Since the campus is not fully occupied during the time in between courses, most maintenance is done during January till May. This year the main renovation work was focused on painting of the buildings. Also the anti-ant channels through which water flows to keep ants and other insects outside of the buildings were waterproofed and received a new coat of paint.
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Graduates updates:
– 2012 kanthari Sristi KC, a blind dancer and the team of Blind Rocks! , are realizing a mindset shift of how blind people are seen in society.
The program is expanding. Sristi is an inspiration to a growing number of people. Recently motivating the Nepalese National Footbal Team to keep on rocking as well! article
– 2014 kanthari Nana from Ghana started Guzakuza, a project that creates a mindset shift that farming and agriculture is cool! Her target group are educated young women. article
– kanthari plus created a new video which marks 5 years of achievements of Khom Raj Sharma, a blind 2009 kanthari, whose NGO IEC Nepal has so far trained more than 80 visually impaired in IT, English, employability and life skills. His activities have expanded and include: an inclusive cyber internet cafe, MOVE Nepal- Global volunteers for Nepal initiative, training of school students and teachers and advocating so the government takes ownership of the programmes as well!
For those who have missed the 2014 Dream Speeches, no worries, they can all be seen via the links at: Dream Speeches -
kanthari in the Media
An article about kanthari appeared in Tehelka magazine in India. It is all about spreading the spice in order to create sustainable social change: article
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Speaking:
In January, Sabriye Tenberken delivered a spicy speech at the Emerging Kerala Women Empowerment & Entrepreneurship Summit 2015 in Cochin.She spoke about the advantage to be a woman to a 300+ member audience who warmly received the talk. An article in Malayalam appeared in the local Emerging Kerala magazine
- In February Paul Kronenberg spoke at the international conference on ‘Challenges and Opportunities for developing a sustainable Ruban society which was organized by the Dayananda Sagar Business Academy in Bangalore. He addressed that technology and knowledge transfer alone are not sufficient to provide a better future for people in rural areas. Sustainable rubanisation can only take place when it is initiated from within.
- On the 19th and 20th of March, kanthari co-founders Sabriye Tenberken and Paul Kronenberg spoke at two EO events in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. The audience was taken on a journey from Braille Without Borders to kanthari and further onto a special celebration of all senses!
Dear Friends,We say thank you for your ongoing support to kanthari and for helping us by sharing this newsletter. With very best regards,
The entire kanthari Team, Paul and Sabriye
