CEO of Going to School Lisa Heydlauff, shares insights into their Outdoor School for Girls programme in Goa, aimed at empowering girls in government schools through football and life skills to combat climate change and more
RAMANDEEP KAUR | NT KURIOCITY
Going to School, a non-profit creative organisation is on a mission to educate girls with design-driven stories while simultaneously equipping them with sustainable enterprise skills that will enable them to earn a living after completing their education. Led by its chief executive officer Lisa Heydlauff, the organisation has now introduced the Outdoor School for Girls programme in Goa following a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Going to School and the Government of Goa which will be announced on March 1 at the event ‘Match Day 2024’. This collaboration seeks to support girls in government schools by integrating football and life skills, ultimately addressing climate change.
Excerpts from the interview:
What inspired you to start Going to School, and how did the idea of using design-driven stories to teach entrepreneurial skills come about?
When I first came to India, I travelled extensively to write stories about educational programmes across the country. It was then that I realised we were writing stories and project reports for adults when we should be focusing on writing stories for children. But when you think about writing stories for children, everything changes. It has to be original, emotional, unique, have a voice, and be gorgeously designed to captivate them. I thought stories could be a new approach to transforming the way children learn because they enable children to imagine new heights of their potential and dare to make their dreams come true.
Can you explain what The Outdoor School for Girls programme is all about?
Climate change is associated with the outdoors. Football is played outdoors. The Outdoor School for Girls is designed for the outdoors to enable girls in the government school system to research and find solutions to climate change where they live through playing football and completing the skills action projects designed for them, digging deeper into root causes and designing enterprising solutions.
The programme aims to equip girls with the skills they need to solve climate change while in school and transition from school to a sustainable enterprise of their choice, electing to become high-impact entrepreneurs transforming the world around them for everyone.
With the signing of the MoU with the Government of Goa, how do you think working together will impact the education and empowerment of girls in Goa?
As part of this programme, the girls will be playing football three days a week. On the other three days, the Going to School teams bring unique, original stories to schools for girls in local languages. The girls read these and complete an at-school activity to understand the skill challenge better. Then, at home and often outside in street markets, they have to complete market research by listening to family, friends, neighbours, and entrepreneurs. This research is then compiled.
Could you share some success stories from the programme implemented in government schools so far?
Every girl that is a part of our programme is a success story as the main goal is to educate them. The fact that they receive an education, are trained to play a sport, and are taught life skills that will help them tackle climate change and create jobs for themselves is more than enough for us to deem them a success.
How does Going to School tackle problems like societal norms that might affect girls in sports and education?
Going to School aims to normalise education for girls and ensure that by teaching girls monetisable practical skills, they can sustain themselves in the future. The girl is equipped with the life and enterprise skills she needs to get a job and/or become a sustainable entrepreneur pitching for support to start an enterprise that is outside of the house, create jobs, and solve the root causes of climate change, such as making suggestions like sustainable leaf packaging to replace plastic, garbage management for composting, and more. Goa is already on the frontline of climate change action and also as a place that everyone visits, an ideal location for seeding and scaling sustainable enterprises led by young women.
Can you explain how you make learning interesting and useful, especially using things like graphic novels and national television?
Through our ‘Get A Plan’ graphic novels, young students are equipped with entrepreneurial green skills to transition from the school space to the professional sector. Our specially designed novels are written in the child’s native language to aid the ease of education.
What challenges have you encountered in implementing educational initiatives on a large scale, and how do you overcome them?
Language barriers and difficulty in accessibility due to some schools being remotely located are some difficulties we have faced, but as widespread education is the ultimate aim, we receive positive responses.
What are the future plans for Going to School?
When it comes to Goa, Going to School aims to implement our curriculum in 300 government schools when the next academic session begins, without alterations to the existing curriculum.
Featured Events
Carpe Diem Art Gallery, Majorda, will be hosting ‘The Artist Acquaintances 2024’, a weekly artist camp cum group art exhibition till November 30.
The Waves International Short Film Festival (WISFF) will be held from December 6 to 8 in Panaji. As part of this festival, short film submissions are invited from emerging filmmakers and industry professionals. The deadline for submission is November 3. Entries are also invited for the 60 Hours Film Challenge, which will be held from November 25 to 28, 2024. Details: +918080696872.
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Among the eight exceptional music artists handpicked for the B-side Music Production Residency programme, ‘Discokid’, a Goa-based musician will be performing at the Serendipity Arts Festival 2023. The 11-day workshop concluded in Olaulim recently and was organised by the Serendipity Arts Foundation. The eight artists namely Dzerouengmit Lepcha, Fatima Hakeen (Discokid), Lenix Lobo, Hasan Shahrukh, Govi, Ashel Unger, Rushaki Ghosh and Medhaj Dempo, delved deep into the intricacies of music production using Ableton Live, a digital audio workstation during the residency, which formally culminated on October 20. The residency was mentored by industry experts, including Jay Pei, Megha Balani, SHFT and Puneesh Suri. Fatima Hakeen aka ‘Discokid’ is a musician and producer based out of Goa and has been featured in well-known online music shows like Mixmag Goa and Worldwide FM. Over the eleven-day intensive program, the participants explored a myriad of techniques, from working with audio clips and MIDI basics to advanced production methods, honing their skills and collectively broadening their creative horizons. “Each participant brings a unique flavour to the table: from Dzerouengmit Lepcha’s soulful melodies to Discokid’s groovy beats, Lenix Lobo’s experimental sounds and Govi’s fusion of Carnatic vocals with indie and alternative genres. Hasan Shahrukh, with his expertise in […]
Glow of Epiphyllum – Brahma Kamal flowers of Goa
Recently, I came across a news story about a record-breaking bloom of 28 Brahma Kamal flowers in Goa. The spectacular sight of its prolific blossoms in the video took me on a trip down memory lane. We, too, had this beautiful plant in our garden, lovingly tended by my grandmother. Commonly referred to as ‘Bramhakamal’ in Goa and likely across the country, this plant is scientifically known as Epiphyllum Oxypetalum. Belonging to the Cactaceae family, it is an exotic plant native to the rainforests of Central and South America. Interestingly, it has no botanical connection to the true Bramhakamal species, scientifically named Saussurea obvallata, which is found and revered in Uttarakhand and the Himalayan regions. The slight resemblance between Epiphyllum Oxypetalum and the original Bramhakamal may explain the confusion between the two. Also known as the Dutchman’s Pipe Cactus or Queen of the Night, this flower truly lives up to its regal title. In our garden, this plant held a special place in my heart. Its slightly puffed, elongated leaves distinguished it from the other greenery. The celestial blooms appeared rarely, usually between July and September. One of the most unique aspects of this flower is how it unfurls its […]
