Jamnabai Narsee International School (JNIS) works with the International Award for Young People (IAYP), which delivers the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award in India, as part of the Year 9 curriculum in order to develop students’ physical and social skills.
‘We realised that the IAYP could make our students more independent, teach them how to manage challenges, and how to work effectively in a team,’ said Jasmine Madhani, Head of School.
‘Through the IAYP, students can use their free time constructively by enhancing their skills and helping their society through Voluntary Service. The IAYP gives our students an advantage when it comes to university admissions, as it helps them build a good student profile, but one of the best things about the programme is that it is non-competitive – our 14-year-old students have tremendous energy and through the IAYP they can use it fruitfully.’
Activities
Year 9 students work towards the IAYP Bronze Award by completing four pillars of the Award – a Skill, Physical Recreation, Voluntary Service and the ‘Adventurous Journey’ (a group expedition). For this last activity, the school runs a camp where students learn a variety of skills, such as rock climbing, or how to pitch a tent, cook on an open fire, or read a map.
'For their Voluntary Service , our students have taken part in cyclathons and beach cleaning drives, and they have also taught underprivileged students,’ continued Jasmine, ‘all of which has helped improved their understanding of the world around them.'
For Jasmine, the IAYP has been a very positive addition to the school curriculum. 'IAYP encourages students to be reflective, confident and caring individuals, as well as good communicators,’ she said.
‘Students become more responsible, and develop good time management skills because they have to combine their IAYP activities with their other curriculum commitments. The programme also helps their personal development and gives them a new perspective on their own community, encouraging them to become more self-reliant and also more physically active.'
Motivate students
The IAYP has also proved popular with parents. 'One of the reasons we introduced the IAYP was in response to questions from students and parents about the service component of the Cambridge IGCSE curriculum,' said Jasmine.
'Now that Cambridge has partnered with the IAYP, the Award has a more ‘official’ status and will motivate students to take up the Cambridge programme. Parents have shown a keen interest in the IAYP because of the benefits it provides. They give feedback on the new skills their children have developed and how they are becoming more confident and responsible, and more aware of the needs of their community.'
Aparna Garg described how her child has benefited from taking part in the Award. She said: 'The IAYP has been a very enriching experience for my son – it has enabled him to set goals, experiment with new interests, meet new people and most importantly challenge himself. Through the IAYP he has improved important life skills such as time management, team spirit and most importantly leadership. As a parent, I look forward to his participation in the Silver Award programme, helping push his limits even further.'
Excellent programme
Students have also had lots of positive experiences. Year 9 student Tia Sharma said: 'It was an excellent programme that has instilled discipline into every aspect of my life. It taught me humility, through community service, dedication, through practising my skill every week, and helped me improve my stamina and fitness through doing a physical activity.'
Fellow student Rhea Agarwal added: 'The IAYP was such an unforgettable experience that included so many different activities and gave me a chance to interact with everyone in school. It really took me out of my comfort zone.'