More than 25 MILLION Students
across the globe is saying “I can”. Wow! That’s a huge achievement in itself
for the Design for Change world initiative. And for your information the three
word slogan “YES WE CAN” is what our DFC students have been saying for quite
some time now.
At Druk School, Our guiding
philosophy of Excellence in body, mind and speech strives to achieve excellence
in body conduct, in thoughts we think and in the language we use to communicate
with the world. Having these principles in place, we have been feeling,
imaging, doing and sharing Design for change stories since 2011.
“No BG vehicle” A DFC program started
in 2011 is an initiative to reduce corruption by discouraging parents to use
Government owned vehicle to drop and pick their children from our school campus.
“Kindle a flame” which started in 2012 is about educating our housemaids and
babysitters. Both these programs are being continued and are getting stronger. These
programs are changing mindsets, changing lives and have been reducing an ounce
of Government Budget each day that otherwise goes in purchasing an extra ounce of
petroleum for those extra trips.
This year DFC program in our school
was also dissected to class levels. And
by virtue of being the talk of the town my 7th grade student’s story
of “Active Citizens” which relates to democracy and politics got nominated to
represent our school here this morning.
Ladies and gentlemen, my
involvement in their story of change as a facilitator made me realize that DFC
Program brings about “Urgency” for action. The children hunt for the problems
that bother them the most; then they list down the solutions to solve it, and then
they execute their action and finally they share it with the world to inspire
others to make the world a better place to live. They feel, they imagine, they
do and then they share. They take all that matters in their own little hands!
It also came to my consensus while
helping the children that the DFC program also indirectly teaches them about
“designing” or about the “planning process” involved in creating something. The
designing of a clothe, for instance, requires the designer to feel about the
need for the cloth, then he imagines the fabric, design and the texture of the
cloth, and then he cuts and stitches the cloth pieces together and finally sale
it to the world.
Planning a dinner at home for
friends would involve the same process. I should first feel the need to throw a
party to my friends. Then I would imagine the menu and then I would invite my
friends and have dinner. Finally, I would share with my other colleagues in my
office about the dinner I hosted for my friends the previous night. Interestingly,
the talk about the dinner in the office would then inspire another friend to
host a dinner in the following night.
Personally speaking, DFC is changing
the way our children think. With its FOUR stages of FEEL, IMAGINE, DO and SHARE
DFC is teaching our children more than the stories they have in their minds to
share with us today. Getting our children involve in this noble initiative will
only make them more humane, visionary, smart planners, elite executives and
above all a responsible future citizen.
To sum up,
the story that my students so proudly want to share today with you all might
not make you click your tongue or might neither garner compassion from all the Connors
of this Assembly hall….because it relates to democracy and politics- the least
admired topics currently…….but it’s righteous enough to say that these children
have become more responsible citizens and have certainly curved a small space
for themselves in the history of our young democracy by being an agent of
change in their own little ways.
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