YOUNG
PEOPLE’S
INITIATIVE

Jagruti loved to play sport but she was not allowed to play in the public ground. ‘At that time, we were living in a joint family. My uncle didn’t allow me to go out to play in a public ground and wear shorts. Because of my uncle’s pressure, my father also didn’t allow me to play.’

Jagrutiloved playing netball in the YPI in school but didn’t take the life skill sessions serious. Once she became a peer leader, she became responsible. She felt that she should learn everything taught by the coaches and be able to share this with others. She took initiative to manage the class. After completing the 10-month programme, Jagruti joined the netball club and soon she became a role model for other club players. She also started helping the coaches by doing the warming up and leading netball drills. Her support for the coaches led eventually to Jagruti becoming a Community Sports Coach (CSC.) Since a year, Jagruti is doing this internship at Naz. She conducts netball and life skills sessions with around 140 girls in Anjuman (Kurla) and Nutan School (Kalyan) confidently. ‘I take initiative in taking sessions. The coaches give me positive feedback and motivate me to learn more. The participants see me as their role model. All these things help me a lot to improve more.’

Jagruti’s family is now proud to have a sports woman in the family. Her father supports her to play as Jagruti showed him that she has become very mature. They appreciate that sport has enabled Jagruti to support herself. ‘Today I am a leader and an independent girl. I can take my own decisions and I am saving my stipend to support my further studies in accounting’. Jagruti’s independence enables her father to support her brother to pursue his dream, a career in photography.

Soleha Quereshi was a shy and quiet girl in her class who didn’t participate much in school activities. It turned out that she had hearing difficulties and that she was not very confident to participate in any kind of activity. The coaches made sure that Soleha could understand the instructions and made her Peer Leader of her class when she started to connect with the programme. The aim was to build her confidence by giving her a position in the programme.

As a peer leader, Soleha started showing more interest in the sessions. She felt that her opinion was listened to by the coaches and her classmates ever since she became the peer leader. The session on communication was very impactful. Soleha didn’t have a strong connection with her parents, but ever since she started learning about communication, she felt that it is important to talk with her parents. Since then she talks to her mother and sisters and tells them about what she has learned in the life skill sessions. Her mother finds the information helpful. Teachers also have started noticing a positive change within Soleha. They recognize that she interacts more with the other girls and that she possesses leadership skills. Her parents have seen an improvement in Soleha’s social skills and have started appreciating her for that.

Uzma Shaikhwas introduced to netball through the YPI in her school Anjuman Islam MIJ High School, Bandra, Mumbai. ’I never played a sport before because I didn’t know which sports a girl could play but now, I am a netball player. First, I felt that I ‘was not good at sports’ but my site coach told me I did well and encouraged me to play.’ I have played many competitive level matches in which I learnt many things e.g. strategies, management, planning etc. I enjoy the game.’ Uzmawas delighted when she was selected in the team to play in the District Sports Tournament (DSO) and Udaan, Naz’s interschool tournament. Initially her parents refused to let her participate. But when they realized that the trip was well organised and the children’s safety guaranteed, they allowed Uzma to play. ‘My family sees the change in me. I’m confident and my stamina has increased because of netball. My family now allows me to play.’

The life skills session in the YPI Programme have been an eye opener for Uzma: ‘I never got this kind of information’. In her family, Uzma’s father and her brother take all the decisions. Her elder brother is the bread winner and supports their father in every decision. In the YPI, Uzma learned that girls and boys are equal and that she can participate in discussions and give her views. Earlier she wouldn’t share anything with her family members because she feared that her family would ‘shout at her’. ‘Now I share what I learn with my mother. I have that confidence where at least I am trying to put my views in front of my parents.’

After finishing the YPI programme in 2018, Ritika joined the community netball club. She shares that she used to be very shy and could not even order while buying food. She is still a shy person but now confident enough to do and ask things for herself. The netball club is a safe space for Ritika where, for the first time in her life, she started to share her feelings. She began talking about her problems with her peers in the club. The coaches are very kind and make sure that every child is safe. ‘We players know that even if we are not comfortable sharing our problems with our coaches or if something bad happens with us in schools or anywhere else, we can talk to a ‘Saathi’ (participant who is a child protection observer) or put a note in the ‘Saathi’ (incident reporting) box. A lot of times people come to the ground and invade our space. We always come up for our right to use the ground when it’s our time to play. Our coaches always stand by us’. She says that, ‘A lot of times when we play, men sit around the playing ground and watch us playing. Didi (coach) always makes sure that they don’t click our pictures when we’re playing’.

Netball has played a significant role in Ritika’s life. She has played several tournaments within and outside Naz. It has made her comfortable in playing with others and playing when boys are watching. She also shares, ‘Netball has made me believe in myself and has built sportsmanship in me. It has made me believe that I can do anything’.