Over two hundred lower and higher secondary students of the Saadi Memorial Institute of Education in Pulwama, Kashmir, run by former registrar of Srinagar College Cluster Registrar Prof. Hamid Sheikh, participated in four workshops to promote a more gender equitable tomorrow, organised by the Gender Equality working group under the aegis of C20 Chair Sri Mata Amritanandamayi for G20 2023.
One of the most important recommendations to come out of the C20 deliberations of the Gender Equality working group, led by Dr. Bhavani Rao, UNESCO Chair for Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality, was that “for a gender harmonious community we have to design interventions for young school going students.”
Radhika Shetty, an assistant research analyst and trainer, led workshops for kids in grades five through nine in which they learned, through critical thinking exercises and debate, to identify and question societal gender stereotypes. Students gain an understanding of the importance of expressing their emotions, where these feelings are often learned, and how to do so successfully. Theatre exercises were also implemented to assist pupils gain self-assurance and improve their public speaking abilities. In the last session, girls in grades five through ten participated in an interactive workshop on period awareness and cleanliness, dispelling misconceptions about menstruation, proper nutrition, and practising easy yoga asanas to alleviate monthly pains.
SpotlightRed is a new initiative from Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham and UNESCO India that aims to improve instructors’ and students’ knowledge of menstruation health, hygiene management, and nutrition.
Students took part in the C20 One Million Lights initiative, in which they thanked the individuals who had made a difference in their lives, built the C20 logo, and pledged to work towards a more gender-balanced future.
