e main issue the community faced. “Girls face a lot of problems here. They are scared of boys and they are afraid to leave their house. Sometimes even parents do not let them leave the house because of boys”, added another. When asked who should solve these issues, the replies were a seemingly undoubted chorus of “We are responsible. We will have to fix these issues. As in, whoever is responsible [for creating] these problems will only have to [change]”.
Underlying these issues was the power dynamics of the community. Building on the reflections of his students, the Principal of R.R Lalan College, Mr Paresh Raval said, ”Our society is underdeveloped and stagnant, and if not directly, there is indirect discrimination based on land ownership and communities under the veil. There is poverty and inequality. Further, whatever growth and development has occurred, there is still a lot of inequality [still prevalent]. Some people have extra power, whether it is financial power or political power. There is also [an issue] of gender bias and caste-related issues…and because of all of this…while it may appear that everything is balanced, some people have a lot of power and some people are dependent on these powerful people [and structures] and they have adapted to it”.
Mr. Yusuf Khan, Principal of Muslim Education and Welfare Trust, thought that the long history of marginalization and Illiteracy is also acting as a barrier for the younger students. “Our school is a Muslim minority school, so 90% of the children here are Muslim, naturally. The problems that they face is that their parents are still not [educationally inclined]. They do not give proper attention to their child’s education; they depend completely on the school and the teachers. Our main issue is that since parents are not literate, the students [do not show] the results or improvement others could have”, he said.
While the team began tentatively, predicting only a moderate level of understanding and participation, the response was overwhelming! Although the younger participants did face some difficulty understanding certain terminologies and concepts, most students expressed themselves freely in their local dialect, and were ready to interact and participate in the project. Further, due to active cooperation and facilitation of the leadership stakeholders like principals of schools and colleges, and the District Education Officer (DEO), the sessions went smoothly. While technical and logistical issues due to lack of proper infrastructure did curb the ambitious number of participants the team wanted to reach each day, the overall experience was nothing less than remarkable. Within a period of four days, the team managed to reach approximately 1000 youth students with the support of six education institutes spread out in Bhuj with a diverse population of students. What made the field visit to Bhuj even more worthwhile was the benevolent and accommodating nature of the five leadership stakeholders – primarily principals and heads of departments in colleges – who aided the study team and provided us with insights and suggestions for the implementation of upcoming stages of the project.
Over a series of interactions and the pilot stage of data collection, the youth, as well as senior community stakeholders, reflected on the past, the present, as well as the future of their beloved communities. The short video recordings (currently being transcribed) had the impression of a community that is rich, free and reflective. One could see the agency and the energy exhibited by the young change agents as they reflected – in their own dialect – on issues pertaining to their community, especially relating to education and learning in a fast-changing world. Cutting through all their concerns was an acute awareness of their community, a concern for its issues and most importantly, an understanding that the ultimate responsibility lies in their hands – a promising beginning towards enabling and effecting change.
With the culmination of the pilot stage of the project, the team is current