AIMS & OBJECTIVES

We at DEEKSHA firmly believe,  that if there has to be a change in the mind set of the society, about the way we treat and use our very finite resources, it has to be intiated at an early age of an individual. As such the best medium for bringing about a change in the society  are the young and impressionable children. With that as the background we have been working with children and their teachers in schools in order to raise their levels of awareness on fuel conservation. In a step towards getting the children to express their feelings and expectations on Fuel Conservation through a creative medium DEEKSHA, in association with The Times Foundation and  supported by Petroleum Conservation Research Organisation (PCRA), New Delhi, conducted the following competitions for school children of selected  schools of NCR during the Oil Conservation Fortnight, which was  observed from 15^th Jan  to 31^st January 2004:

• Poster Making Competition.    

• Slogan Writing Competition.   

The preliminary rounds were held in the school premises. After the successful conduct of the preliminary rounds, over 328 entries were shortlisted for the final selection. A panel of Judges  selected the winners in various categories based on laid down parameters. The Valedictory cum Prize Distribution function was held on 21^st February 2004 at 4, Tilak Marg from 10.30 am . All the prize winning and consolation award winning entries were displayed on the occasion. Children with Special abilities (Mentally Retarded) were also encouraged to participate in the competition and the entries made by them were, to say the least, very tasteful with apt messages.  

All the  children who participated were given certificates of merit. Besides this the First three position winners were given trophies. All the children winning consolation prizes were given prizes in the form of books. 

DEEKSHA has launched a campaign on Rain Water Harvesting in the NCR. Towards this end we are providing turnkey solutions for installation of rain water harvesting structures to schools, RWAs, individuals and other institutions. 

In the last week of March 2004, the team of DEEKSHA visited St Angelic Model School in New Delhi and had an interaction with the Teachers, students and most importantly the parents of the students on various topics related to environment, specially water conservation. The session lasted for over two hours.

In the first week of April 2004, the Director, Mrs Tripat Parmar was  felicitated by Honourable Shri Sahib Singh Verma, the then Union Minister For Labour for the outstanding and tireless work initiated and done by her in various fields concerning environment at a function organised by Mahila Mandal, at New Delhi. Interaction with schools at various levels continued in the fresh academic session. A number of schools are being covered by the team.

With the onset of summers the problem of water scarcity has started. We at DEEKSHA have pooled in all our resources and energies to work with local Resident Welfare Associations and School children to get the message of water conservation across to the masses. It is we, the people who can make the difference by conserving whatever little quantity of water we can so that it is utilised by someone longing for a drop of water somewhere. We can not leave everything to the government, as it is the participation of masses which can and will make the dream of "WATER FOR ALL" come true in near future.

DEEKSHA participated in a unique workshop named 'UNNATI' which was organised by The Times Foundation at New Delhi for children of different social and economic backgrounds. The environmental education capsule was conducted by DEEKSHA, during the 15 day long workshop. “UNNATI” offered children to indulge in a host of activities like yoga and meditation, environmental sensitisation, creative art and personality development. The children were sensitised about the requirement of having a clean environment with lots of greenery and about their role in ensuring the same. All the children planted trees and vowed to nurture them. The Director along with the children visited HE Dr A P J Abdul Kalam, The President Of India and had a brief session with him. The President lauded the activities of DEEKSHA towards the efforts to green the minds of the youth and complimented Mrs Tripat Parmar on the same.

A sticker campaign on Rain Water Harvesting was launched on 01 June 2004,  to raise the awareness levels of the people about the utmost importance of Rain Water Harvesting. Under this project, stickers are being distributed to people (as also being pasted on cars). The stickers depict the hands of a human canalizing  rain water  into mother earth, only for the human race to utilize it later for its needs. 

Environmental education is education through, about and for environment and is a way of implementing the goals of environmental protection. It is not a separate branch of science or subject of study. It should be carried out according to the principle of lifelong integral education. Environmental education will not only open our eyes to the havoc we have wrought on ourselves in the form of by-products of the progress attained by us but it will also inform us as to how we can interwine progress and life so that they exist together.  Environmental Education helps understand different food chains and the ecological balance in nature, appreciate how environment is used for making a living and for promoting material culture.  Keeping this in mind, a unique seminar for strengthening the Environmental Education related activities in the schools and to make the educators aware of the various facets of Environmental Education, was organized, on 07^th August 2004, by DEEKSHA ,  with the theme “ ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION  :  RELEVANCE IN THE 21^st CENTURY” .  

The importance of self help in solving a number of problems related to environmental condition of localities was addressed in the month of September 2004 and KUTUMBAKAM, an all women's self help group was formed under the aegis of DEEKSHA at Delhi. The volunteers in this programme help in raising the awareness levels of the housewives about water conservation, solid waste management and environmental protection. The effort has received overwhelming response and praise from all sections of the society.

The crusade to impart environmental education to the students and to train the educators continued rigorously in the year, with our teams holding teacher training programmes in Delhi, Jalandhar, Jaipur, Guwahati and Jammu. The teacher training programme in Delhi was held at GTB Third Centenary School, Mansarovar Garden, where over 35teachers from over 18 schools attended the programme. Mrs Tripat Parmar, Director DEEKSHA exhorted the teachers to be the catalysts in shaping the minds of the children towards environmental conservation.

AIMS & OBJECTIVES

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