Many youth are imparting life-enhancing skills to underprivileged kids in namma city
Kids from Sparky Football trained by Tejas RK
What do you do when a child comes knocking on your car’s window or is parked on the pavement, beseeching you to buy a pen or an oddly toy that he can’t possibly afford? Some money could buy him a meal, but teaching him a skill could go a long way. A number of youngsters in the city have taken it upon themselves to teach kids from disadvantaged backgrounds skills that could give flight to their dreams.
These kids come packed with talent but lack a platform to show just how much. “That’s what got me thinking about creating an avenue for equal opportunity,” says Tejas RK, a freestyle footballer who coaches kids in the art of sportsmanship, humility and commitment – all with a ball.
Certified as a coach under UNICEF’s Coaches Across Continents, Tejas has churned out a couple of Under 16 champs, one of who even bagged Bengaluru’s Best Player Award! Using sport as a vehicle to create self directed learners who can identify, address and solve problems in their community, “These kids shoulder responsibilities like vending newspapers and working at coffee shops, but they don’t miss a day’s practice,” says the 22-year-old psychology student who moonlights as a call center executive.
While speaking about using sport for development, Bengaluru’s skateboarding pioneers, Holystoked Collective can’t be left out of the equation. “It’s not just about teaching skateboarding but it is to develop other holistic skills that include respecting personal space, communication and socialisation,” says the Collective’s 31-year-old Shashank Somanna.
Although they’ve had to shut down their skate park at HSR Layout following altercations with neighbours and their archaic taboos to do with the underprivileged, they continue to help out hundreds of kids who make it to Sarjapur and Namma Metro stations, skateboards in tow. When a group of 15 kids from Dream a Dream foundation couldn’t afford training for rugby tournaments, a state level player, the 25-year-old Nishant Nereyeth took it upon himself to raise funds. “They’ve had a fantastic journey so far and they’ve held their own. I just wanted to help them out,” says Nishant who also doubles as the regional development officer for Karnataka rugby. “These 19-22 year olds have also played at local and national tournaments at various capacities, while still having a blast with the Bangalore Rugby Football Club,” he adds.
It’s not just sports that the young are using as tools of change. Music and art are other avenues that are picking up pace. “I teach lyricisms and skill sets on a Whatsapp group to likeminded youngsters who want to escape and comment on the social situation that binds them,” says Shubhankar Das aka Mc Zombii. Having lived in slums through childhood, “I would be lying if I said money wasn’t an object but equipped with skills, I believe you can turn your life around,” says the 20-year-old.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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