WHO WE WORK WITH
We have a multi-layered approach that includes all the stakeholders that influence the experience of the children (like their families and government institutions) in either positive or negative ways. We manage and navigate these scenarios sometimes as facilitators, mentors and sometimes acting as advocates and champions for the choices that the children want to make.
CHILDREN & YOUTH
SYSTEMS
COMMUNITY
CHILDREN AND YOUTH
We work with children and youth between the ages of 12 to 24.
They are orphaned, abandoned, runaways from abusive families, those succumbed to life on the streets or those who are alleged of a crime or in conflict with the law. Our first point of contact with them is through the reform institutions – Children’s Homes, Observation Homes, Special Homes and Places of Safety. These children are the direct products of their circumstances; some are on the cusp of being tried as adults and are facing criminal charges that will without doubt embed them in a hardened and criminal world; others are vulnerable and at risk with no family support.
Transitioning from adolescence to adulthood is difficult for all children, but for these children the natural support systems are missing altogether. The children in these reform institutions are isolated and victims of a failing system. By working with them, we hope to make a deliberate break from the cycle of destructive situations they have experienced, and keep them from becoming angry and violent adults. Our children and youth lack social and emotional skills which help fit in the society. They often struggle with managing their anger, peer pressure, addiction, mental illnesses and lack life skills.
STAKEHOLDERS WITHIN THE SYSTEM
We believe that together we can bring about change. We closely work with probation officers, superintendents, teachers, caretakers and guards, discuss the problems that show up with the children and involve them in the process of change. We also work with the Members of the Juvenile Justice Board and the Child Welfare Committee and the police that have the ability to support them in their transformation.
FAMILY, COMMUNITY AND SOCIETY
Just as we build a relationship with the children we build a strong relationship with the parents, step parents and other family members and friends of the children. Through counseling sessions and circles with the family and the children we bridge the gap between them. Once the child is released, the stigma continues to haunt the child and the family. We ease the process of integration by providing emotional support and motivation to continue re-building their life.
Through our volunteer projects, awareness activities and mentoring programs we bring the outside world inside the institutions and humanize them. We build an ecosystem of positive role models through volunteers, employers and peers who support the behaviour change of the children.
For our neglected, abandoned and orphaned children we create a family, a support circle that they can rely on once they leave the institution. For our children in conflict with law, we help people understand and realize that there is no one who is a criminal and that the crime is different from the person. We connect with companies, to employ these children and advocate for a fair second chance.
Throughout our work, our role is to help form positive perceptions and create an environment that proactively supports the children in their behaviour change.