From the time Ms. Miriam informed us about the Reap Benefit workshop that would take place over two classes to the time the workshop started and till after the workshop was over, I think it would be safe to say that we were all ecstatic about the opportunity to work with a well established organisation and its members. The invaluable skills that we hoped to learn would, in turn, help us as Global Perspective students and as budding changemakers.
So what is the Reap Benefit Foundation? It is an NGO based in Bangalore whose goal is to inspire action based learning in India’s youth. They have an app called Solve Ninjas which is an action based learning app which leverages technology to help the youth spread word about local issues or share campaigns and resolutions. The Solve Ninjas usually target serious issues such as sanitation problems, environmental problems and educational ones. Their website displays several resolutions and intricate courses of action formed by young Indian minds. They have been recognized nationally and internationally by Barack Obama who commented on their initiative and have partnered with several well known organizations such as Asha and Ashoka. From the Reap Benefit Foundation we had Mr. Vimal Prabhu, the Senior Project Manager, join us for two sessions and help us understand the basics of problem solving and guide us along the right path to solve problems and issues, which is something we deal with in our Global Perspectives class on a daily basis.
During these two sessions with Mr. Vimal Prabhu we not only learnt about how to solve problems using the D-I-S-S acronym but we also got to see the amazing work some of Reap Benefit’s people and Solve Ninjas are doing. We got to explore their website and discover all the honourable work they are doing which truly inspired us to be better and do better!
Our takeaway from these sessions were invaluable as since the end of the workshop I myself have applied things we learnt more than once in my Global Perspectives class as well as in my other classes. This workshop not only helped me better myself as a Global Perspectives student and problem solver but it also helped me solve real life problems faster and more logically than I could before and for this I am grateful. We are all looking forward to having more workshops and experiences such as this one!
This post has been authored by our Grade 9 student, Saina Sheth.
