Now here's a really superb article from The Energy Research Institute (TERI) Magazine "Terragreen " in praise of Youreka and iDiscoveri and with a very apt relevant and powerful quotation by Schumacher (author of "Small is Beautiful - Economics as if people mattered") at the end. Really, lifestyles have changed disastrously and drastically in the last few years and Youreka and iDiscoveri are among the few organisations who are attempting to set this balance right by pioneering outdoor programs and correcting this glaring imbalance. Ed. :
We know we live in
a very modern
world, with
amenity. You go
to school, there are cars and buses
to pick you up and drop you back.
When you study, you get onto the
computer. When you want to spend
leisure time, there are several
television channels to choose from.
Some of you may love chatting on
the telephone, playing video
games, and watching movies. Life is
beautiful.
But there’s something even
prettier there, out in the woods. Far
away from the noisy bustle of the
city, are mountains and rivers,
deserts and jungles. As you read in
the school textbooks, it is this
bounty of nature that provides
every chemical and every fibre,
every atom and molecule, which we
put together to make everything
we use on a daily basis. Just try
picking up anything in your home,
try breaking it down to where it
comes from, and it’ll take you back
to nature. Yet, living away from
these surroundings, we often miss
the stuff life is made of.
How about reconnecting? I’m
sure there are several initiatives all
across the country, but one that I
came to know of is a camp
programme called Youreka! Run by
idiscoveri, an education initiative
that takes teaching beyond
classrooms, this is one camp where
you aren’t likely to have it easy.
After convincing your parents
that you, their child, is in
completely safe hands, the
programme managers give you the
options of joining their week- long
camps at several places away from
your homes. The list includes places
like Tirthan, Sitlakhet, and Coorg.
Bang in the middle of mountains,
right next to a roaring river is where
the tents are pitched. Now the
course begins, each camper has to
choose one major course and a
minor course. Before you start
grumping, take a look at the
courses. Major : rock climbing,
white water rafting, kayaking,
wilderness backpacking, ropes
course, outdoor survival and
mountain biking. Minor – candle
making, bandana making, music
and choreography, juggling,
magic, campus newspaper,
astronomy, photography, ecowalk
and painting. Phew.
iDiscoverers, as they call
themselves, have wonderful things
to say. They love the sounds of
nature, they love the fun, the tough
acts, the independence. Says
Adnan Vahanavaty, a young gun
who went to the camp, ‘iDiscoveri
has changed the way I see the
environment, other people, and
myself.’ The mums and dads also had
good things to say. They felt that
the children came back a lot more
confident. The safety rules at the
camps and the presence of a doctor
also impressed them.
We thinks it’s a great way to drop
into the lap of nature. Every hurdle
you cross – a river or a rock – not
only makes you confident, but also
teaches one to respect nature.
When you’re so close to this beauty,
so lovingly tended by it, you’ll learn
to love it. And that’s when you’ll
learn how to keep Mother Earth
safe and happy.
Quote
‘A way of life that ever more rapidly depletes the power
of the earth to sustain it and piles up ever more
insoluble problems for each succeeding generation can
only be called violent.’
Ernst Friedrich Schumacher (1911–1977),
German economist and pioneer of appropriate technology
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