Summer Archives

Alex Leddin Udaipur, India - Foundation for Sustaianable Development (FSD) - Jatan Sansthan; Apna Jatan

I spent this summer working in Udaipur, India through the Foundation for Sustainable Development (FSD). While there, I worked for Jatan Sansthan, a local NGO focused on youth development and empowerment. For my work, I was partnered with Diane and Jireh, two FSD interns from Northwestern University. As a team, we created a 12-month health and life skills curriculum for teenage girls living in the slums and villages surrounding Udaipur. Through surveys, observations, and community visits, we identified a variety of topics ranging from money management and Indian history to menstrual health and nutrition that the girls wanted to learn about. We then wrote the curriculum and piloted various activities with local teenagers and parents throughout the writing process. We also created a workbook for participants that Jatan can use as a measurement tool to evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum. During my last week in India, we hosted a workshop for instructors to teach them the curriculum and provide them with materials. In addition to creating and implementing the curriculum, I also worked at Apna Jatan, an education center run by Jatan Sansthan. I collected and distributed clothing for the children, taught English in the Saturday classes, and helped to organize a dance performance for the community.