THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Do not be surprised if you spot children in school uniforms collect litter or offer dust bins to be placed in your home or housing colony. In all likelihood they will be the students of Christ Nagar International School, who are on a mission to instill civic reasonability in the city dwellers.
Taking a cue form the hue and cry over waste management in the city, the school has decided to take a step towards inculcating civic sense in students and spreading the word through interactive programmes. Joining hands with the Bangalore-based NGO Children’s Movement for Civic Awareness (CMCA) and the German Cultural Centre Goethe Zentrum in Thiruvananthapuram, the school has launched a civic club named ‘Green’ civic club. The club will be run by a group of student representatives who will be guided by a civic tutor. The students would be sensitized to various civic issues through talks and activities. The club members would then spread the message through awareness campaigns and pamphlets.
“This is the first time that a school in Kerala is collaborating with CMCA to nurture active citizenship amongst the student community,” says Fr Josy Kollammalil, the School Principal. “Though the Club is run by a group of students, the whole school will be involved in the activities,” he adds.
CMCA is an agency formed in the faith that children are powerful messengers of change and that they have a tremendous potential in influencing people and mediating positive change. “It is also important that children grow up as active and responsible citizens. Such initiatives help in shaping the students to take up the challenge of changing things for the better,” points out Fr Josy.
The ‘Green’ civic club was inaugurated by Suchitwa Mission Executive Director George Chakkachery. The student members will attend interactive programmes, talks and discussions in the coming days. Come June, and an array of field activities like distributing waste baskets to Resident Associations, school buses etc. focusing on the issue of waste management in the city to begin with. The first step would be an anti–litter campaign. The school also intends to launch a ‘zero–polythene’ drive in the school.
The activities of the club will be spearheaded by Preethi Raj, a faculty member of the school. “I have suddenly started feeling responsible as a citizen and hope to make a difference in society thorough our activities,” says Miriam Mathew, a seventh standard student of the school, who is at the helm of the club.