Suprabhat Mahila Mandal
Pune, India
STEM Scholars first partnered with Suprabhat Mahila Mandal (SMM) in March, 2023 by initiating weekly virtual Zoom lessons with high school students to practice English public speaking skills and share cultural ideas. Located in Pune, India, SMM is a women-led organization that is supported by Pratham India, which is one of the largest educational non-government organizations in India. SMM’s mission is to empower, provide support and educational opportunities to underprivileged members of the community to help them achieve success in their personal and professional lives.
01
Virtual Classes
High school and college-age female students meet with us for weekly or bi-weekly virtual sessions via Zoom. The aim is for them to gain confidence with English speaking, share cultural ideas, gain confidence in asking questions, as well as to form opinions backed by information. Various topics discussed range from festivals, Bollywood, democracy, internet and social media safety, gender roles in homes and society, social-emotional learning topics like coping, personal and professional resolutions, government role internet censorship etc. These students also have an opportunity to share their dreams and aspirations for their professional and personal lives. Our students attending this virtual class include a future doctor, lawyer, computer engineer, dancing school business owner. We were lucky to meet some of them in-person in Pune in August 2024.
Overcoming barriers: technology barriers are huge when communicating across continents. Firstly, all these girls did not have a reliable internet connection or device (computer/laptop/phone) and at times, students used their mother’s or father’s phone. This led to inconsistent attendance, as messages and emails were often missed. Further, there was a language and confidence barrier. While most students understood English, their conversational skills were very limited and they did not have confidence to ask questions or seek clarifications. Over time, using topics that they could relate to and modeling presentation skills, we created a familiarity and safety space for them to speak up and share their thoughts. This is a work-in-progress.
02
Education Changing Life(ECL)- Introduction to Coding
Education Changing Life (ECL) in-person workshops: In August, 2024 we had the opportunity to visit the SMM Dhankawadi center located in Pune, India. We received a warm welcome from the staff. We conducted 3 projects during this visit:
Introduction to Coding workshop- This workshop was attended by 30+ students and included a presentation to introduce what coding is and how it is used, followed by computer lab time. The program called ‘Scratch’ was introduced, along with basic terminology and functions. Part 2 of the workshop took place in the computer lab where students were able to set up their own logins to the program. They were coached on how to navigate the website, to create and save projects.
Next Steps: Continue support for coding programs through trainer sessions with teachers at the center. Provide mentorship to a large number of students located in Pune India by partnering with the High school Robotics Team to make a larger impact.
03
Internet and Cyber Safety workshop
A group of 35 high school age students at SMM attended a workshop focused on a very important and pertinent topic: Internet safety. Most students use social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram; Youtube for video viewing and Whatsapp for exchanging messages. Topics covered included: protecting private information, dangers of sharing sensitive information, digital footprint, creating strong passwords, awareness of scams etc. Students were very engaged and shared their personal experiences such as Facebook accounts being hacked, etc.
This topic is relevant to this young population, who has access to a smart phone and internet, however, has received no guidance about responsible internet use. This presentation was shared with the SMM administration and senior leadership, who plan to share it with other centers as well.
04
LEGO Corner set up
STEM Scholars collected used Lego pieces and donated several tubs to SMM to be used with younger students. These students come for homes with very limited means, and their parents often struggle to put food on the table. As a result, these students do not have access to many toys, let alone, STEM related activities. Our aim with setting up a LEGO corner is to foster creativity and create a fun, structured activity. Most students had bright smiles and were excited to try to build new designs.
