1. “DREAM CLEAN”<br />DESIGN FOR CHANGE 2010<br />RASHMI ENGLISH MEDIUM SCHOOL<br />It would be wonderful if Rashmi English Medium School were also involved and a part of the Design For Change contest. It is wonderful for our children to believe that they have the power to change and effect change around them. The idea is to equip and empower the students so that they become the “change makers” and bring about some sort of change, either on a large or small scale.<br />Before our students enter into the local community and surrounding area, it is important that they are able to have a safe and clean school environment and take responsibility for this. Hence, it was thought that this year a project within the school would be taken up.<br />Upon talking to the students, they felt very strongly about two issues across grade levels. One was the situation of the toilets in the school. The other was the lack of cleanliness, health and hygiene among the students. Hence, it was decided that the problem of the toilets should be addressed and awareness regarding basic health and hygiene should be brought about.<br />A presentation on this was made and students of class 5 presented it to all the classes, explaining how and why the toilets should be kept clean and maintained as well as how and why we should keep ourselves and the school premises neat and clean.<br />The students designed a campaign for the school campus where posters were put up with different messages, such as how to keep your nails neat and clean. These were put up all over the school and were made by the student themselves. Finally, there were cleanliness and toilet monitors appointed in the school from both the primary and secondary sections. The monitors changed on a regular basis and was decided by the class teacher. These monitors would ensure that the school premises remained clean and that students cleaned up after themselves during recess and other times of the day when all the students came together. The cleanliness inside the classroom was also taken care of and this was addressed and monitored more by the class teachers themselves and held the children responsible for their actions and the appearance of their classroom.<br />Design for Change 2010 at Rashmi English Medium School turned out to be a great learning experience and even though a small scale project, it definitely transformed the school and the students’ mindsets. This is the essence of Design For Change and capturing that is more important than the scale of the project itself. <br />