Canopy Nepal - Learners' Hub

Learners' Hub- 

                                                                                                            - 'Reshaping Education'

Canopy Nepal is a team of visionary youths working in the field of education, skill and leadership development, diversity and inclusion. We work in collaboration with like-minded individuals and organizations to achieve our targets of empowering our beneficiaries with skills they need to bring about positive change in our community. Canopy Nepal aims at creating an environment where individuals have a choice to equip themselves with skills and abilities of lifetime importance. The organization intends to promote intercultural understanding among diverse groups by the means of various programs.

Learners' hub is a hub where students from different backgrounds come together to learn in an interactive, fun and energetic manner. Students who are eager to be a part of an interactive method of learning participate in its three constituent programs to enhance multifaceted skills such as reading, writing, listening, speaking, critical thinking. The three programs are EIC or English Improvement Classes, Katha Bunaun and Lekhaun. The children learn through a variety of activities which involves free-writing, public speaking, playing learning-oriented games which are all part of their learning venture. Children not only learn throughout the program but also enjoy learning as a continuous process. Moreover, they are constantly challenged to get out of their comfort zone and participate in the task, which eventually enhances their aforementioned skills. The program also monitors the impact created upon the students by comparing the results from the pre and post evaluation assessment activities.

English Improvement Class or EIC is a month-long program where students who have been taught in a primitive manner to enhance their knowledge in the English language. The use of traditional rote learning method inhibits their unique and individual potential to flourish. Hence, this program taps onto all the different interactive method of learning in the children. They learn different English skills and assimilate it on a daily basis in both their personal as well as school lives. Till date, EIC has worked with 678 students, changing their perspective on learning as well as the language itself. Altogether, the program holds an objective to reduce their fear and hostility towards the language and increase their enthusiasm in bettering their skills. Also, in the letter writing sessions with their pen-pals at Rawson Saunders School in the US, participants in the EIC class write letters to their friends.about their daily life, hobbies and interests This way, the children are exchanging their culture, values and learning to write more and freely express themselves. 

Katha Bunaun or KB aims at fostering the love of story-writing and storytelling in young learners. Today, the new era of technology has bounded the children from using books and pens to write and read because they are constantly occupied using their electronic gadgets. It is a 5-day long program, which encourages children to come up with stories and to pursue story-writing and storytelling. Within a week-long period, students uncover their love for writing stories.  Four days might seem a short period of time but there has been an apparent change which can be seen through their improvement in communication as well as confidence level among the children who take part in KB. KB has ignited the love for writing and worked with around 280 students from various different schools. 

Lekhaun can be literally translated to ‘Let’s Write!’ It is a 4 day- long program which aims to improve academic writing skills among participants such as paragraph-writing, essay writing, to enhance students’ free-writing skills. Through Lekhaun, students prepare themselves to become more eloquent at their writing so that they are able to express their opinions, values, and thoughts just as they want to. 

Sabanam Thapa is a team member with Canopy Nepal. She is currently studying BASW from Thames International College.

View Your Choice has collaborated as an outreach partner with Canopy Nepal.

Canopy Nepal - 'Reshaping Education'

Canopy Nepal was started in 2015 by a small yet passionate group of youths who saw a need for better quality of education in government schools and decided to make a difference. The organization runs various educational programs with public schools in  the valley with a primary goal of promoting an interactive learning system in order to counter the traditional focus on rote memorization prevalent in Nepali schools. Canopy has engaged students from public, private and community schools by providing them with suitable programmes that have been designed and practised thoroughly by the members of Canopy Nepal as well as other professionals experts at their own field. 

Canopy Nepal currently runs seven programs to promote education, re-engage students in a love of learning, facilitate discussions among education professionals on effective teaching and learning. Canopy’s flagship program, Learners’ Hub: English Improvement Classes (EIC), seeks to improve English skills among children, whilst simultaneously improving student’s attitudes towards language acquisition. The main goal of this programme is to reduce their fear and hostility towards the language and increase their enthusiasm in bettering their english skills. A session of letter writing and exchange between the children in Rawson Saunders School in the US and children from EIC partner schools is also conducted under the same program which is facilitated by International Student Learning Inc. or ISL. 

CANSHIP, or Canopy Nepal Scholarship program  funds school expenses for underprivileged children, in partnership with NCEP Canada. CANSHIP currently serves 52 students providing for their tuition, uniforms, and supplies. Moreover, not just bounded to their materialistic needs CANSHIP also provides them with other programmes overseeing their wellbeing in general such as their recent programme of Career Counselling Sessions. Career Counselling Sessions is a 2-day session which aims to guide CANSHIP's current SEE appearing scholars in choosing the right path after grade 10. It aims to provide them with knowledge and information on available courses and scholarship opportunities so as to encourage them to pursue further education. 

FESSHIP is  another scholarship program which provides educational support to underprivileged students to complete their secondary education and/or vocational training to better their lives and prospects in collaboration with Friends of Nepal Adelaide Inc. (FONAI). 

Canopy also  runs two other  skill-focused programs  under the project of Learner's Hub: Lekhaun, which focuses on building skills related to academic writing in general, and Katha Bunaun, which emphasizes on fostering the love and story writing and storytelling. Additionally, Canopy seasonally runs Young Learners’ Camp, a residential  camp which seeks to engage children in fun, educational, and interactive activities. 

Finally, Canopy has organized a series of panel discussions titled ‘Understanding Education’. Incorporating various organizations involved in education - such as the Ministry of Education, the U.S. Embassy, UNESCO, and the USAID - Understanding Education seeks to facilitate meaningful conversations about education in Nepal, and hopefully, to inspire resulting positive changes within the system.

The organization hopes to find its way to the students, who are in need for a help to find their way to their desired goals and destinies with a podium where students can discover new ways of learning, also learn to express their voice where Canopy stands as a pillar who are involved directly or indirectly in their respective journeys. 

Originally written by: Heather Schultz 
Updated by: Sabanam Thapa

Heather Schultz is a graduate of Evergreen State College. She worked closely with Canopy Nepal as an intern from October 2017-June 2018.

Sabanam Thapa is a team member with Canopy Nepal. She is currently studying BASW from Thames International College.

View Your Choice has collaborated as an outreach partner with Canopy Nepal.

Mitti Ke Rang - Our Representative's insight into the Social Enterprise

ARNIKA FERDOUS BRISTI - BANGLADESH

Our representative from Bangladesh - Arnika Ferdous Bristi, shares her experience and views on working with Mitti Ke Rang and the importance about the Advocacy of Widow's Empowerment.

As very accurately pointed out by Arnika here as well, the fact remains that the awareness around the challenges of widowhood aren't approached enough to resolve sensitively and closely. This ignorance does not just limit aid but also the awareness of if it exists at all or not. Many women seeking support or help often feel clueless about where to go due to this very lack of advocacy, falling prey to the discriminating treatment by society instead. 

Youth truly does hold great power and yes we definitely have our responsibilities towards our society, and hence, Mitti Ke Rang, not only creates a platform to empower women but also unites and brings together the new generation, who contributes greatly in bringing forth change.  

Arnika Ferdous Bristi (Graduate from Begum Rokeya University Department of Public administration in Bangladesh), representative of Mitti Ke Rang in Bangladesh. Arnika is a learner who follows the philosophy, that knowledge is never enough and that it increases with sharing.