Project Proposal

Social Emotional Development in Children

Apni Shala Foundation 

Submitted by: Apni Shala Foundation 

 

Index 

    

  

 

S. No.  Head  Page No. 

1  Introduction - Context, vision and approach  3 

2  Projects  7 

2.1  ● School SEL Programmes with MCGM schools  7 

3  Monitoring and Evaluation Processes  11 

Introduction 

   Context   The pre-COVID-19 scenario for mental health in India was grim. One in seven Indians had mental disorders of varying severity in 2017, and Indians accounted for 27% of the global suicide deaths in 2016.1 Over 5 crore children in India are living with mental health issues2. Children living in poverty are three times more likely to experience mental health issues3.  

The spread of COVID-19 has significantly pronounced the need for addressing the mental health                           needs of individuals, particularly children and caregivers in marginalized and low-income                     communities. With the spread of the virus in slum communities, loss of income and job opportunities,                               being locked in small home spaces, many times with difficult family situations, the life situations of                               many young children and their caregivers have become grim with rising fear, anxiety, and inability to                               manage complex emotions in such ambiguous times. The intersectionality of poverty and mental                         health is well-documented. Lower mental health and higher stress have also been linked to                           decreased immunity, hence increasing the probability of infection.  

While on one side, India is battling with a looming mental health crisis, the infrastructure and services                                 are very minimal. According to the Indian Journal of Psychiatry “…there is a need to improve the                                 psychosocial competence and resilience of children. However, resources and trained persons in the                         field are few.” This is the infrastructure gap that Apni Shala desires to fill. 

Schools are one of the most integral structures of a child’s ecological system. In addition to the                                 primary contribution of schools in providing literacy, numeracy, and scientific knowledge, schools                       play an important role in children’s emotional and social development and psychological health.                         Schools can create a mentally healthy climate for students by changing the discourse from an                             illness-based approach to a well-being model4.  

With a focus on promotive and preventive mental health, Apni Shala builds systems of social and                               emotional development and wellbeing in schools and educational organisations, especially those                     public schools working with children from low-income homes.  

 1 www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(20)30493-4/fulltext 2 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov 3 https://bcmj.org 4 The Critical Role of Schools in Adolescent Mental Health Care: Organizing Systems and Developing Pathways, Chetna Duggal and Lamia Bagasrawala 

 

Apni Shala has been working with children, educators, and families from low-income homes, for the                             last 7 years in Mumbai’s L, M-east, and M-west wards, three of the least developed wards. Apni Shala                                   Foundation has served over 10500 students, over 700 teachers and over 500 parents since 2013.  

 Vision  Building social and emotional competencies among individuals to constructively engage with society and have a harmonious co-existence.   What is Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)?  SEL is a process to build emotional wellbeing, resilience, relationship skills, and empathy in children and communities. It involves working with children through opportunities where they can learn and practice these skills and with school stakeholders (teachers, parents, principals, etc) to make more caring and inclusive policies and processes in schools.  Apni Shala’s Strategic goals  

● Increase access to Social Emotional Learning (SEL) spaces for children, youth, and the larger community 

● Develop capacity among educators to facilitate SEL programs ● Develop and implement a wholesome SEL curriculum and evaluation framework in the Indian 

context ● Advocate with the government for policy interventions for SEL 

  Population Served   

● Students from low-income communities in L, M-west, and M-east wards (Kurla, Ghatkopar, Govandi, Chembur, and Mankhurd) in municipal schools. 

Geographical Context  Mumbai has been an urban hub for a very long time in India. People from other cities and states                                     migrate with a hope for a better life; migration in search of better opportunities, sometimes by choice                                 and at other times because of a lack of choices. Within communities with migratory populations,                             there are those in slums that are rehabilitated without choice. In the rehabilitation of these                             communities, though there has been some provision for educational infrastructure, there has been                         reported dissatisfaction with the accessibility, engagement, and quality of education.   “Recording a slum population of 77.55% and Human Development Index of 0.05, M-East ward ranked                             

 

lowest in Mumbai Human Development Report 2009. This apart, the 256+ slum settlements and 13                             large resettlement colonies in this ward are reflective of the creation of a ghetto in a global city,”                                   reports Social Economic Conditions and Vulnerabilities, A report of the baseline survey of M (East)                             ward, Mumbai. Below is a snapshot of the three least developed wards in Mumbai as per the report:  

Source: https://theopendata.com/site/tag/hdi/  

  Apni Shala’s Approach And Model  Collaboration: Apni Shala Foundation partners with municipal government schools and educational                     organisations to engage students in experiential learning to build social and emotional                       competencies. We work in complete consultation and collaboration with the system, and our                         programmes are informed by the various strengths, assets, and potential challenges in the school                           system to ensure our programmes are integrated seamlessly with the current objectives and                         programmes of the education system and various partner institutions.  Engaging Multiple Community Stakeholders: Apni Shala works with the whole school community                       through promotive and preventive mental wellbeing interventions. We offer programmes for children,                       as well as to engage educators. We create a supportive environment in schools for teachers to learn                                 and unlearn ideas about social-emotional learning and mental health, while creating platforms for                         caregivers of students to reflect on and act to develop SEL in their children’s lives. Apni Shala also                                   engages with teachers with the aim of inspiring and coaching them to become frontrunners of SEL                               development. Facilitators work with teachers and principals through monthly SEL campaigns and                       teacher engagement meetings.   Apni Shala facilitators work with caregivers/parents of the beneficiaries at least three times a year to promote a supportive environment for SEL development at home. This helps in addressing the stigma around mental health and well-being and creating a stronger system of support for students to develop and thrive.  Aligning with most recent educational advancements: Apni Shala’s programmatic framework is                     based on the one offered by the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL,                             USA), and is further adapted to the Indian context. This unique program focuses on building social                               and emotional resilience in students and the systems around them. It focuses on the following five                               

 

Ward  HDI  % Slum population 

M-west  0.33  68.5% 

L  0.29  84% 

M-east  0.05  77.6% 

competencies: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Responsible Decision Making, Social Awareness               and Relationship Skills.   Apni Shala works with national and international partners to stay relevant to our students. Some of the                                 accreditations and associations are listed below:  

● Gold Certification from Guidestar India for processes and transparency for two years in a row since 2018-19.  

● Apni Shala’s School SEL Curriculum is reviewed by the Mental Health team at Ummeed Child Development Center (Mumbai, India) for alignment with Narrative Ideas and by the National SEED Project team at Wellesley Center for Women (Wellesley, USA) for Diversity and Inclusion.  

● The Apni Shala team has published articles from the field and practice in national education publications such as Teacher Plus. 

● Organisation’s COVID response has been covered by Mid day, Logical Indian, and The Faye D’souza Show.  

● Chicago School of Professional Psychology, USA released a podcast documenting our work during the pandemic as an example of community mental wellbeing. The same is available on the following links: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | RadioPublic. 

● The organisation was also invited on various panels, keynotes and sessions to address the mental health discourse during the pandemic.   

   Experiential Learning: We use powerful methods like drama, theatre, games, art, and community                         projects that engage students in an intensive process of learning, unlearning, reflection, and critical                           thinking. In the skill-building process, there are continuous references to their real-world in a bid to                               address their immediate challenges and relevant experiences. The experiential activities, games, and                       exercises help students develop at their own pace, one or more of the 5 social-emotional                             competencies, while they become more reflective, empathetic, and inquisitive individuals.  Intensive, long-term Engagement: In all it’s projects, Apni Shala builds an intentional design to provide                             holistic solutions.   facilitators conduct SEL workshops once a week during school hours with students from 4th to 9th                               grade. Space is provided by the school. Throughout the year, students receive 25 hours of SEL                               programming. This intensive process of learning continues throughout the school year. Towards the                         end of each year, students put together an annual learning showcase. Students’ learning is                           monitored through an annual pre-and-post assessment.     

 

Projects 

  

1. School SEL Programme with Municipal Schools  School SEL Programme is a whole-school approach to bring social-emotional development in schools.                         Started with 1 school in 2013, Apni Shala works with 18 municipal schools in L and M-west wards                                   through the School SEL Programme.   The programme is designed to serve children from grade 4 to 9, building competencies such as                               self-awareness, self-management, relationship skills, social awareness, and responsible decision                 making. In addition to working with children, the programme also works with teachers, principals,                           parents and the larger school community to build a caring and nurturing environment for children.   In 2020, Apni Shala team has successfully moved it’s School SEL Programme with municipal and                             low-budget schools/NGOs online. We recognize the tremendous need for schools and communities                       to continue working towards providing safe and caring environments to children and young adults, as                             their families continue to struggle with unemployment, poverty, lack of health care, and uncertainty                           brought up by the pandemic and potential economic recession.  

Apni Shala’s approach to address this challenge and serve as a space for rebuilding peer                             communities for students, educators, and parents involves a year-long implementation of the School                         Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Programme in partnership and consultation with municipal schools.   Key activities under School SEL Programme are:  Apni Shala offers a year-long SEL programme with students, an engagement programme for parents                           and teachers, and school-wide awareness campaigns. Under the partnership, the following                     deliverables are projected:  

● Weekly SEL sessions using audio-visuals, art, games, poetry, role-plays, technology, and                     story-telling. In the online sessions, this is done through asynchronous (Whatsapp) and                       synchronous (Zoom, Google Meet, conference calls) methods. 

● Quarterly Mental health awareness sessions with caregivers during the school year, aimed at                         developing awareness and abilities in parents to nurture SEL in their children at home. 

● Quarterly teacher engagement sessions/meetings, aimed at developing awareness and                 abilities in teachers to support students’ SEL development in school. 

● End-of-year learning showcases events in each school to help ALL students share their                         learning with the larger school community and parents. 

 

School SEL Programme (in physical spaces):  

 

   

 

 Social Emotional Learning - Aachrya Vinoba Bhave 

 Social Emotional Learning - Khardev Marathi 

 Social Emotional Learning - Anand Nagar MPS 

 SEL Campaign with Teachers - Mohili Village Hindi 

Caregivers Engagement - Vinoba Bhave Hindi  Annual Event hosted in MCGM schools - Anokhe Classrooms - Nehru Nagar MPS 

School SEL Programme (online version):  

 Evidence and Potential Impact of School SEL Programme:   From 2015 onwards, over 80% of the students included in the representational samples showed an increased ability to demonstrate at least one of the five areas Apni Shala works on Empathy, Confidence, Leadership, Communication, and Teamwork. Some of the consistent feedback received from school teachers, principals, and parents are: 

● On the days that Apni Shala runs SEL sessions, in many schools, students’ attendance has been observed to be higher compared to other days of the week.  

 

 Facilitating online SEL sessions for municipal schools 

Emotional Wellbeing session teachers and educators and teachers 

 

 Online SEL sessions for students from grades 5 & 6. 

 WhatsApp based support to students 

● Students show lesser classroom aggression, bullying, and conflicts ● Students have a better ability to critically analyze and resolve a tough situation ● During the year, students discover their strengths and weaknesses, sense of initiative, ability to 

work in a team  ● Students have been able to evaluate their beliefs and value systems with increased personal 

awareness    Here are some video resources to explore the outcomes of Apni Shala’s work: 

● Students sharing their learning from Apni Shala’s sessions ● Apni Shala Classrooms and Facilitators’ Experience ● A participant from Hunar Ghar shares his views about Apni Shala’s SEL Teacher Training 

  Budget and Projections for 2021-22  

 

   

 

Head   

No. of students served in a student-group   25 students 

Salaries (INR)  INR 41,481 

Programme expenses and training (INR)  INR 14,246 

Admin and overheads, capex (INR)  INR 7,956 

Advancement and Communications (INR)  INR 438 

Cost to run one student-group (25 students/group) for an year (INR)  INR 64,122 

No. of students served in a full school programme (12 groups, 4-9 grades)  300 students Cost for a full school programme (12 groups, 4-9 grades) (INR)  INR 7,69,461 

Monitoring and Evaluation Processes 

 

  Apni Shala Foundation is committed to monitoring and evaluation and invests time and effort in                             documenting, tracking and evaluating our work from time to time. We train our team in various M&E                                 processes at the start of the year and complete the following M&E activities throughout the year. 

Programme M&E Processes 

● Creation of SOPs for the Programme and M&E Processes  ● Pre and Post Impact Assessment of its programmes conducted at BOY and EOY ● Standardized session and project tracking tools updated weekly ● Bi-annual Partnership feedback from Schools conducted in November ● Bi-annual internal programme reviews conducted in November and April ● Annual Curriculum Design Review process conducted in April ● Weekly documentation of programme implementation ● Bi-annual reporting of programme progress to partner schools/organisations ● Simple, efficient tools collating and analyzing all data at EOY 

Other Performance Tracking Processes 

● Documented HR Policy ● Bi-Annual Performance Appraisal of all team members