“Empathy is… seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another and feeling with the heart of another”
As promised, Foot Forward visited Faridabad again in January. This time the interactions were more intense and more impactful as now the girls were familiar with Disha, our facilitator. Yes, the topics and content are pre-planned but the discussions are always impromptu considering the enthusiasm and dynamicity of the girls.
This time, we decided to explore “empathy” with our kids along with continuing the discussion on hygienic practices during menstruation as the girls wanted and were eager to be educated about it. The sessions were conducted across grades 7 and 8, which included around 250 girls (humongous isn’t it? No, our target is to reach lot more kids in our mission).
The interaction continued from the last discussion i.e. menstruation, myths and taboos related to it and hygienic practices that are to be followed. The first and most important step in the direction: ‘WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT IT’.
It was surprising that out of the 250 girls no one knew the reason behind occurrence of the monthly periods. None had any idea. Only one of them replied with a mythical answer that periods occur as a result of consumption of dirty mud in our childhoods, the childish ignorance may sound cute but it is very dangerous. The science behind menstruation may remain a mystery for many but the taboos related to it are famous and religiously followed in our country – avoiding contact with religious places, not touching the pickles, sitting on a separate mat or even cutting off the contact with family members, not entering the kitchen, etcetera, etcetera. Disha decided to put her FOOT FORWARD and help the girls know their facts right and empower them by gaining awareness and hence confidence.
The discussion moved towards the main topic “Empathy”. Disha talked about how to be sensitive not just towards human beings but to all living beings around. She also asked the kids to love and respect each other irrespective of how one looks. Disha, being a great story teller that she is, made her points by narrating the story of the ugly duckling, a duckling that was born black and was looked down upon by her siblings who were of beautiful yellow colour. One day this so called ugly duckling does an act of chivalry and everyone starts appreciating and accepting her.
Disha encouraged the kids to think beyond their boundaries and not limit and restrict themselves. There was story for this too in Disha’s box of stories. Story of an eagle born in a team of hen, who starts thinking that she is also a hen. One day she sees a bird flying up in the sky and admires her. The hens say that the bird is an eagle and we should not even look at her. The eagle finally dies one day thinking herself as a hen. Our girls need to explore the eagle in them. In the same spirit, Disha further made the girls set an aim for 2017 and think of a road map to achieve them.
The interaction ended by talking about the importance of following the school rules and the importance and risks of not moving out of the premises during school hours. Further significance was placed on manners, importance and virtues of politeness and values in our lives.
The interaction turned out to be a rich one for the kids and a lot for our facilitator too!!
