Time to Teach Afterschool?

The Times of India's Teach India campaign has generated some interest in volunteering. Teach India is a social initiative of the Times of India group. It brings together volunteers and about 60 NGOs in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. The volunteers give time to teach children associated with the NGOs (two hours a week, for 3 months).

I participated in a seminar on urban development a couple of years ago - one of the speakers was a mayor from Germany. She remarked that one of the most striking difference between her city and mine was (no, not the usual - pollution, unruly traffic, poverty..) the lack of volunteering! In her city, she said, nearly everyone gives time - volunteering in a school, at a day care facility, a library, anywhere to work for their city! I would have felt better if she had pointed out the pollution instead!

How can afterschool time help to build a 'culture' of volunteering in children? One way is to get children to teach - less well off kids in the neighbourhood, younger kids in the same program, ... Teaching has this wonderful property - by teaching you learn like never before. So in a sense it is a great methodology that will help children learn better. You teach and therefore you learn (and vice versa).