PROGRAMS OVERVIEW

What We Do

Diving into a foray of Expressive Arts activities from theatre and dance to puppetry and music, we have facilitated workshops at various facilities connected to ‘Children in Conflict with Law’. Be it the Observation Homes, De-addiction centres or the Waiting Room where children wait before their bail plea, we work with young offenders on a host of issues. The deeper we go, we find the need to address issues of identity and self-respect that run deep within these young adults. Arts is a medium to begin the process of healing.

CURRENT CAMAPIGN

A comprehensive program for the rehabilitation of Children in Conflict with Law (CICL)
through Expressive Arts and Mental Health interventions.

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WHY IT MATTERS

Following the encouraing results of our Research Project to enhance Emotional Intelligence among CICL, we now set out on a new journey to create a comprehensive program for the boys who are often neglected and marginalised by the society.

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OUR WORK TILL NOW

5200 Number of ‘AT-RISK’ youth impacted through Threads of Humanity programme.

‘Swachhta Hi Sewa’ Campaign at Observation Home for Boys-I

The Yuva Ekta Foundation conducted an Expressive Arts and Theatre program at the Observation Home for Boys – I (OHB-1) in Delhi Gate, Delhi, as part of the Swachhta Hi Sewa Campaign. After initial conversations and recce of the venue on February 10, the workshops began on February 14, 2022, and continued till February 28, 2022. As part of the program, we conducted 12 workshops with over 35 young participants from the Home, that resulted in a theatre performance and an art exhibition as part of the Swachchata Action Plan under the “Mission Vatsalya” scheme. The exhibition was displayed at the Home on March 1, 2022, in front of reputed dignitaries. The work done as part of this program is based on two metrics. Firstly, we used tools of Expressive Arts and Theatre to enable the participants to journey inwards. Secondly, we focused on ideas of ‘safai’ or cleanliness in our workshops through…

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Launch of Research Report – Building Emotional Intelligence and Self Esteem with CICL using Expressive Arts and Psychodrama Therapy

‘Threads of Humanity’ has been a flagship program of The Yuva Ekta Foundation. Started in 2009 by the core team, the program focuses on empowerment of at-risk youth and Children in Conflict with Law (CICL). Using the arts we create safe spaces, encouraging participants to undertake a journey of self-awareness and take ownership of their choices. It has been one of our longest and most successfully running programs through which, we have engaged with over 6000 young offenders and marginalized youth in the last 12 years. Our primary project objective is to use Expressive Arts and Psychodrama therapy towards creating a mentally and emotionally healthy child, who is equipped to break the cycle of crime and reclaim his place in mainstream society.  Our Journey… Our team has been working with Children in Conflict with Law (CICL) for well over the last decade. Our initial interventions started in 2009 at the…

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Gender Justice Program with Department of Women and Child Development

A flagship program of The Yuva Ekta Foundation, Threads of Humanity focuses on the empowerment of At-Risk Youth, Children under Care and Protection (CNCP) and Children in Conflict with Law (CICL). Our efforts over the last decade with marginalised youth have been intense and engaging, ranging from organising Expressive Arts workshops to performances, oriented towards creating a safe space for the participants we have worked with. In 2018, we began a pioneering research project at the Place of Safety and Special Home for Boys, Majnu ka Tila that looked at 'Building Emotional Intelligence using Expressive Arts and Psychodrama Therapy with Children in Conflict with Law’.We have continued our interventions at the Home since then. The theme for International Women’s Day 2021 was #ChooseToChallenge. Our initial meeting with the department revolved around portraying an exhibition on March 8, around the theme ‘Women in Leadership’. We understand that empowerment is a long,…

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One Year of Wait: Playback Goes On-Ground

We mark a very special day on our calendars. February 10, 2021- our first on-ground, physical Playback Theatre performance was conducted on this day in over a year. A special Wednesday spent with a special audience, the Yuva Ekta Playback Theatre Group performed for the boys at Majnu ka Tila as part of our on-going work at the project site. This performance came at an opportune moment when we were closing the first part of the first module (read more about it here) with the boys. The performance titled ‘Relationships that define me’ was a platform for the participants to talk about important people that matter in their lives, and the emotions they elicit. For our Playback group, it was a chance to perform physically, refreshing the skills we had learnt first as practitioners of the art form. The excitement was captured by our social media team with enthusiasm, right from…

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‘Art’ing our way through the pandemic

As the tumultuous year came to a close, we realized that we had covered a lot of ground during the pandemic. Our continuous Expressive Arts interventions at the Place of Safety and Special Home for Boys at Majnu ka Tila (The Home), New Delhi, came to a complete standstill when the lockdown began. Shifting the Threads of Humanity program online was a uniquely challenging and rewarding endeavour. At the Home, all activities were halted and the boys felt an increasing sense of loneliness and isolation. A lot of the participants we had earlier worked with started getting released on early parole and bail. Once they were released, the next step would have been for them to get enrolled in educational activities or look for immediate employment, both of which were difficult given the nature of the lockdown. We realized that there was an urgent need to continue our work, thus started a…

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Emotional Health and Well being during Covid crisis

The Yuva Ekta Foundation has been working at the Place of Safety and Special Home for Boys, Majnu ka Tila, New Delhi for over two years now. Even after the first phase of our pioneering research project ended in 2019, we continued our weekly Expressive Arts interventions with the inmates, deepening the impact of our work on concepts like Self-Image, Self-Esteem and Emotional Intelligence. With the announcement of the lockdown earlier this year, our physical visits to the Home stopped. For the first month, both the Home and our team were getting on calls with each other, trying to figure out the new modalities. By the time we got in touch with Boys at the Home, a lot of them were on the verge of being released on bail/parole, following social distancing norms at the Place of Safety. The ‘new’ normal saw us connecting with the boys online in May.…

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Continuing our work in response to Covid Crisis

The Yuva Ekta Foundation has been working with Young Offenders and ‘Children in Conflict with Law’ for more than a decade. Using a foray of Expressive Arts, we have conducted several interventions with the intent to make young people more accountable for their actions and create safe spaces where they can express themselves without fear or judgement. The last two years have been integral in this regard. Our research project not only revealed critical insights about the impact of Expressive Arts in building Emotional Intelligence with Young Offenders, but also helped us establish warm and loving human connections with the Boys. When the pandemic began, our visits to the Home stopped instantly. After a couple of months when we re-established a regular connection at the Place of Safety, most of the boys we had been working with for over a year, were up on parole/bail, given the new norms of…

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Open Day and Open Hearts!

In May 2018, the Yuva Ekta Foundation began its unique journey with a Research Project titled ‘Building Emotional Intelligence using Expressive Arts and Psychodrama Therapy with Children in Conflict with Law (CICL)’. The very first of its kind in India, this study pioneers the cause of the Arts in the social sector, particularly within Juvenile Prison settings. We have tied up with leading Psychologists, Psychodramatist and several other Master Practitioners to create an intensive and wholesome program that works on building competencies among young adults living in Adharshila Special Home for Boys and Place of Safety, Majnu ka Tila, Delhi. 51 Expressive Arts Therapy workshops and 10 Psychodrama workshops, spanning over a period of 10 months, were carefully planned to affect desired indicators of Emotional Intelligence like compassion, empathy, self-awareness, conflict management and other psychological variables mentioned by experts in the field. Our team included 3 Expressive Arts facilitators headed…

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Memories of Family: Thinking beyond a court case

Playback Theatre (PT) has been a recent addition to our repertoire of tools while working with Children in Conflict with Law. Our first ever Playback session with CICL came in May 2017 when we conducted an awareness and capacity building session on ‘Dreams, Delinquency and Destitution’ at the Delhi Judicial Academy. The audience members included members of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), Juvenile Justice Boards (JJB) and civil society members working in the field of Juvenile Justice. Many office bearers were moved into sharing the aspirations they had when they were younger, bringing home the power of PT to connect different stakeholders through shared experiences Ever since then, Playback has become an active component of our Expressive Arts inventory As part of our research study at the Place of Safety and Special Home for Boys, Majnu ka Tila, we used Playback as a standalone Expressive Arts tool to bring out…

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Home/Away International Theatre Festival

'For as long as anyone can remember, the Banyan Tree has been the heart of the Jahan Nagari. A resettlement slum, hastily cobbled together during the 'clean-up' drive of New Delhi, Jahan Nagari is populated with migrants who gravitated towards those with similar language and customs, as the city’s streets became ghettos, where opportunists sought to stake a claim. A microcosm of any big city, Jahan Nagari has its power centres, its dark underbelly, as well as its pockets of culture and refinement. Into this melting pot comes young runaway, Roshan, escaping from an alcoholic father and abusive stepmother, seeking shelter under the banyan tree. Through the eyes of a wide cast of characters, we experience the journey of the migrant, the insecurities and fears, and the longing to grow roots and call a place 'Home'. ‘Bargad Ki Chhaon Mein – In The Shade of The Banyan’ was a performance…

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School Theatre Workshops @ Jahangirpuri

“I want to play football. Every morning before the school starts, all of us go to the park and play football with bhaiya and didi. Through this play, I was able to tell everyone what I want to be- a Football player!” -Shaina, 13, is a resident of Jahangirpuri and is the eldest daughter in the family of four. Shaina has a father to look after her and three of her siblings. Recently, they came in contact with another NGO that works with Sports towards empowerment. Shaina likes playing football and as a participant in our workshops, she got the opportunity to tell her neighbours and community members that she wants to be a Football player. Our second intervention in Jahangirpuri took place during the summer vacations in 2016. We conducted a 2-week long Expressive Arts' workshop with students of K-Block School, aged 13-18. A small portable cabin within the…

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Intensive Theatre Workshops @ Aadharshila Observation Home for ‘Children in Conflict with Law’

“When I get out of here, I want to complete my education and support my family. I know I made a mistake, but I believe I can make things right. One day, when I have enough, I want to travel the world. Thank you for supporting me.” – Kabir (name changed) was part of our Expressive Arts program in May (2017) this year. He performed in the play ‘Aadharshila Mein Ek Din – A Day in Aadharshila’. In an exercise where we asked our participants to draw an object of desire, he drew a phone with his mother’s number before he broke to tears. Today, Kabir his pursuing a Bachelors degree in Cosmetics and working in a salon to support his family. We started working with a group of 15 inmates in the first week of May towards a workshop that culminated in a performance at the ‘Delhi Judicial Academy’ for Magistrates,…

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Community Outreach Workshops @ Jahangirpuri

“I have realised that crime in the area will be reduced only when we work together. I would like to get associated with you and start working towards this. I would like to continue these workshops in the future ‘didi’ (meaning older sister, referring to Ms. Puneeta Roy in this case). Please keep coming” - Rinki, a resident of Jahangirpuri was part of our Community Theatre workshops. Her children study in the local government school.  “We can’t keep our houses unmanned or kids alone in the area because of constant threat to their lives”. Jahangirpuri is filled with such stories that need to be heard. Rinki particularly enjoyed pen-making as part of our up-cycling workshops. One afternoon during the mirror exercise, she broke down as she received love and affection from her fellow participant that she hadn’t received in her own home. Our entry into Jahangir Puri comes at the…

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Expressive Arts Workshops with ‘Children in Conflict with Law’

THREADS OF HUMANITY was launched in 2009 at the Sewa Kutir Complex with the play titled 'Main bhi Insaan hoon' with the boys at Aadharshila observation home for 'Children in Conflict with Law'. The program expanded to include the 'Waiting Room', where we facilitated Art activities with children waiting for their bail plea to be heard by the Magistrate. While students from privileged schools and communities enjoy opportunities and resources at their behest, we realize that ‘Children in Conflict with Law’ fall under the category of ‘Youth At-Risk’. It encompasses that section of the young dividend that hasn’t been able to find its way in this ever growing economic disparity. In keeping with our vision of Equity and Social Justice, this is a Community Volunteer Program which works with the intent of skill and talent sharing. We invite students from Delhi University to engage with young offenders, and be sensitized in…

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Workshops with Stakeholders at Delhi Judicial Academy

“I want to complete my education and become a big man one day” – Participant, Aadharshila Home “I have always wanted to help people and through my work, I’ve managed to fulfill that dream” – Member, Child Welfare Committee Be it the young, or the younger, everyone dreams. Our dreams connect us to our innocence and light, that makes us one with our being. On August 25, 2017, the Foundation conducted it’s second Capacity Building workshop at the Delhi Judicial Academy for members of Child Welfare Committee, Juvenile Justice Board and organisations that work in the sphere of Juvenile Law. A small and engaging performance by the boys from the Aadharshila Observation Home titled ‘Khwaabon Ke Par – Wings of Dreams’, was followed by an Art activity that engaged all stakeholders on one platform and encouraged them to share their dreams with each other. A magical afternoon turned surreal because of the interactions that helped everyone understand and empathize with one…

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