Here (below) is a hopeful and easily usable idea from the person pictured above, whom I consider as possibly the most child-centered educator in the world. Kiran bir Sethi is a serial entrepreneur in service of kids, founder of the Riverside School in India and the world-wide Design for Change program, now in over 60 countries. (www.dfcworld.com). Last fall, with prescient pre-Coronavirus timing, Kiran and Design for Change brought 3,000 kids to Rome to share their projects and ideas at the world first iCAN Children’s Global Summit—where they all got to hear, and get support from, Pope Francis at the Vatican.
Here, perfectly suited to our difficult times, is Kiran’s latest project. Please pass it on! (Note: I am a volunteer on the DFC Advisory Board.)
The Callinteer Programme ( volunteers who ‘call in’ )
by Kiran bir Sethi
Children of the Riverside school have chosen to continue their on site volunteer work with grandparents at the Retirement Homes as well as the children at the Pediatric Cancer center, ‘offline’ with a unique ‘Callinteer programme.’
It takes the form of ‘Facetime’, Skype or just audio calls on speaker phone. The chat can be anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes. The caregivers and nurses have shared that the grandparents and the children look forward to this time and it brings a smile to their faces!
Each day, these Callinteers call up the centres and continue to engage, support and offer a sense of hope and community in these times of ‘social distancing’. The calls include games, riddles and challenges and just chatting.
This is is a small example of ‘Love in the time of Corona’!!
