Project SEED (seeding Enquiry, Empathy and Dialogue) is a community library project that aims to instill the love of reading and facilitate the growth of a mindset based on inquiry,empathy and dialogue in children through read aloud, book talk, choice reading, and innovative and fun library activities. It also aims to provide access to reading resources and inculcate a culture of reading among youths and adults. The project began in November 2021 with establishment of 4 community libraries.Presently, Ayang is supporting 40 communities in running and facilitating community libraries. The SEED project shall be brought to life through 200 community libraries over the next 4 years reaching and engaging 10,000 children as thoughtful readers. The project is designed to support each community library for 2 years from the time of establishment. In the course of 2 years, Ayang supports each village in establishing their own community library which would be owned and led by them. Ayang supports with an initial set of nearly 500 curated books for children and youth in Assamese, English, Hindi and where possible relevant regional language. Ayang also trains and provides hand holding to the library facilitator, called “Xopun Sarothi” (dream charioteers) nominated by the community themselves for a period of 18 months.
COMMUNITY LIBRARY PROJECT
With the teachers of our initial mobile library project school witnessing the transformation in children through our child-centric teaching and learning methods, we received requests from them to support them in other subject areas as well. We worked with government schools through our Manthan fellowship program. Manthan Fellowship is a two-year immersive and intensive journey for young adults to explore their own aptitudes and skills, understand society and contribute in the social sector specifically in the area of rural education. The fellowship came out of a critical lack of rural youth who are skilled and informed and have the passion and motivation to be agents of social change, especially in and around Majuli in Ayang’s context. Existing social sector fellowships often have a very high bar of skills required and consequently cater to candidates from premier/urban institutions who have had social and economic privileges historically.
