By Fr Mayank Parmar for BISMumbai

A ten-day Pathdeep Summer Camp was held from 7 May to 17 May 2024 at Don Bosco, Kawant. A total of 20 children from Anand, Nadiad, Baroda, and Gandhinagar, along with 80 children from Don Bosco, Kawant, enthusiastically participated in the camp. 

Ashadeep Manav Vikas Kendra, Vidhyanagar, and Kawant Education Society collaborated for the academic year 2023-24 on the “PATHDEEP” training module, specifically designed for boarding children in Grades 8 and 9. Throughout the year, regular monthly training sessions were conducted. Also, a five-day camp was held during the Diwali holidays.

During these ten days, the children were exposed to a variety of topics and skills, including persuasive communication, team building, creative expression, leadership, positive thinking, human values, the POCSO Act of 2012, media education, the purpose of advertising, news writing and analysis, the role of media in a democratic country, gender equality, education for love, teenage issues and solutions, seven steps to a successful life, aptitude tests, and counselling. These sessions were made engaging with presentations, video clips, movies, and various creative activities that combined learning with fun.

The resource persons for the camp included Mr Ratilal Jada, Mr Hasmukh Christian, Fr Shaun D’Lima, Fr Mayank Parmar, Sr Rohini Jadav, Br Alan Manual, and Br Pranit Kokya. The interaction between tribal and non-tribal children proved to be very helpful and positively impacted all participants.

The camp concluded with a ceremony led by Kawant Police Sub-Inspector Mr Chauhan, who lit the campfire with a torch on the eve of the camp's final day. He remarked, “I am very pleased to see children are kept engaged with a variety of activities to have overall development.” Don Bosco Kawant students unanimously said inviting kids from other areas to their place was a wonderful opportunity and a learning experience. Mr Hasmukh Christian, the Assistant Director of Ashadeep,  said “We have been having a good rapport with Don Bosco last year through this Pathdeep program and would like to continue for the years to come. Fr Mayank Parmar, the Rector, expressed that it was a good collaboration for the betterment of the children.

Overall, the PATHDEEP summer camp provided a rich and varied learning experience, fostering growth and development in a supportive and enjoyable environment.