Programs

Education

The objective of Tripura's Education Programs is to discover the important variables in helping impoverished children rise from sub-human conditions to realizing their potential and growing into happy, productive adults.

Education That Works -- Removing Children from the Poverty Trap
Tripura Foundation focuses on children from families living at or below the extreme poverty level. For many of these children, public schooling is not an option as they are required to work to support their families. Tripura Foundation's educational programs are predicated on two fundamental philosophies:

Education is by far the cheapest and most effective method of reducing poverty. Our students have not only shown an incredible mental and social advantage over children in government schools, but their education has greatly affected the whole family. Many of the children now expect to obtain careers that where once considered unimaginable with salaries that will not only support them sufficiently but support the entire family. By helping the child break out of the bondage of poverty, you give an entire family a chance to break out of the poverty cycle.
A general educational curriculum is not enough to break the cycle. While general education does give the child the scholastic assets to enter the educated job market, it does not remove the child from the identity trap of poverty. Many children have known nothing but abject poverty, creating a psychosis that identifies with poverty. It is critical to implement a program that modifies the child's self identity, along with a general educational curriculum. The intent is to move the child's perception of themselves to an entirely new perception, one of self-efficiency and the ability to identify with material well-being and social standing.

"Education is the primary agent of transformation towards sustainable development, increasing people's capacities to transform their visions for society into reality. Education not only provides scientific and technical skills, it also provides the motivation, justification, and social support for pursuing and applying them. The international community now strongly believes that we need to foster - through education - the values,
behaviour and lifestyles required for a sustainable future."
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

HoPE Learning Centers

Education Initiatives Throughout India

Tripura Foundation’s commitment to provide education to underprivileged children arises from the desire to empower an intelligent and skillful generation to lead extraordinary lives. In looking ahead and preparing the future generation, we aim to free them from mental limitations and transform their consciousness to become leaders of humanity, bringing in Heaven on Planet Earth (HoPE).

Our new HoPE Learning Centers are focused on providing educational tutoring and skills development for underprivileged children. We serve 30-35 children at each center. The children, ages 12-14, are enrolled in grades 5-8. Most of the children come from single-parent families living in a cycle of poverty caused by lack of education, malnutrition, and abuse. These children are selected based on their dire need as well as their motivation to utilize this education and create positive change within their own family and their greater community.

The HoPE Learning Centers are designed to help nurture the mind, the body, and the character of the students by providing academic coaching, computer training, vocational skills, value training, and consciousness transformation programs such as Dr. Baskaran Pillai’s Phonemic Intelligence (PI) and Personal Transformation Program (PTP). The enhanced education techniques of PI have had great success cultivating intelligence and concentration in both our Boystown and Girlstown programs for several years. These are the standards we strive to achieve in our new HoPE Learning Centers as well.

Each Learning Center is staffed with two certified teachers. One teacher manages topics in math and science while the other teacher supervises the Humanities curriculum, which includes social sciences and language. In addition to the academic support and enhanced education techniques, our Learning Centers incorporate physical exercise and yoga along with a nutritious snack as part of the daily curriculum. Classes are held each weekday after school as well as on Saturday. Since creating a joyful and supportive environment is essential to the success of our HoPE Learning Centers, each facility is painted with vibrant colors to create an environment of beauty, creativity, and imagination in which the children can thrive.

HoPE Learning Centers provide a rare opportunity for these children to rise above their current suffering, creating a new destiny with bright possibilities. Please join us in our vision of transforming society by educating our kids.

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Helping Destitute Boys with PI

Indian Council for Child Welfare (ICCW)

Indian Council for Child Welfare (ICCW) is a national organization in India founded by the first Prime Minister, Mr. Nehru. ICCW has legal authority to "intervene" on behalf of children in the most troubled circumstances, and its members are involved in various aspects of child welfare.

In Fall of 2007, Tripura Foundation responded to an invitation from ICCW to present the Phonemic Intelligence(TM), or PI, program to its members. PI training sessions were conducted weekly with ICCW adults involved with children who are runaways, have been picked up from begging on the street, have disabilities, or are in abusive environments.

Due to the positive experience of the ICCW adults, Tripura Foundation was invited to teach the program to 50+ boys in the ICCW Destitute Boys Residential school. An PI trainer/volunteer visited twice a week during 2007-2008 teaching them the program and leading exercises and games. The boys became familiar enough with the techniques to "lead" the sessions themselves. Their shyness decreased and some of the boys reported feeling more energy and having more focus. Even the ICCW staff expressed personal benefits and relaxation as ICCW is a high-stress workplace with intense daily casework.

Due to the success of the program, PI was shared with 26 additional daycare directors, spreading the program to daycare facilities (called crèche) across Tamil Nadu.

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Bringing Phonemic Intelligence (TM) to Mexican Schoolchildren

Sounds for Hope in Mexico

The PI Mexico Project was presented as part of the official program of "The New Paradigm of Science in Education" conference held at the University of Baja California in Mexicali on December 8, 2005, attended by two hundred and fifty participants. During a very successful workshop, the PI team introduced the sound techniques to a large group of teachers and shared their teaching experiences.

Now, several schools in Mexicali, Tijuana and Ensanada, Mexico have implemented the PI program. The changes witnessed in students within just a couple of months of using these techniques have been remarkable. PI teachers report the children are more focused and enthusiastic with some of the more disruptive children experiencing complete turn-arounds. All of the children using the techniques are more peaceful, centered and cooperative.

The volunteer teachers are also experiencing personal transformations as they teach these techniques to young people since the sounds are also very effective with adults. The team's dedication to improving the lives of Mexican children is truly admirable.

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Holistic Learning at Girlstown

Integrating Traditional Studies with PI

In addition to providing traditional education at Girlstown, Tripura Foundation has developed supplemental programming to enhance the all-around development of the girls carried out by our staff. This includes tutoring in math, English, and computer skills to enhance the academic success and job opportunities for the girls, as well as alternative education programs for personal development.

The girls practice mindfulness techniques twice daily to fully infuse their psyches with positive vibrational sounds using the Phonemic Intelligence(TM) program. Results have been very encouraging as their intelligence and ability to concentrate has dramatically improved. Community service is a part of their lives as well. They regularly have the opportunity to participate in projects that enable them to look outside of themselves and see how their efforts can help others as they have been helped themselves.

We also organize extracurricular activities to develop their self-confidence, as well as nurture their artistic and creative abilities through singing, dancing, drawing and painting. They are thrilled to give performances for foreign visitors! The girls continue to impress and inspire us with their on-going progress physically, mentally, and academically. They are brighter and happier than we could have hoped and are grateful for their good fortune to be at Girlstown.

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Enhanced Education at Boystown

Integrating Traditional Studies with PI

In addition to providing traditional education, Tripura Foundation has developed supplemental educational programming to enhance the all-around development of the boys at Boystown. This includes tutoring, computer skill development, and alternative education programs.

The boys are tutored in traditional subjects to elevate their academic performance, as well as receive computer training on a weekly basis. Instruction is organized so that the boys work in small groups and the fast learners have the leadership opportunity to teach the slower learners. In just a few years, many of our boys who were academically failing or simply average are amongst the top rank-holders in their class.

The boys meditate twice daily and use the Phonemic Intelligence(TM) program to develop their powers of mental concentration and sharpen their intelligence. They often take on service projects so they can learn the importance of giving to others less fortunate than themselves.

We also organize extracurricular activities to develop their self-confidence, as well as nurture their artistic and creative abilities. The boys are taught crafts like book-binding and creating greeting cards from raw materials in the environment. The ambitious boys began taking orders for book-binding from their classmates in school.

The parents of the children, their school teachers and headmaster, and members of The Rotary Club have highly praised our boys on their all-around development, their leadership abilities, their academic success and eagerness to develop and demonstrate their talents. The boys are healthier and happier every day. They have grown in body, mind and spirit. Many have ambitions to achieve success not only for themselves but in order to help their families and others in need.

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Udavum Karangal

PI Spreads like Wildfire!

Udavam Karangal, a large gated community outside of Chennai, houses 2000 residents, all of whom have been marginalized by society. Abandoned infants, orphans of all ages, the handicapped and elderly all live together here.

In addition to providing monthly funding, Tripura Foundation sponsors special events (like holidays and festivals) and delivers supplemental education programs to residents. The PI program started with small group of 20 girls and their house mothers who were trained as PI teachers. They went on to teach about 350 others! PI spread organically throughout compound, with volunteers spending time doing sounds with toddlers up to 3 years old, tots up to 7, spastic kids, HIV kids and many others.

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Guild of Service Home for Handicapped Children

PI Assists in Rehabilitation

The Guild of Service first opened its doors in 1984 in response to the polio outbreak in poor rural areas around Chennai. Without availability of vaccines, many children were subject to the disabling disease. Now the Guild shelters, educates, rehabilitates, feeds and clothes 50 handicapped children at a time for a term of 3 years before reintroducing them into society prepared to make a way for themselves. Tripura Foundation delivers PI programs to the Guild children to assist in their recovery and re-entry into society.