BALA JANAAGRAHA

Janaagraha firmly believes that schools and communities have a duty to nurture moral and social compass in children and guide them into being responsible citizens.

The Bala Janaagraha is a uniquely designed citizenship education programme that is aimed at empowering the children with the knowledge, skills and values necessary to develop a deep sense of ownership and responsibility towards their society. Through interactive classroom sessions and project work children discover the rights and responsibilities of a citizen in a democracy.  The programme demystifies local government, introduces the political relevance of the ward and stresses the need for citizen participation in local governance. 

Bala Janaagraha runs in government, aided and private schools, often bringing students from different schools together.  The programme is introduced in schools in the wards where there are active members engaged in local governance issues.  The students interact with these community volunteers along with the teachers during the classroom sessions.  This interaction enables students to understand the idea of grassroots engagement in a democracy.

Bala Janaagraha started in 2001 in five schools with 500 children.  The programme has scaled to 5,000 children in 2007 with an ambition to impact 50,000 in the near future.

Civic Project 2007-2008

Every year children work on a Civic Project based on an important Civic theme. Through the civic project, we aim to inform, involve and engage the children in the exploration of civic issues directly related to their community and neighbourhood and propose an innovative, simple and practical solution. This year’s theme is – no prizes for guessing – the bane of all Bangaloreans, young and old alike – Traffic & Safety.