The world today is reeling under the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. With the rest of society, millions of school-going students are struggling to adjust to changes forced onto the social system by the pandemic. The formal education system has suffered categorical disruptions, throwing the students’ routine out of gear. So I use this opportunity as a weapon. In my village, There is an untouchability and caste system including high dropouts. So at the time of the lockdown, I started English tuition at the temple premises for children who are having problems reading and writing English. In addition to all kinds of health concerns. At that time upper caste children came to me saying that they too were coming to tuition. their parents also permit them to come to our area. So I started some historical issues around the caste system in English and I started film-screening, Motivational Movies, drama, etc. This type of activity caught everyone’s attention in the village. Then I started syllabus teaching for 4th-grade 8th grade students in the village.So twenty-five to thirty-two children started to arrive. These children come from different castes. There was no discrimination in my tuition. Then I took the consent of the people to transform the Ambedkar Bhavan into a library and put the books I had there. I started to build a youth network and a children’s group. Community people gave 4 months for this work. So I created a time schedule and divided it into three categories for children, youths, and parents to visit the library, to watch movies, and Tuition activities. I use my network for how to work with youths, children, and parents after that discussions were launched on the issue of menstruation, health, education, time management, and self-development among a group of young people. All the kids were coming and learning according to my timetable by wearing masks and bringing sanitizer with them. Also, educate children about basic health. As well as addressing children’s rights. Students also need to be concerned about their physical and mental health. This can be achieved by eating healthy, sleeping well, exercising regularly, practicing yoga/meditation/breathing exercises, getting a healthy dose of sun and fresh air (while maintaining a safe distance), and taking time to unwind and have fun. , Healthy activities. After this kind of discussion, we start work with children to teach English and to create space to explore skills. Then we teach children all the art that comes to us, We all collect/bring the waste books from everyone’s home, and then teach the children to reuse these things. and organize small activities without money such as Craft, Art design, drawings, ect. Totally we create space for all so all children and youths choose their interest area to show their skills. Many people shared their stories with me of transformational encounters and deep relationships with other animals. Sometimes with a pet, other times with a wild animal. a coyote walking through the yard, the mother raccoon and her children, the wounded bird nursed back to health. To the storytellers, these stories held great meaning, and that meaning deepened during the retelling. One of my hopes for this book is that it will encourage children and youths’ families to sit down around and tell each other stories about animals who have touched your heart. These stories can also be shared on YouTube; through writing, art, and photography; and even through music. The happy thing was that all upper caste-lower caste children and parents were coming together and learning at the time without any discrimination. After four months there is no library now but there is now the Tuition Center. I’m out of the district because I want to continue my higher education. Now all of the children are going to learn more. Untouchability in the village is low and everyone is sending more children to school with more emphasis on education. They believe education can change our lives.
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