CRTRC Child Rights Training and Resource Centre. About Shaishav “Shaishav” is a Gujarati word meaning “childhood” We are a voluntary organisation.

CRTRC Child Rights Training and Resource Centre About Shaishav Shaishav is a Gujarati word meaning childhood We are a voluntary organisation that seeks to free children from the cycle of child labour and promote the ideas of sensitivity, solidarity, empathy and collective strength as a path to empowerment and social change Formed in 1992 to tackle the issue of childrens rights in Bhavnagar Aim to enable children with the capacity to improve their situation Aim to bring together children, adults, government and other organisations to achieve our goals Strong focus on the issues of child labour, discrimination and exploitation Programme Structure Community Programme Quality Education Programme Development & Empowerment Programme Balghar Balsena Tarunsena Lok Samarthan Manch Baldost Manch Area Committees C R T R C Materials Development Training Documentation Research Advocacy Networking Mobile Resource Centre Setu Shaishav Vision Established with an intent to provide strong research and development base for the organisation Serves to: Support and strengthen the many educational programs that Shaishav and other similar organisations have in place Expand and develop present programmes and concepts Sustain programmes through community ownership Objectives Spread awareness about child rights, particularly to children and those directly involved with underprivileged children Network with larger child rights organisations to campaign for child rights Advocacy and campaigning, to build pressure on policy makers to bring about more favourable child rights policy Increase peoples participation so that programmes run independently Activities CRTRCs activities can be split into the following programmes: Materials Development Resources & Training Vocational Training for Youth Process Standardisation & Documentation Participatory Action Research Mobile Resource Centres Advocacy & Networking Materials Development Development of various learning and teaching aids Include games, puppets, audiovisuals, and books Used by children, parents, teachers, activists, and other organisations Resources & Training Materials and other resources directed at both adults and children, for training in life skills, child rights, and education issues. Community based training programme to recruit and train interested women and youths to teach within their communities Training in service development for child rights activists and other organisations Child rights activist course Ongoing motivation and skills development training for school teachers in collaboration with Education Department Shaishav has become the Indian hub for the US based organisation, Play for Peace Vocational Training for Youth Various courses offered for youth, in arts, academics, life skills, value education and creativity Various schedules to suit all children Many of the courses available for adults are also suitable for children Process Standardisation & Documentation Organising and cataloguing Shaishavs current and future teaching techniques, practices, and activities. Promotes the sustainability of Shaishavs programmes, allowing our knowledge and practices to be openly shared within the organisation Manuals also made available to other interested parties, establishing a mutually beneficial channel for information sharing amongst organisations throughout India and abroad Participatory Action Research Conducting action research on various child rights and field-related topics using primary and secondary data Exploring currently emerging issues such as child sex abuse and child trafficking Research supports current child-related programmes run both by Shaishav and other organisations, and also helps identify and develop new programmes Also conduct budget analysis, and use action research to support advocacy Mobile Resource Centres 2 custom designed, well-equipped buses that function as highly popular Mobile Resource Centres in schools and communities Operate as field extensions of CRTRC Academic activities focus on Gujarati, maths, and environmental studies Developmental activities include games, arts and crafts, slide shows, films, and talks Advocacy & Networking Shaishav networks with many like-minded organisations at State, National, and International level, to attempt to influence policy and stimulate change Centre serves as a base for individuals and organisations interested in child rights related issues Provides a hub to pool local and international resources in an attempt to advance the development of child rights Summary CRTRC enables Shaishav to further develop its materials, as well as standardise and document its process Allows Shaishav to provide resources and training on a larger scale Base for research on child rights and education, communication, and networking, resulting in strengthened advocacy for child rights Centre functions as a child centred space for development and creativity