Apni Shala Foundation

Apni Shala Foundation (ASF) believes education goes beyond four walls of a classroom. With a mission to increase access to Social Emotional Learning (SEL) spaces for children and youth, ASF’s model revolves around experiential learning for children & youth, teachers, parents. They collaboratively work with government and private institutions and schools to facilitate support for conducting workshops/sessions. The aim is to develop capacity among   educators and    mental health workers and advocate with the government to push for policy interventions

Major Interventions:

Social & Emotional Learning (SEL): An initiative engaging children across schools and NGOs in age-appropriate social-emotional learning sessions throughout the school year. It is the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.

The NGO uses a strength-based approach while engaging children. Grounded in the principles of play-based and experiential learning, the Year Long SEL follows a Grade-specific curriculum which includes games, arts, stories, drama, etc. thereby partnering with a wide cohort of municipal schools and non-profit organizations to create a platform where children can easily access SEL education.

Personal & Professional Development: SEL Shala is an all-encompassing programme with an intention is to create an immersive experience and a space for deeper self-reflection for educators and educational institutions. The NGO helps build the participants’ capacity for diversity and inclusion within educational spaces. Diversity training capacitates employees to engage with multiple perspectives, work better with colleagues as diverse teams and develop creative and authentic solutions for engagement with a wider audience and hence enhancing organisational growth. ​​​

Khoj Learning Centre: An integrated school initiative with an aim to become a model school in the given context. With a curricular focus on students’ wellbeing and development, the school’s design is informed by students’ lived realities and continually strives to build an inclusive and compassionate ecosystem where all students can thrive. It uses a holistic educational model ensuring students' psychosocial wellbeing to educate and heal and incorporates counselling, mindfulness and inclusion practices to help empower its students and their families.