Attending the Dream a Dream experiential learning camp was an experience to understand our own self and an expression to elaborate what is unknown within oneself. The 5 day camp began on a high note by welcoming young people and adolescents with a special song, drum beating, and garlanding them with ribbons in a green space away from the hustle-bustle of Bangalore city. The enthusiasm and caring nature of the lead facilitators and the volunteers from Dream a Dream created a safe and comfortable space for the young people and adolescents to embark on a journey of self-acceptance and self-discovery by taking creative risks, identifying strengths in individuals and the group, and exploring their dreams through different activities. These life skills are fundamental to child/youth development and to the successful transition into adulthood and becoming fully functioning and productive members of our society. 

The notable nature of the camp was the inclusiveness where every young person and adolescent were seen and heard. It gave the opportunity for young people to believe in their own capabilities and their innate potential. Hence the most transformative aspect of the camp were the six parallel workshops facilitated by young and adolescent people which offered them the chance to run the sessions. The camp covered a wide range of topics like songwriting, jewelry making, boxing/self-defense, cotton painting, etc. The young people were innovative and confident. One of the participants who facilitated the cotton painting session, Jagadish, said, “I never imagined I could lead a session with such a large and wonderful group.”

Through a broad range of reflective and interactive activities young people learnt the skills of appreciating, mindfulness, being intentional, listening, empathy, kindness, leadership, learning from each other, among others. It was a fun-filled camp with dance, song, painting, theatre, open mic and group activities. There was a high level of self-esteem and aspiration to do better, which could be witnessed every day, which made the engagement of young people creative and meaningful. The young people celebrated the time spent and the experiences shared in the Open Mic. 

For us, the camp helped in unlearning the fear of vulnerability. Throughout the sessions, we were encouraged to openly express our emotions and share our experiences. Every feeling and story was valued and received genuine attention. It allowed us to be humane with unique/similar narratives and establish deep, meaningful connections. This camp created a secure and nurturing space, enabling participants to embrace vulnerability, communicate their emotions and narrate their stories free from fear of judgment – a significant challenge in today’s world. In addition, we were also given a space to step out of our comfort zones. Activities such as spontaneous dancing and facilitating sessions challenged us to embrace spontaneity, adaptability and leadership. 

The camp has been a source of joy for the young people. From the moment they arrived, the atmosphere was filled with laughter, and a sense of togetherness, and the goal of the camp was to have fun in all activities. The camp provided an invaluable lesson that joy can be found in the simplest moments, where activities like ‘Dream Trees’ (visual representation) show the strength of positive thinking and the courage to dream when one is supported by peers, families, and mentors. This hope can sustain us through challenges, reminding us that even in tough times, there’s a path forward to brighter days. 

Many young people had adverse experiences at a young age and started taking responsibility to look after their families and studying simultaneously. Availability of the adult support system in the Thriving Centre run by Dream a Dream has been instrumental in building their life skills and instilling a belief in themselves to be resilient. This camp has instilled in them joy, confidence and hope which will enable them to thrive despite the trials of life. The Dream a Dream idea of thriving among people was clearly demonstrated and evident in the camp via its facilitation of empowering young people by accepting them as they are as they embrace change in their life. 

About the Authors: Watimongla Jamir is a Programme Coordinator, System Demonstration- East Hub, Dream a Dream, Nagaland. 

Sharique Mashhadi is an Associate Director, Dream a Dream heading the East Hub state partnerships.

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Back in 2003, I was a rookie reporter and it had barely been a couple of months since I had begun working at a news agency in Mumbai. One of those days when you do not realize that something pivotal was about to occur and it would take close to a decade for you to be able to process it. That day the Bureau head was travelling out of the city, and I was in the office when the call came in from the Head Office to file a report on the Twin Blasts (Zaveri Bazaar and Gateway of India) that had occurred in Mumbai. I remember it being ironic that we got the information on the blast from our Delhi HO when we were right in the city of Mumbai! Along with my cameraperson we rushed to the blast site, which was then cordoned off by the police authorities.

As we walked to the bomb blast site, I remember seeing shards of broken glass lying everyone around, police and other people moving around collecting evidence. The injured people were taken to the hospital. Suddenly out of nowhere a man appeared before me, and since I was walking with a cameraperson, he knew that I was a media person, and he shoved a steel tray in front of me and said “Yeh lo iska bhi shooting karo (here film this as well)!” Flummoxed I stared at the tray and what looked like a blood covered part of the human brain! The man had been collecting human remains from the blast site. It took me around 10 minutes to process this scene and only when my cameraman pulled my hand asking me to move, I realized that I had been rooted to the spot without any movement. I remember feeling as if I had in that moment in some way failed the profession and had berated myself because I had let go of what I was trained at my university to stay objective and not react.

Later, I reacted as I had been trained to react – be objective, not allow the external to affect the internal and filed the story as I was supposed to, listing the number of dead and injured people. It had been a mechanical process I recall when I had proceeded to file my story and had gone home without really processing what those moments meant to me. As communications professionals, we have been trained to be objective to the point of being stoic and not letting our emotions get the better of us, and while that may be required in diverse kinds of settings, I realized that I also needed to acknowledge that it was ok to be human and respond emotionally. It was also ok to be sensitive and respond from a space of empathy in the way I reported. Often, we forget that our reporting from the field has in many ways helped us grow and has allowed us to seek answers for ourselves around our own perspectives on the vagaries of life.

For me, this unlearning of an old narrative and the building of a new one had taken time to come. The relearning of a new narrative meant that it was ok to be present for the moment and required me to know that sometimes responding can be a slow process and that was also ok. I had to in many ways look at being present in the moment with my whole being and experience these pauses and how they can help me. Building a new narrative and moving to a newer one requires one to move from an earlier held belief/ thought to a new, more compelling one and we move we are willing to move or have experienced why it is imperative to move. Taking a pause when action has been your constant response may not be easy and certainly was not easy for me. Sometimes it may mean taking a breather and responding from a space of wanting to know more or from a space of empathy and not always from a space of wanting to fix things. For me it meant that I needed to listen to my own instincts deeply and be aware of making space for me to pause and then respond. I have in many ways moved from a solutions-oriented approach to an approach that focused on building an understanding around a sustainable solution; which can seem cumbersome however I have found it helped me ground myself better.

It has been an evolving journey for me, not been easy to let go of that veneer of self-preservation and I also acknowledge that there may be moments when this unlearning will slacken, however it is a journey that I have embarked upon, and I hope to relearn-learn all that will help me be better every day.

Dr Varsha Pillai is the Associate Director of Narrative Building and Communications at Dream a Dream.

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